Somethings God requires

 Something’s God requires

             In the book or Romans we read,

"Love must be sincere. 

Hate what is evil; 

cling to what is good.  

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. 

Honour one another above yourselves." 

                                                       Romans 12:9,10.

Here is something God requires of us as Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus. The list is very simple to follow. We must,

Show sincere love. 

Hate evil. 

Cling to what is good. 

Be devoted to fellow believers. 

Honour others above ourselves.

Is this what you are doing?

Please think about it.

Every knee will bow

 Every knee will bow

The Psalmist wrote,

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well."Psalm 139:14.

If for nothing else we as believers in Christ Jesus need to praise God because we are “fearfully and wonderfully” made.

Martin Luther King jr. once said,

“We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man.

We are in nature but we live above nature.... help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.” Martin Luther King jr.

We are created to live on through eternity. And I know this. In the book of Philippians we read,

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11.

On that day when every knee will bow to Jesus, where will you be?

Please think about it.

It is Good

 It is good

“It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning  and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.” Psalm 92:1-3.

One of the things I think many Christians fail in is Praising God. We are quick to call on God when things go wrong but not so quick to take time to praise God.

Why not take sometime right now to simply praise God?

Please think about it.

Are you doing your best?

  Are you doing your best?

The apostle Paul writing to Timothy wrote,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2Timothy 2:15.

If you claim to be a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus are you doing your best to correctly handle the Gospel message?

As believers in Christ Jesus it is up to us to do our best to live a life in a way that glorifies Jesus.

We need to hold the scriptures with such high regard that we do our best never to misinterpret what those scriptures are saying.

We need to hold God and Jesus in high esteem. So much so that it hurts us when we see their names maligned in any way. Especially if that person claims to be a Christian.

We need to truly live in spirit and in truth what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.

So are you doing your best? Are you a workman who is not ashamed of how you handle the word of truth?

Please think about it. 

What God Expects

  What God Expects

In the book of Deuteronomy we read,

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with your soul,” Deuteronomy 10:12. 

This is passage to me is strait forward. We as believers in God, in Christ Jesus are to

1. Fear God.

2. Walk in all His ways. Follow God without wavering from His teaching.

3. Love God. 

Jesus said,

“...“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.” Matthew 22:37.

4. Serve God with your whole heart.

If you claim to be a Christians. A follower of Christ Jesus are you doing this?

Please think about it.

I will Praise You

  I will Praise You

The Psalmist writes,

"I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; 

I will sing of you among the peoples. 

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; 

your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; 

let your glory be over all the earth." 

                                                    Psalm 57:9-11.

Do you sing praises to God? How often do you praise God? Daily? weekly? only when you are in Church?

As believers in God. As believers in Christ Jesus, we should be taking at least a few minutes each day to praise God. For He is our hope and Salvation. 

Why not take time to praise God now. Why not set aside time in your day just to thank God for all He has done for you?

Please think about it.

Come Praise The Lord!

  Come Praise the Lord!

The Psalmist writes,

“Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD 

who minister by night in the house of the LORD. 

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary 

and praise the LORD. 

May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,

 bless you from Zion. Psalm” 

                                                    134:1-3.

If you are a believer in Christ Jesus. If you claim to be a true Christian will you take time now to Praise The Lord?

Please don’t just think about it. Do it!

One Day

  One day

In the Book of Genesis we read,

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work and that he had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it God rested from His work that He had done in creation. Genesis 2:1-3.

Rest. Do you take time to rest and worship God at least once a week? 

Now I’m not going into whether we should rest on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week or not. I believe it’s up to the individual to decide when they worship God. Ultimately we should I believe show our devotion to God everyday of the week. 

We should put time aside each day to pray and worship God in word, and in song.

That being said we should take one day where we devote the entire day to worshipping God. Preferably without distractions.

We as believers in Christ Jesus need to spend time with other believers in praising God and thanking Him for all He as done for us.

Thus my question to you; Do you set a day aside for the worship of God?

If not why not?

Please think about it. 

May the name of The Lord be Praised

  May the name of The Lord be praised.

In the book of Job we read,

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; 

may the name of the Lord be praised."

                                                                    Job 1:21

Job went through many hardships. Hardships that included the loss of his family and possessions. Yet through it all Job praised God. He remembered just who was in control.

I wonder how many people who call themselves Christians in the North American church today could praise God if they went through what Job went through?

What about you dear reader; if you were in Job’s position do you think you could praise God?

Please think about it.

I will Extol The Lord

I will Extol The Lord
The Psalmist writes,

"I will extol the LORD at all times; 

his praise will always be on my lips. 

My soul will boast in the LORD; 

let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 

Glorify the LORD with me; 

let us exalt his name together." 

                                                  Psalm 34:1-3.

If you consider yourself a Christian do you lift up Gods name at all times? Do you praise Him enthusiastically?
Do you praise the Lord in your troubles?
We don’t praise God because we are having afflictions. Rather we praise God because we know that he will bring us through our troubles.
The book of Acts tells us of a time when Paul and Silas were in prison. It states,
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25.
I’m sure they weren’t praising God because of the bad situation they were in. They were praising God for who He is, knowing that no matter what we go through God was there for them.
Thus my question to anyone who considers themselves a Christian, a true believer in Christ Jesus; do you praise the Lord at all times?
Please think about it. 

A religious Effigy

A religious Effigy
Jesus speaking to his followers said,
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven Matthew 5:13-16.
Some time ago I came across a book entitled "Essentials in Christian Faith" by John B. Harrington, published in 1958, could have been written yesterday. It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.'"
Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 
Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."
If Paul Gallico is right and I believe he is, mankind is considerably nearer the bottom of that slope than he was in 1948. Moreover at the bottom of that slope is a very deep lake filled with fire and brimstone.
The world cannot go on the way it is.
Never in the history of human kind as there been a greater need for the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus. Sadly however at least where I live here in North America the Church it seems has become a religious effigy of what it should be. The salt has lost its saltiness, the light is under the bowl and people are potentially going to hell because of it.
Sadly many in society to day think little about God and the salvation offered by Christ Jesus. Many in our society see what the apostle Paul saw when he wrote to Timothy.
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4.
Those outside the church see a church looking inward. A Church that passes judgement on them without getting to know them.
Thus my question to you. If you consider yourself a Christian, a true believer in Christ Jesus. Have you become a religious effigy of what a Christian should be. Or are you presenting the Gospel of Christ, the hope of mankind, with love and understanding to others.
Please think about it.

The First Question

The First Question
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”The Talmud
I like what the Talmud says here. What will you say when you stand before God.
 Jesus tells this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,  
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31.
Be you rich or poor we will all stand before God at a moment in our life. A rich person may have more to answer for when it come to dealing with their employees, investors or other people in their life. But everyone else will have to answer to God also for how we treat our fellow man.
We deal with people everyday be a a cashier in a store, the postman, our coworkers, our neighbours. How we treat them is of concern to God.
I do believe God is as much concerned with the small things as he is with the big things. He is very concerned how you teat your fellow man.
As a Christian I believe you get into heaven by faith. The apostle Paul states,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
At the same time I believe be we Christian or not, we as individuals will have our words and deeds Judged by God.
The writer of Ecclesiastes writes,
“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 the question is not whether God exists or not. He does.
 The question is when you stand before God will you be able to say “I have dealt honourably and faithfully with my fellow man.”
Please think about it.