What do you gain?

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” 
                                                       Matthew 16:26,27

Do you believe you have a soul?
I do.
Man has to be more than a complicated biochemical cocktail. Man has a soul. Man was created to live forever. And one day we will stand before God.
Think about what you are doing. Is it really worth while?
Man is an odd creature if you think about it.
He spends a lifetime collecting ‘things’ be they widgets or dollar bills only to leave it behind him when he dies. So why do we do it?
There has to be more to life than spending a few short years on this earth only to pass into eternity and enter oblivion.
I believe man was made to live on in eternity and have fellowship with the very God that made him.
I believe the words of Jesus who said,
“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Where do you stand?
Think about it.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  
For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.  
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 1:3-8

Here’s a Challenge to Christians. If Paul were alive today could he say the words of 1 Corinthians 1:3-8 to you?
Does the grace of God live in you? Can people say you have been enriched in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.
Is the testimony about Christ confirmed in you?
Are you eagerly awaiting the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Are you confident that you will be strong and blameless when Christ returns.
Just how dedicated are you to Jesus?
Many who claim to be Christians simply attend church going through the motions in the service without really taking them to heart.
Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                              Matthew 7:21-23.
Do you really know God? Is Jesus really your Lord and Saviour?
Just because you were born into a Christian family or were baptized as a child does not automatically make you a Christian.
Becoming a Christians is an act of ones will when we are old enough to understand what we are doing.
It’s praying accepting that Jesus died for our sins and accepting Him into our lives.
Have you?
Think about it.

God

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
           Genesis 1:26,27

“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 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.”
We are God’s creations. It is God who has written on our hearts what is right and what is wrong.
To my knowledge no atheist group has ever come up with a universal set of morals. Yet there have been many who have caused great havoc on humanity. Some even in the name of religion.
Ecclesiastes states,
“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.
The duty of man is fear God and keep his commandments because whether you believe in him or not you will one day be called to judgement.
Think about it.

Well done my good and faithful servant

Read Matthew 25:14-30 
“His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” 
                                                                                                           Matthew 25:21

When you meet our Lord and Saviour what will he say to you? Will he say “well done, good and faithful servant or will he be upset at you for not doing enough with what you have?
Will he commend you for your actions during your life here on earth or will he be upset.
The Talmud has an interesting way of putting things it states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgement, 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?”
When I read Matthew 25:14-30 I sometimes wonder how many Christians will find themselves on the wrong side of God’s wrath.
Dear believer are you doing enough for Christ or are you burying your talents in the ground and not using them
Do you just take up space in a pew and listen to the pastors sermon every week. Perhaps you even manage to get out to a prayer meeting or bible study, but are you using your talents?
There is a great deal to do in any church, everything from being an usher, to greeting people, teaching Sunday School, ministering to the sick, even just doing a little cleaning. The list goes on and on.
So consider what you are doing for the Lord and see if you can do more.

Christ's Supremacy

Christ’s Supremacy

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
                        Colossians 1:15-20 
Here beyond a shadow of a doubt Paul is saying Christ is supreme. That he is the first born of all creation. That he is the creator of heaven and earth. Things visible an invisible.
Paul goes one step further and give us our reason for being when he states, “all things were created by him and for him.”
Paul goes on to say that God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and that through him all things were reconciled to God, be they in heaven or on the earth.
And all of this was done through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.
If you think about it this is an amazing claim for Christians to make that Jesus is God. Yet it is absolutely true.
Over the years I heard groups say that Jesus was an angel. But here according to Paul he is the creator of the universe something an angel could never be.
Jesus is God there is no other explanation possible.
Time and time again throughout the New Testament Jesus is referred to as God. Something at the time the New Testament was written would have provoked the wrath of Jews.
If everything in the New Testament was not true why would anyone write such a thing. It was literally risking their life.
 Even calling Jesus God among the gentiles would seem bazaar.
If it were not true such claims would be counter productive to the cause of Christianity.
Therefore logic states that it must be true. Jesus is indeed God the creator of the universe.
Think about it.

Jesus is God

Jesus is God

“...but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe....
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father’” 
Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” ? 
And again, when God brings his first born into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 
In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” 
But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 
                                                                           Hebrews 1:5-9

Here in Hebrews 1:5-9 we have irrefutable proof that Jesus is God.
The writer put things plain and simply that God made the universe through Him (Jesus).
He makes it clear that God the Father is the Father of Jesus. And that God’s angels should worship him. That His throne will last forever and that Jesus has loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Again the writer of Hebrews notes,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
                                       Hebrews 1:3.
There is no doubt from a biblical prospective that Jesus is indeed God. A God that 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.   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.
The choice to follow Jesus is up to the individual no one can force a person to make that decision.
It is my hope however that you dear reader will read what I am saying and what the Bible is saying and make the decision to follow Jesus. To make Him Lord of your life.
Think about it.

The Good Shepherd

"Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  
All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 
The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.  
The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—  
 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.  
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.  
The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.  
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 
                                                                                              John 10:7-18
Here Jesus compares himself to a shepherd the owner of the flock. He makes it clear that he is not a hireling. That he is indeed the Shepherd and as such is willing to lay down his life for his sheep.
He also makes it clear,
“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.  
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 
                                                                                             John 10:17,18
Ultimately when it came to Jesus going to the cross it was he who made the decision.
In the garden of Gethsemane he said,
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 
                                                                                                            Luke 22:42 
Jesus being the Son of God could have at anytime called upon God to stop what was happening. But Jesus while on this earth chose to do things as a normal man.
He knew why he was here. He was in complete control and he chose to accept his fate.
Even as he was dying on the cross he was in control. Luke telling us,
“Jesus called out with a loud voice,“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”                                                                                                                                                    Luke 23:46
Jesus is God. He came to earth to live life as a normal man. Thus he knows all there is to know about what it is like to be a man.
We therefore cannot accuse him of not knowing what it is like to be a man. Quite the contrary he understands.
Thus when we stand before him in heaven he has the right to judge us.
We can never say you don’t understand or you didn’t care about me because he did and he does.
Not only did he live the life of a normal man but he laid down his life for us. The ultimate sacrifice.
So when you stand before God on that final day. Will he be your judge or your saviour?
Think about it.

Meaningless

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. 
“Utterly meaningless! Everything is

meaningless.” 

What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? 
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 
The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 
The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 
All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 
All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” 
            Ecclesiasts 1:2-9 

Is life meaningless?
The above scripture sound like something that an evolutionist might say. We live procreate and die.
“For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.”
 States Ecclesiasts 2:21
There is a famous picture taken by the space probe Voyager.
Voyager has gone further into space than any other man made object. When it took the picture it was over four billion kilometres form earth. In the picture earth appears as a speck no larger than the head of a pin.
It graphically shows how, if you will, insignificant earth is.
One could easily look at it and say life is meaningless, if that’s all we are a biochemical blob on a mote of dust amid the vastness of the universe.
But life is more than that. Life extends beyond what we can see feel and hear.
The universe and everything in it was created by God and he took it upon himself to come to this earth in the form of Jesus Christ to show us the meaning of life.
Jesus said, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:43.
If we give our lives to Christ life takes on meaning. He gives us direction in life.
When we pass from this mortal life to life eternal we will meet the creator of the universe and all things will be revealed to us.
Coming to know Christ as my Lord and Saviour was the best thing I ever did. It gave me meaning and purpose in my life.
That meaning and purpose that goes beyond this world can be yours if your would simply give your life to Christ today. Think about it.

The Heavens Declare

The heavens declare

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

                                                                                                                                      Psalm 19:1
The other day I looked through a microscope at a leaf and marvelled at the intricacy of it.
A short time later I looked at pictures taken by the Hubble space telescope and marvelled at the immensity and complexity of the heavens.
When I look at the smallest things known to man and the largest expanse I see the handy work of God.
I see a universe in perfect balance. I see the planet on which we live perfectly suited for life as we know it.
Our planet just happens to lie in what some scientist call the goldilocks zone. The perfect distance from our star to support life.
I can’t believe this is simply chance. There, to my mind, has to be a creator.
I firmly believe that given time and an open mind scientist will one day discover beyond a doubt evidence of God meanwhile we must believe in God by faith.
Faith defined by the writer of Hebrews as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.  

This is what the ancients were commended for.” 

                                                                                   Hebrews 11:1,2
God wants us to look around, assess what we see in nature and in the heavens. He wants us to examine all he crated. Then, after noting how magnificent it is. How perfect it is, make that leap of faith, concluding there is truly a creator.
Hebrews noting,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  

This is what the ancients were commended for."

                                                                                                            Hebrews 11:1,2
Are you willing to make that leap of faith?
Take time to examine the world around you and think about it.

Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,  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.  
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” 
                                                                Romans 3:21-26
The basic belief of Christianity is that” all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Christians also believe that we cannot work our way to heaven. Paul writing to the Ephesians saying,
“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.
That we are justified before God by the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presenting Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.
Once again this is something that no other faith offers.
In Christianity it is God that reaches down to mankind. Offering us a free, if you will, ticket to heaven.
We do not have to sacrifice animals, or take pilgrimages. We do not need to worry about whether or not our good deeds will out weigh our bad deeds on judgement day because Jesus died for us.
Paul writing to the Romans stating,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8.
All anyone has to do to get to heaven is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.
Think about it.

Jesus Christ is Lord

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 
Who, being in very nature God ,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 
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 2:5-11

Here Paul makes it very clear that Jesus is the Christ and that He brings Glory to God the Father.
That “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.” 
Again we see here that the apostle Paul who was writing this letter within living memory of the death and resurrection is claiming that Jesus is God.
That even at the mention of his name every tongue both in heaven and on earth shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Irrespective of what you may think about Jesus and Christianity you must admit that, first of all Christians want people to believe that Jesus is indeed God.
Therefore to make extravagant claims about him would be to turn people away and thus counter  productive to the cause of Christianity.
Yet Christians do make the claim that Jesus God. Not only that but they publish those beliefs for all the world to see.
Therefore logic dictates either they are correct about his Deity, or they have perpetuated the most momentous lie in the history of the world.
Think about it.

There'e Christians and There's christians

“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
                                                                                                       Acts 11:25,26
The disciple were first called Christians (literally “Christ followers” or ‘those of the household of Christ.”) at Antioch.
The name Christian was a nickname, possibly a word of derision for Jewish and Gentile believers in new movement within Judaism known as “the Way”.
It was a name the early believers took to themselves. A name that now stands for an entire movement.
Today by most estimates Christianity in all its forms is the largest single religion in the world.
Followers of “the Way” can be found in every corner of the world be it in countries with anti-Christian regimes where it has to survive in secret, or in the worlds democracies where it has free reign to prosper openly.
Once while in discussion with some  friends I heard it said that “While freedom allows the church to grow easily and quickly, persecution can be good for the church.
When it’s persecuted the church has no option, it has to concentrate on what it believes. It has no time to get side tracked with politics or other frivolous things like it frequently does in a free society.”
It is with that in mind I asked myself what is a Christian? What is the quintessence of being Christian? Especially here in North America in the twenty-first century.
Certainly to those who felt the swords of the crusaders  in Jerusalem in the fourteenth century, a Christian must have seen to have been a blood thirsty savage.
To many especially those of low birth, in the Europe in the middle ages the God of Christians must have seen as a harsh taskmaster placing through the church, almost impossible demands on lowly man.
Here in the “enlightened” twenty-first century many of those who espouse to an alternate lifestyles see Christian’s as hypocritical uncaring, judgemental, self serving legalist who use the bible to fulfill there own agenda.
Today especially here in North America, the average none church going person who sees some evangelist and pastors in the media must think, God as someone negative. A person who wishes to impose harsh rules on them.
They see the Church as against everything. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Like any movement that has survived centuries there are groups and individuals that have claimed to be Christian and are not.
Individuals who have for personal gain or unthinkingly in their zeal have departed from the pure word of God and followed their own agenda.
In Matthew 7:12 Jesus clearly states,
"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Today in the twenty-first century, particularly here in the free society that is North America, what it is to be a Christian, the pure essence of what it is to be a Christian, seems to be lost in the cacophony of noise from those that claim to be Christians and are not.
Who then qualifies as a Christian?
Christianity varies widely in its practices and forms of worship. There is quite literally something for everyone.
Worship can range from the deeply traditional services.
Services that have been performed for centuries the same way. With elements that to those who practice them have deep meaning. Elements that take the worshipper through deep waters immersing them silently in the love of God.
At the other end of the spectrum are the modern charismatic’s who prefer a lively service with modern music, and dance. People who are full of emotion and wish to express there love of God with intensity of spirit.
Forms of worship however do not define who a Christian is.
Becoming a Christian is an individual choice. No one is born a Christian even if every member of your family is a Christian.
John 1:12 states, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become Children of God.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 make it clear that salvation is a gift.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith– and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.– not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Like any gift we must choose to take it in order to have it.
A true Christian has made that choice and had a life changing experience with God that change is noticeable.
A person with Christ truly working in his or her life will perhaps slowly at first but most definitely start to desire to do the will of God.
They do not judge another individual but rather reach out to anyone who will listen, regardless of their beliefs or life style.
Christianity, true Christianity is all inclusive, Peter noting
   “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 
                                                                                                        2 Peter 3:9
The choice is always up to the individual as to whether they wish to become a Christian.
And it is up to the individual Christian to present that choice with out prejudice to all whom they would come in contact with.