New Years Day A. D. 2016
"When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?” Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual? “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
The Talmud
Jesus said,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25:34-46.
Today is New Years day in the year of our Lord 2016. As I speak millions of refugees are running away from the conflict in the middle east.
To their credit many Christians and those of other faith are stepping up and giving what help the can as are various nations of the world.
We as Christians are I believe obligated to reach out to those in need of help. To reach out and do anything we can not only to help the refugees but anyone in need.
In doing so we are building bridges. We are showing we are not simply spouting empty words.
In sponsoring refugees and indeed those in need in our communities we are showing in a tangible way the love of God. We are obeying the words of Jesus.
The brother of Jesus, James said,
“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.”
James 2:14-19.
As this New Year begins let we as Christians start to show our faith by our deeds. Showing to the world the Love of God. Dealing honourably and faithfully with our fellow man.
Please think about it.
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Showing posts with label the Christian thing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Christian thing. Show all posts
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Saturday, 12 December 2015
Honourably
Honourably
The writer of Ecclesiastes said,
“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.
I believe it. I also believe God will ask us something similar to what the Talmud states,
"When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?” Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual? “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
The Talmud
God wants to hear from our own mouths the truth as to how we feel we dealt with our fellow man. Jesus tells this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
“At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Luke 16:19-31.
Today I would ask you when you stand before God will you be able to say you “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
If you are a business owner do you pay your employees a good living wage and benefits? To you do you best to even help them from time to time. An example would be allowing a parent to take time off to care for a sick child or family member.
If you are a politician do you do what is right for the individual in your constituency. Do you help pass legislation that specifically benefits the poorest in your constituency rather than simply pass tax breaks.
As an individual do you respect others and do what you can to help the poor and less fortunate in your community?
When you stand before God what will he say to you?
Please think about it.
The writer of Ecclesiastes said,
“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.
I believe it. I also believe God will ask us something similar to what the Talmud states,
"When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?” Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual? “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
The Talmud
God wants to hear from our own mouths the truth as to how we feel we dealt with our fellow man. Jesus tells this parable,
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
“At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Luke 16:19-31.
Today I would ask you when you stand before God will you be able to say you “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
If you are a business owner do you pay your employees a good living wage and benefits? To you do you best to even help them from time to time. An example would be allowing a parent to take time off to care for a sick child or family member.
If you are a politician do you do what is right for the individual in your constituency. Do you help pass legislation that specifically benefits the poorest in your constituency rather than simply pass tax breaks.
As an individual do you respect others and do what you can to help the poor and less fortunate in your community?
When you stand before God what will he say to you?
Please think about it.
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