What do they see?

What do they see?
Jesus said,
“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 5:14-16.
To all those who call themselves Christians who are reading this; when a light is shone on your life what do they see?
Do they see the Love of Christ?
Francis of Assisi wrote,

"The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today"  

                                                                         Francis of Assisi.

Like it or not a spotlight is shining on anyone who calls themselves a Christian. People are looking at their words and deeds.
Sadly many who are watching men and women who call themselves Christians are not seeing the love of Christ. Christians may think they are but they are not.
Over the years I’ve heard people call Christians, hypocrites, bigots, people who attack those who don’t agree with them.
This should not be so as believers in Christ Jesus we should be showing unconditional love to all with whom we come in contact with.
If we are a true Christian a true believer in Christ Jesus we should at a bear minimum showing the kind of love the Apostle Paul defined when he wrote to the Corinthian church. Paul writing,

"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.

Is this the kind of love you are showing to the world?
If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus you should.
Please think about it. 

Put it this way

Put it this way
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

Put this way in the A. D. 2017 this 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 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.

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

Shout tot the Lord

Shout to the Lord

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

It is he who made us, and we are his; 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

 give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

                                                                    Psalm 100:1-5.

Can you shout to joy to the Lord?
 When I read psalm 100, I think of Paul and Silas who were in Prison. The book of Acts records,
“After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  
Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”  Acts 16:23-25.
They were praising God after being flogged and put in the inner most part of the prison with their feet fastened in stocks. To my mind that was incredible faith.
Here they were in the face of adversity after being flogged praising God and the other prisoners with listening to them. What a witness!
When I read this about Paul and Silas I have to say to myself, if they can do it under such adverse circumstances I should be able to do so in the freedom of  my living room, in my car, or even on the street.
Likewise if you claim to be a follower of Christ you should be able to do it too.
Are you?

Rest for your Soul

Rest for your soul
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
The other day my wife and I attended an event near to where we live. We’d attended the same event a year earlier. This time however security was much higher. The result no doubt of events thousands of miles from where we were, the Manchester, and London attacks. Where misguided individuals murdered innocent men women and children.
The two incidents as tragic as they were are a symbol of our times and not limited to terrorism.
If statistics are correct more people died because of gun violence in the United States in the first part of this year 2017 than because of all violent crimes in all of the United Kingdom in the previous two years. Including terrorism. According to Gun Violence Archives. Org. 6,453 people have died in the United States because of gun violence between January and June of this year 2017.
While the United states can arguably be said to be the most violent of all western nations it is not alone. Violent crime, murders, robberies, sexual assaults and other vicious crimes are everyday occurrences in every country.
The people who commit such crimes have little or no fear of reprisal. Jail terms, even the death penalty means nothing to them.
And while I firmly believe Christianity has the answer to the problem. I believe many calling themselves Christians have become of no effect. They have become “religious”. That is to say, they know what to say and how to act in church and around other Christians. But they are really just a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
Jesus 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.” Matthew 5:13.
Many claiming to be Christian have lost their saltiness. They have turned the truths Jesus and the apostles taught into religious do’s and don’t. Even worse they do not put into effect the teachings of Jesus and the apostles in their lives.
In many cases those claiming to be Christians are religious copies of the world and people want nothing to do with it. People especially young people are looking for more.
Billy Graham the great American evangelist said,
“Those outside the church expect followers of Christ to live differently, yet today many in church are chasing after the world - not to win them, but to be like them.”Billy Graham
In 1958 John B. Harrington wrote a book called "Essentials in Christian Faith" it could have been written yesterday. 
It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948. It states,
"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 and courage."
  The people who join terrorist groups, and inner city gangs are looking for meaning in life. They are longing to belong. They are longing for love and acceptance of others. For purpose in life.
Sadly most of the time they are not finding it in the one spot they should be finding it, the Gospel of Christ.
They are not finding it because those calling themselves Christians are not living a Christian life and lifestyle.
 Those in the world are looking at many calling themselves Christians and saying to themselves “I live a better life morally and ethically than they do. Why should I become a Christian?”
As Christians we need to be looking carefully at our life and lifestyle. Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

 Francis of Assisi

Francis also reminds us,

“We have been called to heal wounds,

 to unite what has fallen apart,

 and to bring home those who have lost their way.” 

Francis of Assisi

At the start of this article I quoted Jesus as saying,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
I know I, and other followers of Christ like me have found those words to be true. However those seeking rest for their soul will never find it if those calling themselves Christians are not living it.
Please think about it.

Will you?

Will you?
Billy Graham asked the question,
“The great question of our time is, 'Will we be motivated by materialistic philosophy or by spiritual power?”
     Billy Graham.
I live in what I believe is perhaps the most materialistic society on earth, North America.     Each day you are inundated with thousands of images and words wanting us to buy the latest gadget. The advertisers tell us that this thing or that thing will make our life easier.
People are drowning in debt because they swallowed the mantra of buy now pay later. People work long hours, take work home with them, all to have enough money to have "the good life".
Now there’s nothing wrong with having money, with being rich and having all the latest gadgets. Money and the things it buys are not sinful in themselves. Many of the things we buy do in fact make our life easier.
The trouble comes when we want them so badly we become obsessed with them. So much so they become our god. Which in both North America and the western world materialism has become to some degree.
The apostle Paul talking to Christians said,
“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.
He’s right. The love of money has driven people to crime in various forms. It’s caused people to loose everything.
Many people go bankrupt because of their obsession with getting things.
The trouble with materialism is it cannot fill the true need of the human heart. Only God can do that.
Many men have reached the end of their life to find it filled with a kings ransom in material riches only to realize that they are lacking and empty inside.
Likewise I have met people who have little more than the clothes on their back, that have had a rich fulfilling life. They have looked forward on their death bed to an eternity in heaven with Christ.
Where do you stand?
Jesus said,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 
                  John 10:10.
He also said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                                        Matthew 11:28-30.
I have found Christ’s words to be true. Yes I have some of the latest gadgets but they are not first in my life.
First place in my life goes to God. Who is the author and finisher of my faith.
I have found that with Christ in my life my life is rich and fulfilling. I also know that with God in my life, I have life everlasting with God in heaven.
Question: Where is your faith?
Please Think about it.