Humble yourself

  Humble yourself

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:  

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  

I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14.

I believe the Christian life is about being humble before God and before our fellow man.

The apostle Paul tells us,

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8.

In the book of James we read,

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, 

and he will lift you up."

                                        James 4:10.

Humility will win more souls for Christ than arrogance and self-righteousness will every time.

Please think about it. 

Do

 Do

The Prophet Micah writes,

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

 And what does the Lord require of you? 

To act justly and to love mercy 

and to walk humbly with your God." 

                                                             Micah 6:8.

This is a duty of every believer in Christ Jesus. Every believer in God. 

                                    We are...

to act justly, 

to love mercy, 

to walk humbly with God.

These attributes are what God desires in a believer.

Thus my question to you. If you consider yourself a believer in Christ are these attributes visible in your life?

Please think about it.

In everything

 In everything 

The apostle Paul writes,

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone Colossians 4:5,6.

Sometimes I think Christians forget about wisdom, especially here in North America. They are too focussed on getting things their way. On protecting their rights.

They spend their time complaining that the duly elected secular government is giving rights to people they object too. Then when a group pushes back they complain even more loudly. This should not be so.

As Christians we should be asking for Gods wisdom in reaching the world around us. We should be engaging those we disagree with, in a positive none condemning way. We should remember the words of Jesus who gave us a bench mark to follow when dealing with others, when he 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.

When dealing with those outside our faith, we should be asking ourselves; would I like to be treated the way I treated that person?  

Thus my question is: Do you, in everything, you do, do to others what you would have them do to you?

Please think about it.

Paul's call

  Paul’s call

The apostle Paul wrote,

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14.

Is the above a description of what you do? When people look at your life do they see compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love?

Do you forgive others any wrongs they have done to you in the way the Lord did you? Do you forgive others unconditionally which is the way God forgave you?

Take a little time to pray and ask God to show you if you are truly doing what the apostle Paul is telling believers in Jesus to do.

Please think about it.

Day and night

 Day and night

The Psalmist writes,

“I say to the Lord,

You are my Lord; 

apart from you I have no good thing.

                                                      Psalm 16:2

If you consider yourself a Christian do you believe this? 

Do you truly believe this?

Can you say apart from God there is no good thing?

As Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus. God must be woven into the fabric of our being. 

We must as the Psalmist states,

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked 

or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, 

and on his law he meditates day and night.”

                                                                    Psalm 1:1,2 

So if you consider yourself a Christian. A follower of Christ Jesus. Do you meditate on the word of God day and night?

Please think about it.

Just as your Father

 Just as your Father

Jesus said,

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." 

                                                              Luke 6:36.

Mercy according to the Oxford dictionary is "compassion or forgiveness shown towards an enemy or offender in one's power."

Throughout my years in church work I have heard from various individuals that I shouldn’t associate with “certain people” because they are sinners. Those individuals were WRONG. And were sinners themselves. They were sinners because they judged others. Jesus saying, 

Judge not, that you be not Judged   

"For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1,2 

Paul writing to the romans stating,

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23.

Matthews Gospel records,

“While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.  

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners'?" 

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:15-17.

Jesus is the ultimate doctor. Healing the soul. His call 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.

Jesus associated with everyone irrespective of who they were or their status in society. And we are called to do as he did. 

If we don’t take to Gospel message to the world who will?

Billy Graham the late American evangelist said,

"It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love," 

                            Billy Graham.

It is our job as Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus to present the gospel to all people without judging them. Jesus saying,

"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.

The only way we can do this is showing love and mercy to those around us.

Please think about it. 

Gods Judgement

  Gods Judgement

In the book of Acts it records the apostle Paul standing in the Areopagus in Athens among learned men and women, and testifying to them about God and Christ Jesus. Paul concluded with,

"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." 

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."  

At that, Paul left the Council.  

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others" Acts 17:30-34

God will one day judge the world justly. He will judge us I believe in accordance to what we know. That being said I also believe we at the very least know almost from birth what is right and wrong. As such we will be judged accordingly.

If someone has told us about the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus we will be judged on that knowledge. 

God will never I believe judge us on what we don’t know that at the very least will be unfair.

That being said. Are you ready to be judged by God?

Please think about it.