About Jesus

About Jesus
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.” 
Hebrews 1:1-4.
Here in a nut shell is what Christians believe about Jesus.
1/ Jesus is the Son of God, the heir of all things.
2/ Jesus made the universe
3/ Jesus “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being”
4/ Jesus “provided purification for sins”
5/ Jesus sits at the right hand of God in heaven.
If what the writer of Hebrews is saying is true, and I as a Christian believe it to be true only two conclusions can be made.
Either it is the truth. Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind,
or Christians are believing a lie that has lasted centuries.
If as I believe the writer of Hebrews is right then the individual reading this has a lot to think about.
C. S. Lewis wrote,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                          C. S. Lewis.
Who do you think Jesus is?
         Think carefully, because your eternal resting place depends on it.

Are you Sure?

Are you sure?
C. S. Lewis said two things I think each person needs to think about.
“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.
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                        C. S. Lewis.
The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It simply states,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 
                                                                                        Genesis 1:1.
The Bible leaves it up to man to make his own decision as to whether he believe in God or not.
I as a Christian take things one step further. I believe the apostle John who said,
“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.... 
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
                                                                                                    John 1:1-4,14.
I believe what John refers to as the word is Jesus. That Jesus is God. That God entered the world He created in the form of His one and Only Son Jesus to point the mankind to Himself.
I believe Jesus had to come into the world in order that God could be just when He come to judging us.
Think about it. When a man stands before God he cannot say “You don’t know what it is like to be human with all the frailties and temptations that a man has to face.”
We can’t say that because Jesus walked the face of this earth. He understood what it was like to a man.
 Jesus would have experienced everything from the mundane things like feeling the sun and rain against his face to the pain of a savage beating to the agony of death on a  cross.
He would have known the love of his parents, and friends and felt the hatred of those who were his enemies.
The question is do you believe all of this? There is no middle ground with God you either believe Jesus is the One and Only Son of God, the Saviour of mankind or not.
Please think about it.

A Common Truth

A common truth
John Wesley the famous evangelist wrote,

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can

In all the ways you can

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

                                                                                           John Wesley
Wesley’s words echo the teachings of Jesus who 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.
This is a truth everyone, everywhere can understand. It is a truth that if followed by everyone would make the world a better place.
Basic Christian lifestyle principles are universal truths, Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                           Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus even went one step further saying,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...”  
                                                                                   Matthew 5:43,44.
Anne Frank a young Jewish girl in hiding from the Nazis in the occupied Netherlands during world war two, knew what it was to experience hate. She wrote,
“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.
What Anne said is true. You cannot become poor from giving.
Both Christians and non-Christians alike can understand love and kindness.
As I see it the world around us is getting it seems worse and worse. Even in the United States a country that prides itself of being the bastion of freedom a political candidate is permitted to spew hate and no one seems to want to stop him.
I believe it’s time for people everywhere be they in the United States, Canada, or other places around the world to hold high the banner of love and kindness. To oppose repression and hate.
Such a thing must start on an individual level. As Wesley said,

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can

In all the ways you can

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

                                                                                             John Wesley.
Creating a better world is not impossible if we try. All it take is the will to do so. Francis of Assisi wrote,
“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” 
Francis of Assisi
Please think about it.

Creation points the way

Creation points the way

The Psalmist writes,
“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 minute detail of the visible world, the minute detail of the subatomic world, the minute detail of the universe points to God the creator.
I am a creationist. I believe God created the universe and everything in it. I do not care how he created the universe. Whether He used the big bang and billions of years, or He completed His work in six twenty-four hour days. The God I serve is an almighty God who could have done it either way.
How God created the universe however does not affect my faith. I believe God exists period.
I know I cannot see God. I was not living when Jesus walked the earth. However I have faith that God is real and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles are true.
I know in this information filled world, it may seem odd that someone would have faith in something they don’t see but scientist do it all the time.
A scientist looks around him or her and says because they see certain thing then other things must exist. The classic example is black holes. Scientist were predicting the existence of black holes long before they were seen. They had faith that they existed.
Likewise I have faith God exists because I see a world, a universe that is in perfect harmony. So perfect scientist can come up with mathematical formulas that can be used to predict everything from those black holes, to the existence of subatomic particles to something as mundane as when a leap year will fall.
The universe we live in I’ve been told is so fine tuned that it allows life to exist as we know it on this planet. All of this to me tells me there is a God.
God however requires one thing from everyone. Faith. God realized that a true follower, someone who is truly committed to Him are the people with true 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.
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                        Hebrews 11:1.
No matter how many words I write, or how much I quote from the bible or other works, I will never convince some people that God exists. And I respect those who do not believe in God. That is their right.
I would however ask them to read the Bible, particularly the New Testament. I would ask that they read it for themselves and not rely on what others say about the Bible, be they Christian, those of other faiths or atheist.
I would ask that each person reading this would pick up the Bible and read it asking but one question, “God if you are real show me through the Bible that you are real?”
Please think about it.

He didn't fire a Shot

He didn’t fire a shot

He didn’t fire a shot in anger. Yet He changed the world. He never carried a gun, or a sword, yet He changed the hearts of men. He never led a rebellion yet today He has a following numbering in the billions.
Napoleon Bonaparte said of Him,
"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,
Billy Graham said of the men who followed Jesus,
“The men who followed Him were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.”
                                                                                                                                        Billy Graham.
Throughout history many men have tried to conquer the word. The Romans, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Hitler, IS as well as other terrorist groups and crack pot dictators.
Dozens of men thinking their way will make a better society. All are now or soon will be footnotes in history. Force does not change people hearts.
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.
Jesus showed how to change the world. That way being by love. Today there are close to three billion Christians in the world and the number is growing despite being persecuted.
Only true love can truly change the hearts of men. Only true love can change society for the better.
It is only when we love others and respect their rights and freedoms can we truly change the individual.
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
Those who do not espouse to what Paul writes about will never win a true following among men.
Ultimately I believe those who try to force themselves on people by force of arms and fear will one day be judged by God and it will not go well for them.
I believe the words of 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.
I believe that the way to heaven and the way to a better world is to follow the teachings of Christ. Something violent, evil men will never understand.
Please think about it.

Rest

Rest
“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.
We live in a 24/7 world. A world that demands more and more of us. A world that keeps us constantly looking at our smart phones, computers and tables. Many take work home with them. Others sadly can’t find a job that helps them make ends meet so they work numerous jobs that cause them to work twelve hours or more a day. The result of all of this is people as weary exhausted.
I was born before Sputnik went into orbit. When a computer filled an entire floor of an office building and had less memory than today’s smart phones.
The promise back then for the future was computers would come into their own and ease the work load. We all would be working thirty hour weeks or less with six or eight weeks of vacation time a year.
Fast forward to today when computers have come into their own. Many people are not taking all of their vacation days. People are taking work home with them. And working long hours.
Progress doesn’t necessarily translate into a better easier life for the individual. Thus today suicide rates are as high as ever. The number of people who are going to psychiatrist is going up. Many workers are suffering from burn out.
Why because individuals can’t say no. People are addicted to the shiny things of this life. The latest gadget. The large house. The expensive car, jewellery and other things this world offers.
Cars, gadgets, houses and other things that we can acquire are fine in their place. But ultimately they are not ours. When our life ends they pass on to someone else. We enter eternity broke.
We all know this yet especially in the materialistic world that is North America in which I live, we strive to have the things of life. Even if we have to work long hours or take work home with us.
Jesus said,
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
                                                                                                                    Mark 8:36.
I think the majority of people here were I live in North America both non-Christians and Christians alike, have in many ways, sold out to materialism
I admit I carry a cell phone. It cost me all of fifty dollars and people don’t hesitate to call me. I use my computer a lot. Computers have made my life much easier.
Still life in the twenty-first century is filled with a cacophony of noise that does exhaust us both physically, mentally and spiritually.
People whether they realize it or not need more that physical things to make their life fulfilling.
I believe man has a spiritual nature and until the individual recognizes that, and their need to fulfill that spiritual need they will not find rest.
The call of Jesus is,
“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.
Whether you are a Christian or not take a few minutes to look at your life. Are you content? Do you truly have inner peace?
When you enter eternity will you be content?
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“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.
I believe we can answer Campolo’s question here and know. By accepting Christ as your Lord and Saviour you can have rest for your soul both in this life and the life to come.
Please think about it.

Freedom

Freedom
Erich Fromm said,
“I believe in freedom, in man’s right to be himself, to assert himself and to fight all those who try to prevent him from being himself.  But freedom is more than the absence of violent oppression.  It is more than “freedom from.”  It is “freedom to”“—the freedom to become independent; the freedom to be much, rather than to have much, or to use things and people.”
                                                                                                                       Erich Fromm
Fromm is right. What he says lines up with what God intended for man to be. God did not create robots. He created man and intended for man to be free irrespective of the consequences.
That freedom included mans right to believe in his creator or not.
The bible states
“He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men....”  
Ecclesiastes 3:11a.
I believe man is born with a sense of eternity. Man instinctively knows there is a more than this life. That he lives on through eternity.
Individuals may choose to ignore this fact but it doesn’t change anything. C. S. Lewis wrote,
“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.
Still the freedom to deny God and the fact man lives on beyond this world is a God given right. A necessary right in order that man should be truly free.
Like Fromm said, true freedom “is the freedom to become independent; the freedom to be much...”
We can choose to live a life independent of God. We have the freedom to mould our life the way we want it to, even be “much” by our own standard.
At the same time we can also choose to follow God and do be much in His sight.
Some people have told me many times that the Bible is a book of do’s and do not’s. That may be the way some Christians make it out to be but it is not so.
Following the moral code and lifestyle Christ wants us to follow is no more difficult that following the rules in a Football game.
In order for the came to be enjoyable and rewarding to all who play it you must follow the rules. However once you’ve learned the rules you don’t give them a second thought. You simply play the game.
That’s the way it is when you accept Christ into your life. When you ask God to direct your life. You still have complete freedom but you are playing within God’s rules and you ultimately, once you’ve learned the rules don’t give things a second thought.
The bottom line however when it come to the individual is that you have the freedom to live your life your way or God’s way. That is a freedom granted to you by God. You can choose to believe in God or not.
So do you believe in God?
Please think about it.

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.