Grace, Love and Faith

  Grace, Love, and Faith

The apostle Paul writing to Titus wrote,

"But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" Titus 3:4,5.

We Christians believe that we can’t work our way to heaven.

C. S. Lewis put it this way,

“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.

The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians 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 Christian walk is also a walk of faith.

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." John 3:16,17.

Our God is a God of love who simply asks us to have faith in him. The writer of Hebrews stating

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

The writer defining faith as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1.

When I look at this. When I look at what faith is. I think for many people it is a very hard thing to do. Which is why I believe God asks us to have faith in him

Do you have faith in God?

Please think about it.

God of Salvation

 God of Salvation

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity." Proverbs 96:10.

As Christians we believe God reigns and that he will one day judge all people. In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

"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.

The good news is in Romans we read,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6.

The apostle John writing,

"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

In his gospel John tells us,

"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." John 3:16,17.

Do you believe in God and the salvation that come through belief in Christ Jesus?

Please thin about it.

Let us Love

 Let us love

The apostle Paul writes,

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John4: 7-10.

God loved us so much He sent his one and only son to take away all our sins. In the Gospel of John we read Jesus speaking of himself 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." John 3:16,17 .

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.

The apostle Paul writing to the Romans wrote,

"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.

Sin is falling short of Gods ideals for our life. And we all sin. Thus we need to confess our sins to God. 

The apostle John writes,

"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.

Especially if you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus we need to confess our sins directly to God.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

The fool

 The fool

"The fool says in his heart, 

"There is no God." 

                                Psalm 14:1.

The way I see things is when a government or society turn its back on God or fails the recognise there is a God, society spirals down to the abys. We only have to look at Nazi Germany under Hitler. Tens of millions of innocent men women and children dead simply because they were considered less than human.

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

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.

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read a warning that we all should take to heart. He writes, 

"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. 

Where do you stand? Do you truly believe in God?

Please think about it.

The Psalmist says

 The Psalmist says,

The Psalmist writes,

“Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

 praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing, 

praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals,

 praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD.” 

                                        Psalm 150.

Psalm 150 tells us how we can praise God. Why not take a few minutes right now to praise God? Remember there is no good or bad time to praise God. All God asks is that we praise Him.

Please think about it.

Walking in Gods coucil

 Walking in Gods council

“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. 

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm1:1-3.

Take a few minutes to examine your life. Does the scripture quoted above resemble your life?

Do you delight in the law of the LORD?

Do you meditate on Gods law day and night?

Please think about it.

Instructions for Christian living

  Instructions for Christian living

In the book of 1Thesalonians we read

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, 

but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 

Be joyful always;  

pray continually;  

give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;  

do not treat prophecies with contempt.  

Test everything. Hold on to the good.  

Avoid every kind of evil.” 

                                                      1Thesalonians 5:15-22.

Here are simple instructions for living the Christian life. They are at times things we forget to do. Do you follow these instructions?

Please think about it.