Approved

 Approved

In the gospel of John we read Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman and saying,

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.  

God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23,24.

The apostle Paul writes,

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.

Are you doing your best to follow God in spirit and in truth? 

Do you correctly handle Gods word correctly?

Please think about it.

God and your Brothers

 God and your Brothers

“We love because he first loved us.  

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  

And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1John 4:19-21.

This says it all. Do you love your brother? You should. The apostle John makes that crystal clear. If we love God we must also love our brothers. There is no room for hate for those who love Christ Jesus.

So the question to you dear reader is, Do you truly love God and your brothers?

Please think about it.

Not only to your own interest

  Not only to your own interest

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests,

 but also to the interests of others.” 

                                                                 Philippians 2:4

Here Paul is telling us to lookout for others as well as ourselves.

In the book of James we read,

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2:14-18.

So are you looking out for your own interest or others as well?

Please think about it.

The lifestyle of a Christian

 The lifestyle of a Christian

In the book of Colossians we read,

“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. 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:12-17.

So what is a Christian called to do? The apostle Paul tells us we are to,

clothe yourself with,  

                                 Compassion,

Kindness,

Humility,

Gentleness,

Patience,

Forgive whatever grievances you have against other believers

“Put on love which binds them all together”

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

Teach and admonish one another with all wisdom as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Giving gratitude to God in your hearts. 

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him”

If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus, are you doing this?

Please think about it.

In all circumstances

  In all circumstances 

Rejoice always, 

pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

                                                              1Thessalonians 5: 16-18.

If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus do you,

Rejoice always, 

Pray without ceasing, 

Give thanks in all circumstances

When I read this portion of scripture I think of Paul and Silas praising the Lord in prison.  The book of Acts telling us,

“... "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." Acts 16:25 

They were in a bad situation. Roman prisons were not good places yet they were praising God with the other prisoners listening to them. Paul and Silas turning a bad situation into a opportunity to witness for Christ.

The other things we are called to do is rejoice always pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. Things that can be hard to do sometimes yet if we look to God and train ourselves to do these things when things are going well. We will instinctively do it when things are going bad.

So the question becomes if you consider yourself a true follower of Christ Jesus do you Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances?

Please think about it.

How are you living?

 How are you living?

In the book of Galatians we read,

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

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 5:19-23.

Here the apostle Paul tells us how we should be living. 

He notes the sinful nature as being,  

sexual immorality, 

Impurity and debauchery; 

idolatry and witchcraft; 

hatred, discord,

 jealousy, fits of rage, 

selfish ambition, 

dissensions, factions 

envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. 

The fruit of the spirit being

        love,

        joy,

         peace, 

patience, 

kindness, 

goodness, 

faithfulness,  

gentleness 

self-control. 

Telling us “Against such things there is no law.”

If you consider yourself a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus what are the fruit in your life? What are the fruit people see in your life?

Please think about it.

Abiding in Christ

 Abiding in Christ.

In the Gospel of John Jesus is recorded as saying,

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4,5.

Here is the simple explanation.

In order for the Christian to bear fruit we must abide in Jesus. A relationship characterized  by trust, prayer, obedience and joy.

Without abiding in Jesus we cannot do anything of eternal value. I would go as far as to say, a person who is not in a right relationship with Christ Jesus, is not a Christian at all.

So the question remains, are you in a right relationship with Jesus?

Please think about it.