Be quick Be slow

 Be quick Be slow

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. 

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 

James 1:19-27

Here’s the point form version of what James is saying,

1/Be quick to listen to the word of God.

2/Be slow to speak. Think before you speak.

3/Be very slow to anger. Don’t sweat the little things. Think before you get angry. Ask yourself is it worth getting angry. 

4/Get rid of the moral filth and evil in you life.

5/Listen to the word of God planted in your life.

6/Don’t just listen to the word of God, DO WHAT IT SAYS.

James states a man who fails to do what the word of God says is like someone who forgets what his reflection looks like in other words he has heard the word but learned nothing.

There are many people in churches who can quote chapter and verse in many things but fail to put the lessons of the Bible to work in their life. Thus the world is essentially null and void.

He admonishes us to keep a rein on one’s tongue. Our tongue can get us in a lot of trouble. Many good ministers and evangelist have had their ministries ruined by what they have said.

Finally he says,

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Think about it 

Your Prayer

 Your Prayer

“This, then, is how you should pray:" 

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, your will be done 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our debts,

 as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation,

 but deliver us from the evil one.’  

                                                                         Matthew  6:9-13

Do you Pray?

We should.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel said of prayer,

“To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments.  Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living..” Rabbi Abraham Heschel

As Christians we have the right to pray to God himself. The creator of the Universe.

I think all too often Christians don’t pray right or enough. 

We rattle off some prayer that says God help me, or God I need, or even a quick God thank you and leave it there. 

Our prayers should not always be God I need this, or God help me. Which is fine to do. If we need God’s help and provision. But we need to take time also to pray and thank God for all he’s done for us.

We need as the Apostle Paul writes, 

“pray continually;” 

                                1 Thessalonians5:17.

Question:

How is your prayer life? Do think you take enough time each day to pray to God?

Please think about it.

The existence of God

 The existence of God

In the Gospel of John we read,

“In the beginning was the Word, (Jesus) 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

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, (Jesus) 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.

Quoted above are foundational scriptures in Christianity. They make it clear that the writers of the New Testament believed Jesus was God incarnate. That he “is the radiance of God’s glory the exact representation of his being”

That through him “all things were made ; without him nothing was made that has been made”.

This to me is a bold statement. That if not true literally billions of Christians around the world are believing one of the most incredible lies in human history.

If correct, and I believe it to be correct, it is the most important thing in human history. Still they choice is up to you.

Blaise Pascal wrote,

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.

So where are you going to place your wager?

Please think about it.

Science and the existence of God

  Science and the existence of God

                    In the book of Genesis we read, 

"In the beginning 

God created the heavens and the earth." 

                                                   Genesis 1:1.

The Bible doesn't debate the existence of God simply because it was written to believers and believers need no proof. They know God exists by faith but not blind faith.

The psalmist states,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

                                                       Psalm 19:1.

Science points us to the fact there is a creator.

William Philips Nobel prize winner in Physics wrote,

"I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it" William Philips Nobel prize winning Physicist.

Even Stephen Hawking who to my knowledge was not a Christian wrote,

“It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us," Stephen Hawking

Another Nobel prize winner Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics noted,

"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural') plan." Dr, Arno Penzias.

C. S. Lewis speaking of God 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.

The way I interpret this is we have to at the very least have an open mind as to whether God exists. If we close our mind to the existence of God then we will never see Him.

So do you believe in God?

Please think about it.

The glue

  The glue

The Psalmist writes,

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

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

the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

 give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

                                                                                Psalm 100

The Bible is written to believers. It therefor does not debate the existence of God. Believers know that God exists. Believers also recognize that there is a need for God within our society.

Abba Hillel Silver at the height of world war two 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.

History has shown us that when people turn from the basic principles God has laid down for mankind society suffers. We only have to look at world war two to see this. Hitler and his henchmen had no fear of God. They turned away from God and lived by their own rules. The result was world war two, the worst conflict in human history with upwards of 60,000,000 men, women, and children killed senselessly.

The same thing is happening today. There are many terrorist groups around the world that are murdering people. Some even having the audacity to say they are doing it in the name of God.

That being said it is not only terrorist groups doing the killing. On the streets of our cities there are men and women murdering others daily. 

The murdering aside. There are many more things happening that are against God’s laws. Some within the church. Men and women claiming to be Christian who take scripture out of context deliberately to enrich themselve.

The apostle Paul told us this would come about

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3,4

This is happening today and our society knows it. And society is looking for solutions to it’s problems. I firmly believe that turning back to the God of the Bible. Turning back to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles is the solution to much of mankind’s problems.

Please think about it.

Give Praise and Tell Others.

  Give Praise and Tell others

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” Isaiah 12:4.

This is the job of the Christian. Not judging people. Not arguing with people. Simply telling the world about God and what he has done. 

Jesus said

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

If you claim to be a Christian are you telling the world around you about Jesus and all he has done for you?

Please think about it.

Trust in God

  Trust in God

The Psalmist states,

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5.

Do you put your hope in God?

The writer of Proverbs tells us,

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart

 and lean not on your own understanding;" 

                                                                      Proverbs 3:5.

Do you have this kind of trust in God?

Please think about it.