Jesus Christ

Whose side are you on?

English: Michmethath__which_is_before_Shechem

English: Michmethath__which_is_before_Shechem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes I think it is terribly difficult to tell whose side some of my Christian brothers and sisters are on. The words we communicate with our mouths are quite different from the things we do with our hands. Furthermore, we often get engulf in the issue of the moment, and we frequently say and do things that we later regret.

For example, on May 31, 2009, abortion Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed, while he served as an usher in his Wichita church, by anti-abortion activist, Scott Roeder. Many anti-abortion Christians celebrated the heinous act, lauded the shooter and commented that Tiller got what was coming to him. Can two wrongs make one right? No. Fighting fire with fire is most certainly not the approach Jesus would use when attempting to resolve a conflict. Suffice it to say, Jesus did not respond in kind, when he was violently nailed to the cross. Instead, He said: “Father, forgive them, for they know what they do.”

So, whose side are you really on? Is it Jesus’, (whose life is the epitome of love and all its attributes? The man who says, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,’) or is it the devil’s?

When the Patriarch Joshua was nearing the end of his life, he became worried for his people. Many of them fell back into their old ways. He felt afraid they would fall even further when he is gone. The Bible says, “Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Then he challenged them in the following words.

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. However, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

That day the people of Israel renewed their covenant with God and declared that they will serve the Lord. Will you do the same today?

Pictures of the devastating fire in Colorado

The Waldo Canyon Fire started June 23 and has scorched 16,750 acres. It has burned 347 homes and killed at least two people.

Father in heaven I place the people of Colorado into your hand; especially those who have been affected by the Waldo Canyon Fire. Many of these people have lost everything they owned. These are difficult times Lord, but I hope someone will find a way to encourage hope. May they find solace in Jesus Christ. Amen!

What manner of man is this?

“And, behold, there arose a veritable tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, “Lord, save us: we perish.”

And he said unto them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a perfect calm.

However, the men marvelled, saying, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:24-27).

Jesus has a way of surprising us. He says things that no one else can say and does things that no one else can do. He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. He is the bread of life.

My friends, despite what the doubters say. Jesus is alive. The writer of Hebrews 13:8, puts it this way, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Suffice to say, He is the same Jesus who went about all Galilee, teaching in synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of diseases among the people.

And as His fame went throughout all Syria: they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils and those which were lunatics and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. (Matthew 4:23-24)

Fellow believers if you are wavering in your faith, If doubters have some how managed to convince you to throw in the towel. I dare you to think again. Jesus is no different today than He was when He walked this earth. Like the woman at the well, lives are still being touched. Like the man who was born blind, sights are being restored. And yes, water is still being turned into wine. There is only one Man I know who is capable of doing such things. His name is Jesus.

Jesus is the:

Messenger and the Message

Morning Star and Light of the world

Servant and King

Shepherd and the Lamb

Sacrifice and the High Priest

Vine and the Fruit

Author and the Story

Lifeline and the Anchor

Physician and the Cure

Promise and the Fulfillment

God is still moving

Our Lord Jesus Christ

Our Lord Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are a thousand reasons why you should trust God with all your heart. But, just knowing that God sent His only son to the cross to die for you, is reason enough. However, many people do not trust or even think there is a God. Despite all the compelling and convincing evidence, they reluctantly decline to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

Here is an audio clip that has been around since I was a kid. I hope you will find touching and convincing as I have.

Are we too obsessed with stuff?

Chinese depiction of Jesus and the rich man (M...

Chinese depiction of Jesus and the rich man (Mark 10) – 1879, Beijing, China (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the 1900, the average person living in the United States wanted seventy two different things and considered eighteen of them essential. Today, the average person, wants over five hundred things, and considers one hundred of them essential. Our obsession with stuff carries a hefty price tag. Eighty percent of us battles the pressure of overdue bills. We spend 110 percent of our disposable income trying to manage debt. And who can keep up? We no longer measure ourselves against the Jones next door but against the stars on the silver screen or the stud on the magazine cover. Hollywood’s diamonds make yours look like a knock-off bought in China. No one can compete against Madison Avenue. So be content with what you have.

Jesus warns against greed.
According Luke 12:13-21, Jesus was addressing a large crowd one day when one of the men in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, my father just died and left some things for us. Tell my brother to share them with me.” But Jesus said to him, “Who said I should be your judge or decide how to divide your father’s things between you two?” Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. People do not get life from the many things they own.” Then Jesus used this story: “There was a rich man who had some land. His land grew a very good crop of food. ‘What will I do? He thought to himself. I have no place to keep all my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns! I will put all my wheat and good things together in my new barns. Then I can say to myself, I have many good things stored. I have saved enough for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!’ “But God said to that man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die. So what about the things you prepared for yourself? Who will get those things now?’

“This is how it will be for anyone who saves things only for himself. To God that person is not rich.”

Friends, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). What we feel and believe are the truly precious and meaningful things in our lives. If we do not commit ourselves to what is good and right, then we are empty. Moral poverty occurs when we place things above relationships. Christ sent His disciples out in the world without possessions, but no one in history has known more wealth than those chosen men who walked with Jesus. It is when we choose to walk with Jesus that we find out what true riches are.