God

Are you the sheep among goats?

Noel Williams's avatarLet's Talk Gospel

English: An image showing Ovis aries in field ... English: An image showing Ovis aries in field with goats. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The parable of the sheep and the goats that Jesus told in Matthew 25:31-46 seems to convey a simple message. And why not. Jesus was and is known to make things simple. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus used this parable to clear up any ambiguity in an earlier point that He made: “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

As you read through the parable (the sheep and the goats), you will notice that as Christians and as a society in general, we are charge with the responsibility to care for the less fortunate. Further, according to the parable, every crying voice for help that we ignore will be held against us when we stand before the righteous Judge.

 Matthew 25:31-46

New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats

 “When the Son of Man…

View original post 381 more words

Why? Why me, Lord?

Every time something bad happened to us our knee jerk reaction is always the question ‘Why me Lord?’ Nobody ever asked; ‘Why not me, Lord?’ We have trained ourselves to believe the fallacy that life must be good all the time. And if you are a Christian you expect God to shield you from every hardship, big and small. But life does not work like that.

Sometimes the hardship is a result of our poor judgment. We took the wide road instead of the narrow one. Other times, it’s negligence or blatant refusal to follow God’s instructions. (We read what happened to the prophet, Jonah when he ignored God’s instruction to go to Nineveh).

So friends, wherever you are today. Whatever your hardship, before you start dumping blame on God, look at yourself in the mirror first. You will find that 99% of your problems are self-induced. Do not question God. And most of all, do not doubt Him. He had and still have a great plan for you.  Jeremiah 29:11 says it best; “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.” (NLT) Use your trials as catalysts to strengthen your resolve in Christ Jesus. Do not be bitter. Instead, of asking, ‘Why me, Lord?’ Ask, Why not me, Lord?’ Be like Apostle Paul when he said; 

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate me from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (“Romans 8:31-39

What does your defeatist attitude say about your Christianity?

What does your defeatist attitude say about your Christianity?
Jesus advised us against worrying. He promised He would never leave us or forsake us. And, Apostle Paul assured us that despite our trials, we are more than conquerors. Still many of us take a defeatist approach when we get caught in a stressful situation. Instead of unlocking our faith and give the problem to Jesus. We wave the white flag and surrender.

Folks, the world, is our watchdog on earth. It notices everything we do. And when we allow our circumstances to get the better of us it gives the world ammunition to label us as frauds. Hence, we become laughing stocks and not the light that Jesus wants us to become.

Do you not know you are sons and daughters of God? And, even though we will never be like Jesus, we are His equal in the kingdom of God. Ephesians 1: verse 5 gives us that authority. Further, Jesus tells us that whatever we ask the Father in His name He will grant. Use what you have, prayer and faith and pull yourself up.

Even if you do not think, you are a conqueror. The Bible says you are. So, you do not have any business walking around looking beaten up and defeated. Jesus is our example; He gave us all the tools we need to overcome and conquer our difficulties.

Does God bless Non Christians?

 

Does God bless Non-Christians?

You have heard fellow Christians, especially preachers; tell you that God only blesses those who keep His Commandments. But that is a myth. God do not withhold blessing from His Children. So whether you are a Christian or not, we are all God’s children. Furthermore, God is impartial; He does not distribute blessings like humans do. For example, when the rain falls, it does not fall on one man’s land. Neither does the sun shines on one man’s house.

I take my cue from Jesus. He never turned anyone away. Matthew 9:18-26 and Mark 5:21-43 solidify this fact. Both Mark and Matthew narrated the same gripping story. Both of which dispels the myth mentioned above.

The story tells us about a prominent Jewish leader named Jairus whose young daughter was ill. Now, it is important to note, Jairus did not subscribe to Jesus’s teachings. He was a member of a religious sect that opposed everything Jesus did. One could go further and say Jairus was a member of the group that plotted to kill Jesus.

But when everything Jairus tried to get his daughter well failed, Jairus came to Jesus for help. While making his way through a large crowd that had come to see Jesus as well. He received further disturbing news. His daughter was dead. The Bible says Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet and worshiped Him. Then he said, “My daughter has just died, but even though she is dead if you come and lay Your hand on her she will live.”

Without putting him on the mercy seat, Jesus granted Jairus’s wish. And his daughter lived.

Still, like the woman with the issue of blood, Jairus had faith that could move a mountain. That is something many of us lack. Thus, if we wish to have showers of blessing in our lives we need to work on our faith.

How often should I repent?

How often should I repent? Daily

Repentance is one of the most misunderstood processes in Christendom. Many Christians think it’s a one-time act or process. And once you have given your heart to the Lord, there is no reason to go through the process again, unless you have backslid. I disagree.

What is repentance?

According to the dictionary,  repentance is a feeling of deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, or wrongdoing.

So, based on its definition, repentance is clearly not necessary if one has not sinned. But that is entirely impossible. For none of us can survive a day without sinning. There are undoubtedly many more opportunities for us to sin in one day than we imagined. And even though we have the option to choose good over evil, we often chose evil because of our sin nature. The Psalmist David said: “Behold, I have been shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me”, (Psalm 51:).

Therefore, repentance is a ritual; that we should do daily. Here is how David, a man after God’s own heart pleads for God’s forgiveness after he repented: Psalm 51 King James Version (KJV)