A great sinner, A Great Saviour

A great sinner, A Great Saviour

“My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a Great Savior.”
           John Newton 
Over his desk at St. Mary Woolnoth  an Anglican church in the City of London, John Newton placed a plaque reading,
“Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondsman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.”
 Deuteronomy 15:15.
John Newton remembered today as the author of the hymn Amazing grace had an amazing conversion.
In his youth Newton was a seaman and a slave trader whose mouth was reportedly a cesspool of profanity. A man who to quote one source “liberally helped himself to the female slaves he transported.”
He became a deserter from the British Navy was flogged and made a slave of a slave, a sadistic woman who mistreated him.
Incredibly God reached down to this man and John Newton became one of England’s greatest preachers
 Newton went from being a man without principles. A man without a conscience to a man of great principles.
He spoke out against the slave trade and would go on to write hundreds of hymns 280 of which he combined with 68 hymns of William Cowper to form the Olney Hymnal.
Another self admitted sinner the apostle Paul wrote these words,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
         1 Timothy 1:15,16.
The apostle Paul who before his conversion stood at the murder of the Stephen the Churches first martyr and was on a mission to imprison Christian believers was also reached by God. As a result he went from opposing the Gospel of Christ to being one of the leading proponents Christianity.
The conversion of these two men shows the amazing grace of Christ. The power of God to turn individuals around.
These men proved their conversion was real by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ from the day of their conversion until their deaths.
The lives of these two men showed that anyone who is willing to accept the saving grace of God can change their lives.
John Newton and the apostle Paul could not have changed their life themselves such a conversion must come from coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
The writer of Hebrews makes it clear,
“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.
The apostle John wrote,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 
                John 1:12,13.
Jesus speaking to Martha said,
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world, 
John 11:25,26.
This is a question we must all answer. John Newton, the Apostle Paul answered it as must you. You must believe Jesus is “the Christ the Son of God” the saviour of mankind or not. The Choice is yours.
If you truly believe in Jesus is the saviour of mankind then He will come into your life and change it.
Your conversion may not be as dramatic as the apostle Paul and John Newton. But it will be a change for the better.
Please think about your relationship to Christ today.

A True Christian

A True Christian
Throughout the four decades plus I’ve been a Christian I’ve heard many people, non-Christians say,
“Why should I become a Christian? I know people who claim to be Christian but outside of church they are worse than me.”
That may be true. However 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.
Many that attend Church that are not Christians. They may claim to be but they are not.
Some got to church for social reasons. Some because it’s what their parents and grandparents did and they are carrying on the tradition. Others for a myriad of reasons.
Like a someone has said “going to church makes you no more a Christian than standing in a fire station makes you a fire truck”.
There are many out there especially in the media claiming to be Christians that are not. They quote the bible but still that does not make them a Christian.
It can be hard especially for a non-believer to tell a true Christian.
Still I as a Christian have several ways to tell a true Christian.
A true Christian has had his or her sins forgiven. The apostle John stating,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
1John 1:9-10
The apostle Paul stating,
“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.
A true Christian has accepted the saving grace of Jesus and has had his or her life transformed. Perhaps slowly at first. Still ultimately they become more like Christ. The apostle Paul noting that once the Holy Spirit starts working in a persons life they start to change.
Paul writing,
“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.
These are traits of a true Christian.
The writer of Hebrews tells Christians,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 
Hebrews 12:14
The Apostle Paul echos those words writing,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                             Romans 12:18
I believe a true Christian is a Peace maker.
Jesus saying
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” 
                                                                                                       Matthew 5:9.
A Christian wants people to know about Jesus who 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.
A true Christian knows that no matter the circumstance. Faith in Christ will bring you through. That you can have peace even through the darkest moments of your life.
Please think about it.

He will make us good

He will make us good
C. S. Lewis wrote,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” 
                                        C.S. Lewis.
Christians believe the words of the Apostle Paul who said,
“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.” 
                                                            Romans 3:23,24.
“All” means all every man and woman that has ever lived. Christians believe we cannot live our lives good enough to stand before a Holy God.
Christians believe God understood this that is why He entered His creation in the form of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. He entered the world to show in earthly terms how far he would go to reconcile man to God. Mainly the death on the cross.
The apostle Paul writes,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
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 5:6-11
The apostle Paul makes it clear we cannot work our way to heaven. Writing to the Ephesians 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.
Through Christ God gives us a choice. Jesus speaking of himself 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.
The choice dear reader is up to you. Do you believe what Jesus said or not.
Please think about it. 

Words

Words
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 
                                                                                          Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” 
                                                                    John 1:1-4.
Words especially it seems words espousing the existence of God seems to get some people upset. The Bible does not debate that God exists. It simply says he created the heavens and the earth. The New Testament tells us that Jesus is God and as a result created the heavens and the earth.
Sadly there are atheist out there that seem to fear this concept. And any words that espouse the existence of God.
The question I always ask is why. If God does not exist, if He is simply a myth or the fabrication of man, why do they fear having references made about Him in print or on the walls of public buildings.
After all something that dose not exist cannot harm anyone.
The government of North Korea is an extreme example of Atheism gone crazy. The government feels religion can pervert the nation. As a result they are according to human rights groups the worst persecutor of Christians in the world.
Think about it. Christianity correctly practised promotes love of God, ones neighbours, even one’s enemies. Jesus even told us to pray for our persecutors.
The apostles Peter and Paul told Christians to submit to the governing authorities.
Yet North Korea and other countries continue to persecute Christians.
Even Atheist here in the west are so opposed to Biblical text that have been on public building for decades and in some case centuries. Yet they don’t believe God exist. Therefor how can a reference to a God they say dose not exist be of any consequence.
Of course there is another scenario. God existing.
C. S. Lewis said,
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” 
                                                                  C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.
If God does not exist then all the word about Him written in all the books and on all the walls around the world amount to nothing.
If on the other hand God exist. Those who do not believe have a serious problem.
I believe the words of Ecclesiastes who 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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” 
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
I also believe the words of Jesus who when speaking of himself 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.
The nice thing about God however is He dose not impose Himself on anyone.
When He created man, He did not create a robot. He gave man a freewill and in order for that man to have a truly freewill God had to give him the ability to choose to believe in Him or not.
Thus the choice is yours the reader. You can believe in God and all that implies or you can reject God with all of it’s implications.
If God does not exist you have nothing to fear. If on the other hand God exists then you have at the very least a lot to think about.
Please think about it.

More than this life

More than this life
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
                  Ecclesiastes 1:14
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” 
                                                                                             Ecclesiastes 2:10,11.
Think about it. What is life? We live just a handful of years in the light of eternity. It’s not very long. Most people will live and die within a few hundred kilometres from where they were born. Most will live average unassuming lives. Some sadly will be statistics among casualties of war.
Other again sadly will be numbered in the millions that die of starvation or curable illnesses, something that is possible to eliminate with the right political will.
Even those who do great deeds will eventually have their names only remembered by historians. Such is life.
For me however I do not believe life ends with death. Like the Egyptians, all ancient peoples, the Jews, Muslims, all major faiths and the majority of people on the earth, I believe man is an immortal being. Destined to live on through eternity.
I believe what the writer or 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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” 
Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
I think most major faiths believe God will one day judge each individual as Ecclesiastes states.
Where I as a Christian would differ with non-Christians is that we can have our sins forgiven in this life. That we can be assured of eternal life with God today by believing in Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews says of Jesus,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  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.  
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 1:1-3
Jesus speaking of Himself 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.
I believe the apostle John when he states,
“Yet to all who received him, (Jesus) to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 
                                       John 1:12,13.
John also tells us,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
1John 1:9-10
The apostle Paul make it clear we cannot work our way to heaven 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.
Confessing our sins directly to God and having faith in Jesus, accepting the saving grace of Jesus assures the individual eternal life with God.
It however all takes a step of faith. The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
And having faith is perhaps the hardest thing anyone can be called to do.
Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind?
If you are unsure take time to read the New Testament and see what Jesus and the apostles that knew Jesus have to say about him.
Please at least think about it.

Your Treasure

Your Treasure
The writer of Ecclesiastes said,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” 
                                                                                               Ecclesiastes 2:10,11
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
               Ecclesiastes 1:14.
Jesus said,
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”  
                                                                                                                      Mark 8:36.
We came into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing. As one person has said, “The rich man and the poor man enter eternity broke.”
Now there’s nothing wrong with being rich in this life the apostle Paul states,
“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.
It’s the “love of money that can cause grief.
Still there are many wealthy people in this world that are doing good with the money they have. They are helping the poor and needy. They are contributing to noble causes.
The bottom line is however when you die all the money you have amounts to nothing. The only thing that goes into the next world are the things you’ve done for God.
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.
You have a choice in this world. You can choose to believe in God or you can reject Him. You can choose to believe in an afterlife or not.
The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It recognizes the existence of God. The Bible simply asks us to have faith in God. Whether you do or not is up to you.
Jesus said,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
             John 14:6
Do you believe this?
                   The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
Christians believe we cannot work our way to heaven. We enter heaven by the Grace of God. Though our faith in Him.
The Writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                          Hebrews 11:1
“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.
Please think about it.

Christian Belief 101

Christian belief 101
Christians believe the word written by the Apostle Paul who said,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for,“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 
                                                                                                                                Romans 10:9-13.
The God we serve is not just the God of the Jews.
The way I see it God chose the Jews in times past to show himself to the world. But God did not stop there. God want’s all men everywhere to know him on a personal level. That is why He sent Jesus into the world to point the world to Him.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 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.  
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.  
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father’” ? 
Hebrews 1:1-5.
Jesus came to earth to reconcile man to God. God realized man could not live a life holy enough to stand before Him.
God in giving man a freewill knew man might choose not to believe in Him that is the right of all who are truly free.
God seen that many have turned away from Him, even the Jews who have had the prophets and their forefathers to witness to them. Thus He entered the world in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus.
Through Jesus he pointed man to Himself.
Jesus speaking of Himself 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.
The apostle John makes it clear,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 
                          John 1:12,13.
Still it take faith in God to save ones soul. To spend an eternity with God. The writer of Hebrews said,
“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.
The writer defining faith as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                        Hebrews 11:1.
Faith in something we cannot see is perhaps the hardest thing for someone to do. Perhaps that is why God wants things that way, because those who are sure of what they hope for, certain of what they do not see, are true followers.
Please think about it.

Christians Believe

Christians Believe,
1/ We Christians believe we enter heaven thorough faith in God. That we are saved through faith, through the Grace of God not by works we have done,
The apostle Paul tells us,
“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.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                        Hebrews 11:1
“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
2/ We believe, that we must confess our sins directly go God. The apostle John states,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
1John 1:9-10.
3/ We believe, we are Children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The apostle John writes,
“Yet to all who received him,(Jesus) to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 
                                 John 1:12,13. 
The apostle Paul states,
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 
Galatians 3:26-28
4/ We believe we are a holy priesthood,
The apostle Peter writes,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
                                               1 Peter 2:9,10.

5/ We believe God so loved the world he entered the world in the form of His one and only Son to point us to heaven. Giving each individual a choice. Jesus speaking of Himself 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.
Please think about it.

Only Love

Only Love

“Give of yourself, give as much as you can?  And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!  If everyone were to do this and not be as mean with a kindly word, then there would be much more justice and love in the world.  Give and you shall receive, much more than you would have ever thought possible.  Give, give again and again, don’t lose courage, keep it up and go on giving!  No one has ever become poor from giving!”                                                                                                                                                Anne Frank.
Sadly in many parts of the world today our kindness is lacking. Love seems to be nonexistent. Terrorist organizations are trying to impose their will by the sword. Killing anyone who does not agree with them or comply to their will.
T. H White wrote,
“There was just such a man when I was young—an Austrian who invented a new way of life and convinced himself that he was the chap to make it work. He tried to impose his reformation by the sword, and plunged the civilized world into misery and chaos. But the thing which this fellow had overlooked, my friend, was that he had a predecessor in the reformation business, called Jesus Christ. Perhaps we may assume that Jesus knew as much as the Austrian did about saving people. But the odd thing is that Jesus did not turn the disciples into storm troopers, burn down the Temple at Jerusalem, and fix the blame on Pontius Pilate. On the contrary, he made it clear that the business of the philosopher was to make ideas available, and not to impose them on people.” 
                                                                                                T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
No one can win the hearts of men by force. Dictators, Kings and terrorist for centuries have attempted to impose their will on people only to eventually become foot notes in history.
The only real way to win the hearts of people is through love. Napoleon Bonaparte former Emperor of France noted,
"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.  Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”
                                                                                                    Napoleon Bonaparte.
Jesus set the example of how one should live with ones fellow man 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
He 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.  
I f you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  
  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
  Matthew 5:43-47.
We are to Love those around us the apostle Paul defining pure love saying,
“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.
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.
Those who would wish to change the world need to look carefully at how they do it. Force of arms is never an option.
Only Love can truly change the hearts and minds of people.
Please think about it. 

"He" Shows

"He" shows

C. S. Lewis speaking about Jesus said,
“He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others-not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition.” 
                                                 C.S.Lewis.
Over the years I’ve had people say to me, “Why doesn’t God show Himself to me?”
One look at their life tells me their mind is closed or they have a preconceived idea of how God should show Himself.
Many people have made up their mind that God dose not exist and adamantly maintain that position their whole life. What they say is “They are right and believers in God are wrong”
To argue with such a person is futile.
Still it is their right to believe what they wish.
To say God does not exist however is quite a statement.
It means first of all that the person believes they know everything. That they have faith that they are right and the majority of people that have ever lived or are living today are wrong.
That people of faith are living a lie. That people of faith are under a mass delusion.
Think about it there are about three billion Christians on the earth, several billion Muslims, millions of Jews and Hindus not to mention all the other faith groups all of whom believe in God.
Are these people truly deluded?
As a Christian I have a distinct set of beliefs that say God exists and that He entered the physical world, the world He created in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ to reconcile each person to Himself.
That is my belief. That however aside all of the other faith groups in the world recognize there is a God. The majority of the people in the world believe in an after life and God. Are we all as one prominent atheist stated “to be considered insane?”
I cannot believe that. It just doesn’t make sense.
The Psalmist states,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” 
                                                                                               Psalm 19:1-3.
The universe from the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particle are in such prefect alignment as to allow life to exist here on Earth. This cannot be simply by chance.
   If there is no God and a life after this, then life is in my opinion meaningless.
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” 
                                                                                                      Ecclesiastes 2:10,11.
If we are simply on this earth for but a short time. Just long enough to collect a few bangles bobbles and beads. Just long enough to do a few works then what’s the point.
I truly believe man is an eternal being that he will one day stand before God. As 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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 
I as a Christian believe that Jesus is the way to heaven and eternal life with God. I believe Jesus when He states,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
       John 14:6
I believe the apostle Paul who wrote,
“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.
I believe the writer of Hebrews who said,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
Hebrews 11:1
“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.
If as Atheist say I am wrong then I have nothing to fear for I have lived a good and rewarding life.
If I am right in my beliefs which I am sure I am, then Atheist have a lot to fear.
The American Evangelist Tony Campolo wrote,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”
                                                                                                   Tony Campolo.
Thus my question is. “Are you sure of your beliefs?”
Please think about it. 

The Way

The Way
“If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way.”
          Thomas Aquinas
No other person, no other faith in the world has made such a claim as Jesus and His followers.
Jesus said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  
  John 14:6.
Even when faced with the wrath of an angry crowd Jesus did not back down on His claim to be God John records.
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  
I and the Father are one.” 
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 
                                                                                            John 10:24-32.
Jesus even after being beaten, hung on the cross and facing death never backed down. Luke’s Gospel records what happened on when Jesus hung on the cross with two criminals.
Luke tells us,
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” 
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” 
                                                                                                                       Luke 23:39-43.
Notice Jesus did what only God could do. Promise the man he would be with Him in Paradise.
In John’s Gospel we are told this conversation between Martha and Jesus. John records,
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” 
  John 11:25,26.
Jesus made all these statements knowing that to claim to be God or equal to God could have had him killed. In fact it was that very Jewish law that his enemies reminded the Roman governor of and used to have Jesus put to death.
C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity, wrote of Jesus,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 
                                                                              C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
The apostle Paul Writing to the Romans said,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
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 5:6-11.
Christians believe that through Jesus, God reached down to mankind and said to man I love you so much I am willing in earthly terms to show you how far I will go to offer you eternal life.
Christians do not believe man can be good enough to stand before Holy God. You cannot work your way to heaven. The Apostle Paul stating,
“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
C. S. Lewis points out,
“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” 
                        C.S. Lewis.
The fact is, Jesus died for you the reader. Do you believe this?
Please think about it.

All men are Grass

All men are Grass
The prophet Isaiah wrote,
“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” 
“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” 
                                                                                             Isaiah 40:6-8.

When your life is over how will you be remembered?
In the town where I live there is a small cemetery where twenty or so people are buried. They are the earthly remains of what at one time was a prominent family in this part of Canada. There are libraries, other buildings and even a road I drive on every day named after the family such was their importance at one time.
Yet today thousands of people daily travel down the roads named after the family use the library and other buildings and pass that small cemetery and pay no attention to it. Most don’t know who the family is or what t they did.  Such is the way of the world.
All of mans deeds eventually no matter how noble they may be are forgotten. A great example is the signing of the Magna Carta one of the greatest documents in history. People know about it. But other than King John who was forced to sign it, who knows the name of the men who wrote the Magna Carta. Undoubtedly some historians but few others. Yet historians tell us it was one of the most important documents ever written.
Like wise it is with the deed of all men. They eventually will be forgotten at least by men. God however will not forget.
The writer of 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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” 
Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
You can choose to deny God that is a freedom God gave you. That still does not negate the fact that God exists.
I believe every person on the earth needs to decide for themselves, first if there is a God and second if there is as I am certain, will He let you into his heaven.
The apostle Paul writes,
“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
Christians believe God reached down to man and offered him salvation simply by believing in his one and only son Jesus Christ. Jesus said of himself,
“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.
Put simply all our good deeds as good as they are will not get us to heaven only faith in God will do it.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
Now having said that there is a place for good deeds.
The good deeds as a friend of mine said “are the icing on the cake.”
James the half brother of Christ writes,
James writes,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” 
                                                                                                                   James 2:14-20.
When you have faith in God, faith in Christ. It is God who inspires you to do good works. Works that will be remembered by God for all eternity.
So the question I ask is. Do you believe in God? And what will God say to you on the day you stand before Him?
Please think about it.