With Equity

 With Equity

In proverbs we read,

"Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity." Proverbs 96:10.

I like this portion of scripture. It tells me God is fair and just. That he will judge all people equally. God does not play favourites.

The reason God can do this is because he knows us intimately.

The Psalmist writing,

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16.

In Ecclesiastes we are warned,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

That being said God does not leave us to our own devises, because he knows we cannot live a life good enough to get to heaven. Thus He sent Jesus. 

The apostle Paul writing,

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” Romans 5:6-11.

Have you received by faith the salvation God offers through Christ Jesus?

Please think about it.

Thoughts from Ecclesiastes

From Ecclesiastes 

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read these four statements,

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" Ecclesiastes 1:9

"I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."Ecclesiastes 1:14

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

Is this not true? Think about it? The richest and poorest people on the planet will one day stand before God, equal. All of their earthly possessions divided among others.

The only thing they will have when they stand before God is their faith and the deeds they have done. And as the writer states,

“...God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

When you stand before God what will He say about you?

Please think about it.

What will God say on that day?

 What will God say on that day

Isaiah the prophet writes,

“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” 

“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:6-8.

We are all if you think about it, grass. We are destined to live a handful of years on this earth after which we pass into eternity. Before we pass into eternity however we need to give our hearts to God.

The writer of Ecclesiastes writing,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

Are you ready to meet God? 

What will God say to you on that day?

Please think about it.

Judged by what we know

 Judged by what we know

The apostle Paul writes,

"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  

(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) Romans 2:13-15.

I’ve been asked many times what happens to those people who have not heard the gospel message? 

The above message is the apostle Paul’s answer.

First he states that it is those who hear and obey the law who will be declared righteous.

Then in notes when the gentiles who do not have the law do by nature things required by the law it will be they will get to heaven.

God who is just will judge everyone justly. The individual will only be judged by what they know and do. It’s that simple.

So the question becomes are you following the teachings of Christ and obeying what God commands us to do?

Please think about it.

Mercy Judgement Forgiveness

 Mercy Judgement, Forgiveness 

Jesus made it clear,

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37.

In the book of James we read,

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" James 2:12, 13.

So the question becomes, Do you judge people or do you show mercy toward those around you?

Do you obey the words of Jesus who when asked,

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 

Jesus replied: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 

This is the first and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.'  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:36-40.

Please think about it.

The conclusion of the matter

 The conclusion of the matter

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

I believe there is a God. Furthermore I believe what the writer of Ecclesiastes is saying here about Him. If I am wrong and God doesn’t exist. I will have lived a good life. A happy life.

If on the other hand I am right then many people in this world have a lot to fear. 

What about you dear reader. What do you believe about God?

Please think about it.

Your and the golden rule

 You and the golden rule

Jesus said,

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.

As Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus we are called to follow this rule. Think of it this way,

To day that means,

If you are

demonstrating against anyone. 

You are telling them 

they can demonstrate against you.

If you are 

speaking out and trying to restrict the rights of others 

given to them by the lawfully elected government.

You are telling others 

they can try to restrict your rights.

If you are 

imposing your morals on others

however good they may be.

You are telling them 

they can impose their morals on you, 

even if they are not as good as yours.

If you are 

trying to impose your faith on others 

rather than presenting your faith.

You are telling others 

they can impose their faith on you.

If you are

judging others.

You are telling others 

they can judge you in the same way.

If you 

are telling the world you are a Christian

You should be telling the world 

I love you as Jesus loves you,...

unconditionally.

Please think about it

Failure to recognize God

 Failure to recognize God

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It was written to believers who accept by faith God exists. Therefore no explanation is necessary.

The writer of Hebrews stating,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Abba Hillel Silver said this about God and we humans. He wrote,

"Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority." Abba Hillel Silver.

Without the recognition of God or failure of a society to fear God bad things happen. We only have to look at Nazi Germany under Hitler and his henchmen. These men and those who followed them did not fear God. Which ultimately led to the death of sixty plus million deaths in the worst conflagration in human history.

In Ecclesiastes we read.

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

So when you stand before God what will He say to you?

Please think about it.

You, God and Judgement

 You, God and Judgement

The Psalmist writes,

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16

What this portion of scripture tells me is that God knows you intimately. God knows you right down to the DNA level. He knows exactly why you are the way you are. That is why only He can judge you. That is one of the reasons, I believe, Jesus tells us,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”  Matthew 7:1

We as mere mortals cannot judge another person especially when it comes to where they will spend eternity, simply because we do not know why a person is as the way they are.

That being said, apostle Paul noted the only people we are allowed to judge are those who claim to be Christians, Paul writing,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

Please think about it.

When God examines you

 When God examines you

The writer of Proverbs states,

"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, 

and he examines all his paths." 

                                                        Proverbs 5:21.

That says it all. God knows about everything we do and why we do it. 

Question:

When God examines your ways, what will He say?

Please think about it.

We have no right

 We have no right

The Psalmist writes,

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.

God knows us intimately. This quote from psalms in modern terminology is essentially saying God knows the very DNA that makes up of our being. He knows why we are the way we are. This is why God and God alone is the only one who can judge another person.

Jesus made it clear to all who believes,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

While we must judge the actions and words of some people in order to be careful as to who we trust at times for our own safety. We have no right to judge where someone will spend eternity. That is Gods job. NOT ours.

Please think about it.

Mercy Triumphs over Judgement

Mercy triumphs over judgement

In the book of James we read,

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" James 2:12,13.

As Christians we need to speak and act as someone who is going to be judged. Just because we have accepted Christ by faith doesn’t mean we can go on sinning or we have the right to judge someone.

The apostle Paul writes,

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Romans 6:1,2.

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37.

As Christians, as believers in Christ Jesus, we will never win a soul to Christ if we go on sinning or judging people.

Ultimately we need to remember to treat people the way we want to be treated, Jesus saying,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

Please think about it. 

How will you feel?

How will you feel?

In the book of proverbs we read,

"Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity." Proverbs 96:10.

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

God who knows all things. God who knew us from our mothers womb, will one day judge us justly. What will he say to you when you stand before him.

The late American evangelist Tony Campolo wrote,

“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?” Tony Campolo

On the day you stand before God will you be happy?

         How will you feel?

Please think about it.

From Ecclesiastes and Romans

From Ecclesiastes and Romans

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" Ecclesiastes 1:9

"I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."Ecclesiastes 1:14

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 

The writer of Ecclesiastes looks at all the works a man does and pronounces them meaningless.

I’ve heard it said that there is nothing new under the sun. The only difference between someone in Christ’s day and now, is when we do wrong it ends up on social media. That “modern day sinners”, sin, using high tech devices.

The outcome for the modern day sinner is however the same as it was for sinners since the beginning of time. Spiritual death. Separation from God.

Writing to the Romans the apostle Paul states,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24.

Paul also writes,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  Romans 10:9-11.

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Please think about it.

He was tempted in every way

 He was tempted in every way

In the book of Hebrews we read,

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:14,15.  

Here is the unique thing about Jesus. Jesus was God incarnate, God in the flesh. He lived on this earth as a man. Jesus experienced everything a man could experience. He was tempted just like we are. Yet he didn’t sin.

As a result we can never stand before God on judgement day and say “You don’t know what it was to be human, because you have always been divine”.

Jesus lived life as a human and therefore knows what it is to be human. 

In his lifetime Jesus and his parents became political refugees having to run to Egypt in order to save his life. Jesus attended various events such as marriages. He knows what it is to have good friends. He also knows what it is like to have enemies. To be falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He also experienced the harsh reality of a Roman whip and crucifixion.

And think about it he even experience the mundane things in life like dusty feet, rain against his face. The warmth of the sun.

In short Jesus experienced all that it was to be human from the best mankind could offer to the worst mankind could do to an individual.

Which is why he can judge us fairly.

Please think about it.

About Christians and Judgement

 About Christians and Judgement

  Jesus said,

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

We as mere mortals do not have all the facts. We do not know why a person is like they are. Only God knows that. That's why we must show love and not judge in anyway toward those around us.

Interestingly the apostle Paul states,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?

 Are you not to judge those inside?" 

                                                                            1 Corinthians 5:12.

We are allowed to judge those who claim to be Christian, but only to tell whether or not they are teaching sound doctrine. 

We have no right to judge where people will spend eternity.

The late evangelist Billy Graham once wisely said,

"It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love," 

                                   Billy Graham

Please think about it.

By no means clear the guilty

By no means clear the guilty

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

We live in a society that is getting ever more sinful as the years go on. Many calling themselves Christians are blatantly lying, and following the lies of both political and religious leaders. 

The Prophet Nahum states,

"The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,

and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty...." 

                                                                            Nahum 1:3.

If we claim to be Christians, true followers of Christ Jesus. We must repent of our sins. Stop following the lies of political and religious leaders and turn to God.

If we don’t then we will see the full wrath of God when we ultimately pass into His presence.

Please think about it.

What will God see?

 What will God see?

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD,

 and he examines all his paths." 

                                                                      Proverbs 5:2.

I don’t believe the idea that God is a big old self-centred man with a big stick ready to hit us when we do wrong. We only have to read John 3:16,17 to know that. 

John 3:16,17 states,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16,17.

At the same time God is watching us and will judge us fairly in according to what He sees.

So my question to you is. When you stand before God and He examines your life What will God see?

Please think about it.

What really matters

  What really matters.

In 1Corinthians we read,

"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.  

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." 1 Corinthians 4:3-5. 

What the apostle Paul is saying here is it doesn’t matter who in this world judges you. What ultimately matters is God’s judgement. For it is God who will determine where you will spend eternity.

Question, When you stand before God what will He say to you?

Please think about it.

A Warning to the people

A warning to the people

The Psalmist writes,

"Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. 

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; 

"let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth." Psalm 96:10-13. 

It is important that we who believe in God. We who believe in Christ Jesus tell the world that God will one day judge everyone in this world. 

It is important that we tell the world the words of Jesus. Who speaking of himself said,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son". John 3:16-18.

If you consider yourself a true believer in God. A true believer in Christ Jesus, are you doing this?

If you are not a believer in Christ Jesus. Take some time to read the New Testament and see what the followers of Jesus thought of Him and God’s judgement on mankind.

Please think about it.