Obeying the greatest commandment

 Obeying the greatest commandment.

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. 

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.

We must also love our enemy. Jesus stating,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  

And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Matthew 5:43-47.

So just what is Christian love? The apostle Paul writes,

"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....1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

So if you consider yourself to be a Christian are following the greatest commandment?

Please think about it.

True Treasure

  True Treasure

Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.

Unfortunately people today are seeing true treasure in all the wrong places. They are quite literally seeking in fields and elsewhere hoping to find material wealth.

They are not looking for true wealth. Which is in heaven. 

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 16:19-21.

What kind of wealth are you seeking?

Please think about it.

Christians and love

 Christians and love

The apostle John writes,

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.... 

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:11,17,18.

The Bible is full of admonitions to the believer to help those in need. 

While to Talmud is not a Christian book it holds many Christian principles that Christian should follow,

“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, "Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?"  He answered, "God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love." The Talmud.

Are you making the world around you a household of Love?

Please think about it.

Jesus Lunatic or Saviour

Jesus Lunatic or Saviour

John’s gospel records this interaction between Jesus and his disciples,

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  John 14:5-11.

This if you think about it is quite the extraordinary statement. Jesus makes two statements that if not true makes him a lunatic. He states,

1. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.”

2.  “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”

What Jesus is saying is He is divine. He is God incarnate. The way to Heaven. 

 C. S. Lewis said it best in his book Mere Christianity when he wrote,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

This is the choice the writers of the New Testament lay out before the whole world. Either Jesus is God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind, or he is not. The choice is yours.

Please think about it.

His love endures

  His love endures 

“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 100:4,5.

I find one of the good thing about believing in Christ Jesus is that we can count on his love. That at any time we can enter into his courts and praise him. 

That Gods love does endure forever. His faithfulness continues from one generation to the next.

Do you praise and thank for all that you have and for all he has done for you?

Please think about it. 

The Psalmist writes

  The Psalmist writes

The psalmist writes,

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks; 

you are my God, and I will exalt you.” 

                                                             Psalm 118:28.

If you consider yourself a true Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus do you give God thanks for all you have. Do you exalt him daily?

Please think about it. 

Lending to the poor

  Lending to the poor.

In the book of Proverbs we read,

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” Proverbs 19:17.

There are over 2000 verses of scripture that deal with responding to the needs of the poor. Which tells me God cares a lot for the poor.

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.  

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?" James 2:14-20.

Our faith should spur us on to doing good works. To helping the poor wherever we can. Are you doing this?

Please think about it.