Live in Light

Live in Light
The Apostle John writes,
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.  
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.  
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” 1 John2:9-11.
Throughout John’s writings we see this recurrent theme of Love. Indeed it is not just a recurrent theme with John. It is the main theme of the whole New Testament. 
John quotes Jesus speaking of himself as saying,
“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
Jesus emphasised the importance of love 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 neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.
Prior to that Matthew records.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...” Matthew 4:43,44.
Love must be the key motivator for a believer in Christ.
We must love God, our neighbour, and even our enemy. This is a command from Jesus himself.
Believers in Christ must ingrained in their hearts and practice unconditional love towards all people. Unconditional love defined by the apostle Paul when he said,

“Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, 

it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, 

always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

                                                                              1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

We must remember the words of the apostle John who tells us,

“Anyone who claims to be in the light 

but hates his brother is still in the darkness.

Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, 

and there is nothing in him to make him stumble

                                                                    1 John 2:9,10  

Please think about it.

In 2018 this means

In 2018 this means
Jesus taking to His disciples and through them to us, 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.

Put this way in the year 2018 this means,

If you are

demonstrating against anyone. 

You are telling them 

they can demonstrate against you.

Put it this way in the year 2018 this means,

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.

Put it this way in the year 2018 this means,

If you are 

imposing your morals however good they may be on others.

You are telling them 

they can impose their morals on you, 

even if they are not as good as yours.

Put it this way in the year 2018 this means,

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.

And you might not like their faith.

Put it this way in the Year 2018 this means,

If you are

judging others.

You are telling others 

they can judge you in the same way.

Jesus 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.
So do you Love others unconditionally?
        Please think about it.

Your Heart

Your heart
James the half brother of Jesus writes,
“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  
But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.  
For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. 
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”James 1:9-12 
Notice James reverses things when comparing the rich man to the poor man. In our secular society the one who is rich is quite often considered to have a high position. While the poor man has a low one. Not so with God.
A person of humble means needs to rely on God every day. They are drawn toward God to help them meet their daily needs. Not necessarily so with someone who is rich. They can rely on their riches. As a result they may not turn to God in the way a poor person does.
The apostle Paul warns,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.
Notice Paul here states it is “the Love of money that is a root of all kinds of evil”. Having a lot of money is not sinful. It’s what we do to get that money, and how we use that money that can be sinful.
Money if we use it wrongly can pull us away from God.
Matthew’s gospel tells this story of a wealthy man that came to Jesus,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Matthew 19:16-22
In this case the rich man did not have complete faith in God. His riches it appears were more important than God.
The key here goes back to what Jesus said,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
Thus the question is. Where is your heart?
Please think about it.

A Sacred Trust

A Sacred Trust
The Apostle Paul writes,

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ 

and stewards of the mysteries of God. 

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

1Corinthians 4:1,2  

As believers in Christ we are not just servants of Christ but “stewards” of the mysteries of God.
A steward was someone who administered all the affairs of his masters house. Joseph was Potiphars steward in the book of Genesis (Genesis 39:2-19).
Stewards must be loyal and faithful to their master.
As stewards of “the mysteries of God” we must stay true to the word of God. We must manage the message of Christ correctly. To do less is to betray our master Jesus. To betray God.
The consequences for not doing so could be eternal. For ourselves and those around us.
A great light shines on the believer in Christ. If we believe the words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of John,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
If we believe the words of Jesus who 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.
We must be presenting the love of God in spirit and in truth to all those around us. We cannot as someone has said, “mess with The Message”.
Jesus 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 neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus also said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous...”Matthew5: 43-45.
Love is the key to the Christian life. As Martin Luther King jr. the great American civil rights leader said,

Love is the only force capable of transforming 

an enemy into friend.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

God knew this that is why He sent Jesus. The apostle Paul writing to the Romans states,
“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 5:8-11
This is the Message we as Christians are to take to the world. The Love of God through Jesus Christ that leads to Salvation.
Jesus told his disciples and through them us,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.
We must present this message in love to all who will listen to us.
We must be presenting it in spirit and in truth as presented in the Scriptures. To do anything less is unacceptable.
Please think about it.