Faith and Foolishness

Faith and Foolishness
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.  Romans 10: 9,10.
What the apostle Paul is saying here is a key belief of Christians. Believing in Jesus, having faith in Jesus will get us to heaven.
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 11:25,26,27.
No other faith I know of believes their founder is the Son of God. Yet Christians do. We believe Jesus is God in the flesh. The writer of Hebrews speaking of Jesus states,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3.
I know this can sound foolish even the apostle Paul said,
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.
As far a Christians are concerned however there is no middle ground with Jesus. Either you believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The Saviour of mankind or you do not. 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.
Thus the choice dear reader is yours. Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it. 

A Universal Question

A Universal Question
John’s gospel records Jesus talking to woman called Martha
“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 11:25,26,27.
This is a question all people when confronted with Jesus must answer. Is Jesus the Jewish Messiah the Son of God, The Saviour of mankind or is he not. No one can answer this question for the individual they must answer it for themself.
Sadly however too many people let others tell them who Jesus is. They listen to people in the media and other places and make up their mind as to who Jesus is on that basis. They have never read the New Testament for themselves.
It is to those people who have never read the New Testament I would challenge to read it for themselves.
Within it Jesus makes numerous statements such as,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.
He said,
“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30. When referring to his relationship with God the father.
The apostle Paul believed Jesus was who he was saying,
“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.”  Romans 10: 9,10.
I as a Christian believe that the most important question a person has to answer in this world is who Jesus is and what their relationship toward him is.
The choice is yours. But before you make that choice I would suggest that you read the New Testament and see what His followers believed about him. Then at least you can make a educated decision about Him.
Please think about it.

In Full View

In Full View
“For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.” Proverbs 5:21.
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.
I believe it doesn’t matter who you are, or whether you believe in God or not, everything you do is done in front of God. He examines your paths. He knows why you do what you do. The Psalmist wrote,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.
The way I read what the Psalmist is saying is God knows us right down to our genetic code. That is why he has the right to judge us, because in knowing our genetic code he knows why we do what we do.
That being said our genetic code only accounts for part of what we do. In creating man God gave each individual complete freedom do believe and do as they like.
It is in how we exercise this freedom, that God will hold us accountable for. Should we choose to murder, steal, or do anything that is contrary to what God wants, we will, if we are unrepentant be punished by God.
If on the other hand we do as God wishes us to do, we will go to be with Him in heaven.
I also believe God made it as simple as possible for us to go to heaven. He in the form of his one and only Son Jesus entered this world to point us to heaven. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“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.
God understands that man is far from perfect. That every person that is living or has ever lived falls short of his ideals. That man sins. Sin is falling short of God’s ideal for ones life.
The apostle Paul writes,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
The Apostle Paul tells us,
“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.  Romans 10: 9,10.
The key is having faith in God. The apostle 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.
Faith is something many people stumble over. The writer of Hebrews tells us.
“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.
It’s easy to believe in someone or something you can see, feel and touch. It is infinitely harder to believe in something or someone you can’t see. That I believe is why people don’t believe in God.
That is also why I believe God asks for faith because God knows someone who has faith in Him is a true believer.
So do you truly believe in God?
Please think about it.

The Heavens

The Heavens
The Psalmist says,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

Psalm 19:1.

Scientist today admit the universe has a beginning. The Bible has said that for centuries. Where some scientist may disagree with Christians is that God created the universe. I believe He did.
The more I read on how the universe came about the more I see the hand of God in it. Our earth is in the perfect place in the universe to sustain life as we know it. All the conditions for life exist on planet earth.
Whether God created it in six twenty-four hour days or in billions of years means little to my faith. He is God and He could have done it either way.
Sadly to my mind at least there are many who look at the universe and say there is no creator. It all just happened by chance. I cannot believe that.
I look at everything from the smallest subatomic particle to the biggest galaxies and see order and purpose.
I see a world created for man. I see mankind created to have fellowship with God.
I see God creating man with a freewill in order that he may honestly choose to worship God, or not.
I personally cannot believe man simply evolved to procreate and die. There has to be more.
I believe deep inside the heart of all men there is something that tells man there is a God and an afterlife. History I believe proves this.
The majority of civilizations that have ever existed have believed in an afterlife. So much so that they have done everything from burying people with grave goods deemed necessary for the afterlife to building the pyramids.
Sadly many today do not believe in God that is their choice. I respect that choice. Still I would ask those people who do not believe in God, Are you sure you are right in your beliefs? Are you willing to risk your eternal destiny on what you believe?
I as a Christian believe in God. I believe that Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh who came to earth to offer eternal life with God to all who would believe in him.
I believe we all must decide on who Jesus is. When speaking to Martha Jesus asked her a Question that all of us must answer.
“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 11:25,26,27.
What is your answer?
Please think about it.

Apart from God

Apart from God
The writer of Ecclesiastes points out,
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”Ecclesiastes 1:9.
“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.
If we look at this life strictly from a human perspective this life can seem meaningless. If all we are here to do is give birth to the next generation then life has no meaning. It’s a repeating endless cycle that ends in death.
I do not believe this. There is far more to life than this world in which we live. Atheist are wrong. People are eternal beings.
Peter John Kreeft states,
“Atheism treats people cheaply. Also, it robs death of meaning, and if death has no meaning, how can life ultimately have meaning? Atheism cheapens everything it touches, look at the results of communism, the most powerful form of atheism on earth.
And in the end, when the atheist dies and encounters God instead of nothingness he had predicted he’ll recognize that atheism was a cheap answer because it refused the only thing that’s not cheap the God of infinite value” Peter John Kreeft ph.d.
Any atheist I’ve known  have generally made up their mind. They have placed themselves if you will as judge and jury, even God.
They say there is no God. They criticize, even verbally attack anyone who disagrees with them.
I as a Christian worship an all powerful omnipresent God. For an someone to say there is no God, is to say they have been everywhere and know all things. In order for that assumption to be true the person would have also had to have gone beyond the grave. And no atheist I’ve ever met has gone beyond the grave and lived to tell about it.
Someone once said,
“Maybe the atheist cannot find God for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.” Author Unknown. 
They don’t want to find God.
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 Psalmist is right. If we look at the earth carefully it is perfectly positioned in the universe for life to exist as we know it. I cannot believe it just happened by chance. The universe was carefully crafted by God in order for us to exist.
Abba Hillel Silver points something else out,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.” Abba Hillel Silver.
We cannot live as a society without a common set of values to live by. A common set of rules God has laid on the heart of all men. Irrevocable rights such as freedom to do as we wish. Framed with morals telling us not to kill, not steal, and so forth. Without which society cannot function correctly.
I cannot believe ancient man convened a global conference to agree to these universal rules. They had to have come from God.
The Psalmist puts things very bluntly when he states,
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1.
C. S. Lewis is more diplomatic saying,
“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 as I said God has given man complete freedom to do as he wishes. That freedom includes the right to believe in God or not. The choice is yours.
Please think about it, 

An Amazing Christian Belief

An Amazing Christian Belief
The book of Genesis states,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
We Christians however take things one step further the apostle John stating,
“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.
We Christians believe the God that created the heavens and the earth actually entered his creation in the form of His one and only Son Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews telling us,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3.
I as a Christian believe there was several reasons in God entering the world. One was to point man to God and show mankind how far He would go to reconcile His creation to Himself. To provide purification for our sins.
The other was I believe just as necessary. I believe God had to enter the world and acted nothing more than a man in order to be able to justly judge man.
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.
In order to judge man justly, God had to experience everything it is to be a man. In entering the world in the form of Jesus. God experienced all there was to be a man. Everything from the mundane things like the sun on his face. The rain. Having friends and enemies. Going to events like weddings.
Through Jesus God experienced both the best in man and the worst in man. He was loved by friends and family and was beaten and crucified by his enemies.
Thus when we stand before God on judgement day we cannot say you don’t understand what it is to be human, because he does.
In coming into the world God made it as easy for man to get to heaven as he could. The apostle Paul 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.  Romans 10: 9,10.
We Christians believe one must have faith in Christ to enter heaven. The writer of Hebrews telling us,
“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.
Our faith in Jesus, in God saves us. Not our works. The apostle Paul writing,
“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.
Please think about it.

Each Person

Each Person
C. S. Lewis said of Jesus Christ,
“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 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. Romans 5:6-8.
Christians do not believe we can live a life good enough to enter heaven.
C. S. Lewis points out,
“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 it is by God’s grace we get to heaven not by our works.
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 individual must accept Christ’s saving grace by faith. The writer of Hebrews stating,
However it takes an act of faith to follow Jesus. God wants faith. 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.
Faith in anything particularly it seems in God is a hard thing for most people. That I think is why God asks for faith. For those with true faith in Him are the true followers. Who will follow Him wherever he leads them.
Please think about it.

A Conversation

A Conversation
          Luke's Gospel records,
“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.
Here is part of the apostle Luke’s account of the crucifixion. The conversation between the two criminals and Jesus.
It shows what I believe is the atheist actions toward God and a believers actions toward God.
The one criminal about to die and be ushered into the presence of God, refused to truly believe in Jesus. He demanded proof of Christ’s divinity by getting them down from the cross and saving them all.
Jesus could save them all but not in the way this man wanted. He wanted Jesus to get them off the cross and remain in this world. He wasn’t thinking of heaven.
The other man by contrast. Realized Jesus was being executed even though he’d done nothing wrong. He believed Jesus was who he said he was the Son of God. The Messiah, the Saviour of man.
This man confessed his sin. He admitted he was being punished justly for his crimes and asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom.
This is what God requires of all people, belief that Jesus is who he says he is. The Son of God, Saviour of mankind. The apostle Paul writes,
“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.  Romans 10: 9,10
There is only two ways you can look at Jesus. Either you believe He is the Son of God. God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind or you do not. The choice is up to you.
Please think about it.

Love vs Hate

Love vs Hate
Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.  Life may rob you of many things.  It often does.  But it can never bereave us of love itself.  That remains.”
-Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, rabbinic leader, from a December 22, 1940, sermon.
As I look around the world I see a lot of hate. I see terrorist murdering innocent people. I see young people in gangs on the streets of our cities killing out of hate.
Hate has even entered the American presidential campaign. And it seems no one is standing up to it. Even those claiming to be born again Christians are not standing up forcefully and with conviction to the hateful comments.
We as a people no matter what our faith need to be calling out for love to be shown to all people.
The apostle Paul wrote what for me is the most definitive definition of love ever written when he wrote,

“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 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.  Matthew 22:36-38
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 was essentially restating what the book of Deuteronomy was saying,
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7.
Are you doing this. Be we Christians, Jews, Muslims or of any other faith no one can deny that Love is fundamental to a life itself.
As Rabbi Silver put it,
  “Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.”
Martin Luther King jr. said,
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
We as a society need to be impressing this on our children. We need to telling our leaders, religious and political that is time to stop spewing hate in any form and showing love to all people unconditionally.
Please think about it.

You and God

You and God
The writer of Hebrews states.
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12,13.
The Bible is the Word of God. It sets down for all of mankind God’s ideals. It tells each individual what God requires of them. How God expects them to live morally and ethically. Within the Bible are God’s moral absolutes without which mankind cannot survive.
Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.” Abba Hillel Silver.
As one reads the Bible it is possible to see just how far we fall short of God’s ideal. We cannot live a life that is good enough to stand before a Holy God. That is why in the Old Testament God called for the sacrifice of animals to cover the sins of man.
With the coming of Jesus however the sacrifice of animals became unnecessary as Jesus paid the price for all our sins.
The Apostle Paul tells us,
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”1 Corinthians 15:3.
That’s why God  entered the world he created in the form of His one and only Son Jesus. To point mankind to Himself offering each individual eternal life.
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.
C. S. Lewis points out,
“He (Jesus), 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 Bible call us to turn to God. To confess our sins directly to Him.
In the New Testament the apostle John tell 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.” 1 John 1:9-10.
God understands what it is to be a mortal man. He in the form of His one and only Son Jesus Christ walked the earth. He knew what it was to grown up as a child. He felt sun and rain against his face. He attended weddings and other events. Knew what it was like to be tempted. To be accused of a crime he didn’t commit. To be beaten unmercifully and executed in a most hideous way. And he did it all for us. That by His sacrificial death we can obtain eternal life.
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.” Hebrews 1:1-3. 
All we have to do is accept by faith all Jesus did for us.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“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.
I know to the non-Christian this can sound strange. Even the apostle Paul notes,
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.
God does not however do things the way we necessarily would do them. God does things his way and asks us to have faith in Him.
The writer of Hebrews saying
“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.
Are you willing to put your faith in Jesus? You faith in God?
Please think about it.

Your Maker

Your Maker
Winston Churchill said,
“I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” Winston Churchill.
I don’t know if Churchill was a Christian or not. However he was a great man. The right man at the right moment in history.
I don’t know what God said to Mr. Churchill when he met him face to face. That is unimportant. The key here is Churchill said he was prepared to meet his maker.
Are you?
The apostle Paul speaking to the Athenians said,
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:24-31.
Paul was of course speaking about Jesus who will one day judge each and everyone. The question is will you be ready for that judgement.
Jesus speaking of himself issued us a warning saying,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  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.
Thus he made the choice for all individuals simple. Believe in the one and only Son of God, Jesus and gain eternal life with God, or not.
The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

Lesson from a Blacksmith

Lesson from a Blacksmith

“Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had,” said I,

“To wear and bater all these hammers so?”

“Just one,” said he, and then, with twinkling eye,

The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”

And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed - and hammers gone.”

                                                                                     Anonymous

It seems more and more we hear people in the media telling us there is no God. I say telling because they never seem to want to listen to those of us who believe in God. They have their mind made up and no amount of speaking to them will change it. Some go as far as ridiculing Christians and others of faith for their beliefs.
I believe it is the right of those who do not believe in God to have their opinion. It is a God given right. In creating mankind, God gave each person complete freedom to do as they wish. That includes the right not to believe in God.
Over the centuries people have spoken out about the church. Many have predicted its demise. Some have called out “God is Dead” others “God never was”.
Dictators and others around the world have persecuted the church. Imprisoning and killing its members, yet the church still continues preaching God’s word.
God’s word continues on because it is the truth. A truth God wants the world know.
Isaiah the prophet states,

“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.

The word of God is true. What is written in the Bible is true and truth will never be extinguished by anyone.
All who have ever tried have passed on as footnotes in history. While the word of God still goes out to the world stronger than ever.
Please think about it.