Religion and Spirituality

Remember the less fortunate this Christmas

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me’ (Matthew 25:34-36).

Unfortunately, not all of us Christians will hear those welcoming words. Some of us will hear these:

‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire. Prepare 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’ (Matthew 25:41-46).

“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, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

What does your attitude says about you?

Your attitude says a lot about you. A Christian with a friendly demeanor is more likely to draw sinners to the Kingdom of heaven than, let’s say one with a repulsive attitude.

It is true; many of my Christian brothers and sisters have attitude problems. (…you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. Matt. 23:13) We often scoff at sinners and anyone who does not attend our church. Hence, we limit ourselves to the four walls of our sanctuary and refuse to adopt to the changing environment. Essentially, we have become aloof, judgmental and disinterested.

But no one likes being around a person with a bad attitude. So, if we want our light to shine before men, that they see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16), then we must clean up our attitudes.

Since Jesus  is our example, Christians are obligated to follow His lead and strive to emulate Him in every respect. He never turned anyone away. Everybody is welcome in His presence; even the little children. He is approachable, and He never looked down on sinners. As a matter of fact, He sat down and ate and drank with sinners, much to the chagrin of Pharisees. ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and “sinners”? They asked the disciples. The bible said, “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’” (Luke 5:30-32).

Does your attitude helps to draw people closer to the kingdom of heaven, or does it drives them away?

What do you do when problems overwhelm you?

We are unique in many ways. Hence, we all have different methods of approaching difficult situations. Some of us turn to professionals, family, friends and neighbors when we do not know what to do with our problems. But often time these sources of help are inadequate. So, many of us throw our hands in the air and give up. Others who have read God’s Word and believed in His promises turn to Him for divine help.

In 2 Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat, king of Judah was faced with a very difficult situation. He got the news from the people that the Moabites, Meunites and the Ammonites were mounting an attack against him. And even though he was fearful. He never took things in his hands, and he never surrendered. Instead, he turned to God for divine intervention. Here is what the Bible says:

“Jehoshaphat was terrified by the news and begged the LORD for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD’s help.

Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah, and Jerusalem, in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the LORD. 6 He prayed, “O LORD, God of our ancestors. You alone are the God, who is in heaven. You are the ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we face any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where we honor your name. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us” 2 Chronicles 20:3-9).

God did answer Jehoshaphat’s prayer. His soldiers did not have to lift a finger. The enemies started fighting against themselves. The Bible says; there were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as the eye could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

And here is the kicker according to verse 30: “So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side”.

Are you wearing the appropriate wedding garment?

The parable of the wedding feast which Jesus told in Matthew 22:1-14 gives us a preview of what everyone’s reality will be like when you come face-to-face with the judgement seat. The parable seems to suggest the main character; the king, will only greet guests who wear the appropriate garment to the wedding feast. And the rest of us, who are not in the wedding garment, he instructs his servants to cast into the darkness where there is gnashing of teeth.

Even though the parable may sounds like a fairy tale, there is a real end time message embedded in there. Further, Jesus did not tell parables because he likes them. He told them to simplify His message.

However, the main point of the parable is this: Many are invited to the wedding feast, but only few will be chosen to partake in the main course. Here is the parable:

Matthew 22:1-14 New Living Translation (NLT)

Parable of the Great Feast
Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!

“So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

“The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Who is in control?

Who is in control?
God is in control. Whether you believe it or not. Despite your troubles–your pain and suffering. He is is Sovereign. He is the same Yesterday, today and forever.

He was in control when the Pharaoh held the Israelite captive in Egypt, and He was in control when the exodus happened. He was in control when manna miraculously fell from the skies to sustain those who wanted meat.

Therefore, hold on to God’s unchanging hands. He will reward you for your steadfastness. It is better to lose the earthly battle and win the heavenly one.

“Here is what James wrote to Jewish believers who, by then were scattered abroad: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith gets tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord because they have divided their loyalty between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do” (James 1:2-8).