He is there

God is There

The psalmist writes,

"Where can I go from your Spirit?  

Where can I flee from Your presence?  

If I go up to the heavens, You are there;

 if I make my bed in the depth, You are there. 

 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 

if I settle on the far side of the sea, 

even there 

Your hand will guide me.  

Your right hand will hold me fast." 

                                            Psalm 139:7-10.

Here is something we as believers must always remember. No matter where we are God is there for us. God is there to guide us in the best of times and in the worst of times.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

If you love Christ

 If you love Christ

In John’s gospel we read Jesus as saying,

“....if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:23. (ESV).

This is the mark of a true Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus. A true follower will keep the commandments Jesus has given them.

As a result they will show positive traits in their life. The apostle Paul noting anyone with God’s spirit will exhibit the fruit of that spirit. Paul writes,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control.... Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22,23.

If you consider yourself a true follower of Christ Jesus, do you exhibit the fruits of the spirit the apostle Paul speaks about?

Please think about it.

A time

  A time

Jesus said

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24.

There are many people within the church today who are simply following the ritual. They come to church simply because their parents or grandparents came. They know what to say and do while in church. 

These people however are simply going through the ritual they’ve been brought up on. They may seem like they have it all together but they don’t. They are not worshipping God in spirit and in truth. They are not worshipping God with their body, soul and spirit.

Are you?

Please think about it.

A Question for you to answer

  A question for you to answer

Jesus was 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.

Jesus here is echoing Deuteronomy. A portion of scripture repeated twice daily by faithful Jews. It reads

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Deuteronomy 6:5-7.

It signifies total commitment to God and ones duty to follow all of Gods commands.

Thus my question to you. If you claim to be a true follower of Christ Jesus. A true believer in God; Are you truly serving God with your heart, soul and strength?

Please think about it.

Bulwark of a free society

 Bulwark of a free society

In the book of Genesis we read,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

                                                                                         Genesis 1:1

The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It has no reason to. It was written to believers and believers in God do not dispute His existence.

To believers, it is God who wrote on each individuals heart what is right and wrong. It is belief in God that laid down universal moral values we all should live by. 

Abba Hillel Silver during the second world war in Britain 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.

The way I see things when God is left out of society bad things happen. We just have to look at Nazi Germany during the second world war to see what happens when men forget about or don’t believe in God. People end up in prison, tortured or are murdered for their beliefs. Life becomes cheap.

And the Nazis while perhaps the most extreme example in history, they don’t have a monopoly on the persecution of believers in God. It is happening around the world today.

It is believed that tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people are persecuted,, in prison or labour camps simply for believing in God believing in Christ Jesus. A God that quite often, those who are imprisoning believers in God, say does not exist.

I firmly believe that if society is to thrive we need to keep belief in God strong within our society. That we need to worship our loving God in spirit and in truth. We need to show the love of a God to all those around us no matter who they are, family, friend and foe alike.

I firmly believe that we who are free in the western democracies need to pray not just for those who are in prison for their beliefs. But for those who are imprisoning them. That they will see that God exists and that they will see that the word the writer of  Ecclesiastes is true when he wrote,

"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 judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.

Please think about it.

Which are you?

  Which are you?

In the gospel of John we read Jesus as saying,  

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24.

Over the years I’ve seen two kinds of people who go to church. Two kinds of people who call themselves Christians. 

One is the person quite often someone who has been coming to church all their lives. They know what to say and when to say it. Intellectually they acknowledge Gods existence but they really haven’t committed their lives to Christ.

The other is a person who worships God with their whole being. A person who wants to live their life for God in the best way they can. Such a person can echo the words of the Psalmist who wrote,

"I wait for the LORD, 

my soul waits, 

and in his word I put my hope. 

My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, 

more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

                                                          Psalm 130:5,6.

Question; Which person are you?

Please think about it.

No other gods

No other gods
In the book of Exodus we read,
"You shall have no other gods before me."Exodus 20:3.
This verse in Exodus is perhaps the most forgotten verse in the Bible here in North America.
North America is full of God’s. God’s even those calling themselves Christians worship. God’s like consumerism, money, political parties and political leaders. Even Christian leaders or men and women calling themselves Christian leaders.
 In the United States many even put the constitution and the bill of rights ahead of or equal to God. This should not be so.
While Christians in the United states have wonderful freedoms, and the United States constitution and bill of rights are noble documents. They are not equal to the Bible in any way. And the Bible never promised Christians any form of rights, within any nation or society on earth.
  If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus, you need to look at what you worship. At what you put ahead of God or equal to Him.
Jesus said,
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.  
God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24.
So my questions to you if you claim to be a Christian is;
1/ Do you put anything ahead of God?
2/ Do you truly worship God in Spirit and in truth?
Please think about it.