Lampstand

Isn't it amazing that the old world we all know seems to just keep getting worse in so many ways? We here in good old Australia are astounded that after all these years of just being Old Oz, we seem to be embracing violence in all sorts of various ways.

Not so long ago, the Jewish people here in Australia were celebrating what they know and love, which is Chanukah or Hannukah. There were so many of them on Bondi Beach when, suddenly out of nowhere, a father, Sajid Akram, and his son, Naveed Akram, gunned down and killed a total of fifteen people, including 10-year-old Matilda. 

Matilda is such an Ozzy name, and apparently, her parents named her after Waltzing Matilda, pretty much our Australian National Anthem - well, tries awfully hard to be,  she was named for our country, where her Ukrainian family felt they had found safety.

Sajid Akram, the father, was shot dead by police. His son, Naveed, was bundled off to the hospital after he had been shot. He survived, and it looks like he will be spending the rest of his life in prison.

Akram (the son) looks like he will be convicted of murder and an enormous and variable number of other charges. He brutally killed fifteen people and seriously wounded so many more - he is facing forty four charges.

Four homemade bombs were thrown into the crowd but failed to detonate. Another homemade bomb was found in the car that belonged to the Akrams.

It was such a shocking thing to have happened. I think Australia as pretty much as a whole was totally shocked and outraged by the events.

So, where does that leave us as Christians? Matilda's Aunt said, "Don't put anger in your heart - if you have anger, put it aside and replace it with happiness. Don't make your kids angry; let them live in happiness and love."

Extraordinary in so many ways. Here was this child at the beach with her family when this awful tragedy just exploded, and her life was brushed aside. Her younger sister survived but was right beside Matilda as she was so brutally killed.

So where does that leave us? It's hard to know, isn't it! In Matthew chapter 5:14-16, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matilda's Aunt was an amazingly beautiful lady and an extraordinary example for all of us, as she talked about her niece's death with such alacrity and sincerity. Often, after something so disastrous as this, talking about the events leading up to it and, of course, the actual situation would be incredibly hard to even talk about, let alone be so positive.

Matilda's Aunt showed exactly what Jesus was saying about being the Light of the World. You can't be hidden. If you love your Lord Jesus, then showing His love regardless of what is happening in your life is amazing and extraordinary.

I must say, I feel I would have all sorts of alarms and bell-ringing inside my head if the same thing had happened to me. The family of the young lass who was so viciously murdered as she was just playing on the beach with her sister was completely devastated, and I can only imagine what they went through at the time and what they continue to go through, probably for the rest of their lives.

Matilda's Aunt and her parents have shown how strongly they feel about the whole disastrous and macabre afternoon. They haven't pointed the blame and have shown love for Matilda, love for all the families involved, and a continued love for all those who so strongly assisted them on that horrible day.

They have proven a great example of what Jesus said about being the 'light of the world". As Christians, we can't be hidden somewhere all shrivelled up and frightened to be out in the world. Our love of God and what Jesus did for us is astounding and amazing, and we as His followers have to show His love regardless of what is going on in our own lives. A great example of this is the family of young Matilda.

I'm not sure how Matilda's family is feeling about the Lord Jesus, but they have shown a fine example of what we should do and how we should act once we have given our lives over to Him.

In the parable of the lamp stand that Jesus brought to us in Matthew chapter 5, He makes it extremely plain that we very much need to shine our light or our example to others so that they see that through the way we share our love and concern, we do indeed "glorify our Father God in heaven".

When we live for Jesus, we live as lights, as Jesus has said, as mentioned above. How do we live as lights? In all sorts of ways, we can show love to others through Jesus. We can show others all sorts of kindness just by being us and showing people that Jesus actually can change us.

We don't have to make it a broadcast, but we can certainly change our way of approaching other people. As Jesus said in Matthew, "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

So what we do can certainly have an effect on how we approach and speak to our neighbours, friends, and really anyone we may meet. Our faith should really become a 'witness' in a way to show others that Jesus Christ has changed us.

In the Bible in 1st Peter chapter 3 and verse 15, it says, "In your heart, revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect". 

I really love that verse, especially when it says "with gentleness and respect," not standing up and pounding it all out. Jesus Himself didn't do it like that. he spoke to so many with respect and gentleness, and because He was like this, the true Gospel of God has been broadcast far and wide.

How are you with receiving Christ into your life? Would you like to make a commitment to Him? Pray this prayer if you want to.

"Dear Lord:- I know I sin and keep on sinning, but right now I really need to put my faith in You. I know you died to take away my sins, and then you rose again to eternal life. I ask you to forgive all the sins that I have committed over the years. Please forgive me and help me to have a real personal relationship with you. Thank you so much for accepting my forgiveness and giving me eternal life with you."

If you prayed that prayer in all earnestness, then God will accept your life to live with Him when the time comes. You will certainly keep making mistakes BUT coming to Jesus like you have will certainly erase those mistakes. You can keep praying to God and asking Him to keep changing your life.

Hope you have a great week, and hope to see you next time.

Wineskins and Old Clothes

The old and the new - don't we love it - the old sometimes is good when it's gone, and the new usually is pretty good.

Lots of weird and strange things happened in the old times, and lots of good and easy things happen in the new times.

Well, not all the time, unfortunately. Things today can be so far away from what we believe. Jesus's teaching was always and still is amazing. Today, so many things have gotten out of hand, but in Jesus' time here on earth, things really did need to change and quickly.

In those times, things were pretty gruesome. The Roman Empire had taken over Israel, and they had made it their life's ambition to completely dominate Israel to the extent of cruelly murdering as many people as possible. Sounds so familiar, it's scary!

In the middle of all this happening in Israel, here was Jesus, born of a virgin, delivered in a disgusting, dirty old stable with both parents penniless and so so tired after a very long journey with an old donkey. Poor Mary must have been totally exhausted and filthy dirty as well - poor girl.

BUT...Jesus was extraordinary. The son of Mary and also of the Lord God, the only begotten of the triune. Father God, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amazingly and totally awesome in the real sense of the word.

Growing up with dad being a carpenter and mum having more children, Jesus would have been really busy doing lots of work to help pay for the family's needs. It certainly wouldn't have been a delicate and gentle upbringing. But regardless of all this, Mary must have been in total awe watching the very Son of God growing up, sinless and so different from everyone else around her.

As Jesus grew, the more and more He knew what was in store for Him. He knew He had to let as many people as possible know the truths of what was going to happen and how dramatically things were going to change and change entirely throughout the universe.

Jesus knew that His life here was going to be short-lived, and because of this, He had to get the message of salvation out to the crowds, knowing that it was actually going to change the entire world.

He told lots of parables, which are stories He made up to explain things to the crowds and also to the people in the temples. Today, some of these parables, as they were known then, can be confusing, but when we think them through, they are really quite mind-bending. Jesus was truly awesome with his messages.

So here we have two similar sorts of stories or parables that He told. Number one parable/story was, and I sort of quote:- "No one tears a piece off a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If they do, it will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old" hmmmm bit confusing'  but let's move on.

Number two parable/story "No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will burst the skins and the wine will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed." hmmmm again!

OK Let's think about this and tear it apart - what does Jesus mean? Well, I can imagine you don't patch a hole in an old shirt with a brand new piece of cloth, apparently, because it shrinks and it doesn't match anyway. Jesus is talking about pre-Christ and post-Christ, amazingly awesome.

Jesus was born into the old ways of Israel, where if you sinned or you were accused of sinning, you had to confess your sins, you had to wear sackcloth and ashes, you had to make a blood offering, you had to sacrifice whatever you could get your hands on, including lambs or doves, or other things for the atonement of your sins. 

Before He came to be the total perfect sacrifice, everyone who sinned (and that included everyone) had to say "I repent, I repent" and had to obey all these amazing rules and regulations. 

He knew this wasn't working at all. There was really no answer. Father God couldn't and certainly wouldn't look at sin at all, so there had to be a special price to atone for anyone's sin-life.

Jesus came to pay the price for our sins by his death on the cross. Why? Because He took sin on Himself and He killed it there on that very cruel cross, nails through his hands and his feet, and a spear in His side. How gruesome, and yet he had to die dramatically to show us that His death all those years ago actually saved us, and all we have to do is to accept His love for us and take Him into our lives.

Jesus rose again after they brutally killed Him, and through His death and resurrection, He brought us salvation and new life. If we accept Him into our lives as Lord and Saviour, then we enter into the joy of the Lord, and even if we still live here on earth, we are actually due to be in His kingdom when we pass over, which is extraordinary.

In the parables he told about patching the new and old garments and then the new and used wine caskets, what was He saying to us?

Jesus was actually comparing the old and the new wines and the old and new garments as a way of explaining how things have changed now that He was here with us on earth, and that He was going to pay for our sins on that day of His crucifixion.

Okay, let's think about these two amazing stories he told us - apparently (I know nothing about wine and sewing patches on clothes) using new wine in old caskets explodes the old casket because of the fermenting, etc., and if you sew a piece of new cloth into old clothes when you do a wash, then the new cloth shrinks. Sounds terrible. A lot to think about there!

Here, Jesus is talking about and referring to the parable about the new and old garments. The old ways where people there had to wear sackcloth and ashes, and all those rules when they had to repent. Jesus says he now brings us new life in Him. In other words, the old has gone. He is there to give us all new life. He compares this to the old and new garments.

So then there is the wine story. The old ways, and he compares this to the old wine caskets, which are totally different from the new ways, and compares this to the new wine caskets. In other words, a new life for us all if we confess that Jesus is Lord. 

He brings everyone into a place of confession and repentance, because He came to bring us all into the kingdom of God, as long as we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour.

This was entirely new, so the people were a tad confused by the whole thing. They didn't realise, probably at this time, that Jesus was going to die for us all, and those two stories about wine caskets and old and new clothes really meant that He was taking all of our sins upon Himself and killing them on that cross.

Pretty amazing when you think of those two parables He got through to us all those years ago, and really all we have to do is to accept what He did and ask Him to come into our lives and save us for eternity with Him.

Have a great day and hope to see you next time.

How many mistakes will I make in this life of mine?

How many mistakes will I make in this life of mine?  It never seems to cease.

Every single time, even when I'm not expecting it, these sins and mistakes keep bursting into my life in ceaseless and never-ending sequence. Amazing, isn't it? Unfortunately, I'm not alone in this. Sin is ever-present.

Have you ever messed up in your life?

When we make mistakes like this, I can't help feeling, "I wonder what God will think of me?" Will He forgive me, or will He just shake His head and close the door?

You know what? No matter what we have done or how many times we have done the same old sin over and over again, God is so keen to forgive us.

Why does God want to forgive us? That is such a good question and one that I have contemplated a lot over the years. I know when someone messes up with me, I tend not to forgive and have dealings with someone else, and leave that person alone.

Praise the Lord, He is not like that to me, and if you come to Him right now, He will not be like that with you either. I always seem to "mess up" in life; it seems to be the thing I do, no matter how much I try not to. 

We all make mistakes, even when we become a Christian and give our lives to Jesus, we still seem to make mistakes. I guess that's because sin came into the world all those years ago, and our world is sin-based, unfortunately, and that's how it is going to be until Jesus comes back again and finally takes us home to be with Him.

Because of what Jesus did by taking sin and killing it on the cross all those years ago, He became, if you like, a reconciliation between God and us mere humans. In other words, Jesus took it upon himself to 'make amends' for us.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21, it says, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." In other words, if we decide to ask Jesus to come into our lives, He frees us from sin and gives us brand new identities. Pretty cool, eh!

You know, Jesus became who we are, which is amazing, so that we might become who He is, which is totally and truly extraordinary!

We were born into sin, unfortunately, and it can take over our lives all the time, and if it wasn't for what Jesus did on that cross all those years ago and killed our sin on that day, we would be destined to spend eternity in hell because God can't look at sin. 

Jesus took our sins, and He gave us his true holiness and righteousness, and all we have to do is accept His perfect gift for us, no matter what we have done in our past lives. Jesus set us apart from the world of sin. YES! We still sin, but because we have accepted what He did for us, He sees us as clean and holy.

He took our sins and nailed them to the cross, and all we have to do is accept His perfect gift for us and live our lives with Him being number one, even though we live in this sin-filled world

Jesus, in his wisdom, became what we were and took our sins so that we can become who He is. I am now free, and if you like to put it this way, I am sanctified and glorified, and one day I will be with him. That is truly something you should be really thinking about.

This so reminds me of the story Jesus told about 'The Prodigal Son'. It's a story or parable that Jesus told to get a point across. Here is this wayward son living in a pretty good world, but wanting his inheritance now rather than waiting for his dad to die. So he fronts his dad and wants his inheritance now. Poor old Dad reluctantly gives in and grants him his inheritance.

The kid thinks it's great, he leaves home and lives it up with a great lifestyle. He ends up losing all the dollars, feeding pigs, and sharing their meals. He realises what a mistake he has made and comes back to his dad and the family.

His old dad sees him coming home and runs out to meet him, hugs him, and gives him back his rightful place in the family.

Why did Jesus tell this story?  Because when we turn to God after we have sinned or when we decide to accept Jesus into our lives, God, in a way, runs to us like that father did and accepts us as his child. He certainly doesn't smack us across the ears and turn us permanently away from Him.

Unfortunately, we continue to sin, but the best part is that once we give our lives to him, he never rejects or is mercilessly annoyed at us, and he never ever runs out of forgiveness. Which to me is totally and truly amazing, lovely, breathtaking, and astounding.

So....when, like me, you mess up, don't run away from God or truly think you are totally useless, run to Him and not away from Him.

God never ever remembers our biggest or smallest mistakes and sins, which to me is amazing and pure beautiful, and He certainly never brands us for eternity with some sin we have done or unfortunately continue to do. We are forgiven, exonerated, excused, pardoned, and acquitted of all our sins regardless of what they were when we come to Him and ask His amazing forgiveness.

From what I've certainly learned over the years is to open up and talk to God about my sins. 

How about you? Certainly ask his forgiveness and then ask him to help you. Your past and ever-present mistakes will be forgiven; truly forgiven and not remembered. It's truly amazing just how much God loves us and how ready He is to forgive you and me.

God's richest to you and yours, and hope to see you next time.

Killer!

Caleb was born to a young couple who weren't ready to have their son yet.

Robert and Viola, when they moved into their unit in Newcastle, NSW, were pretty excited. Robert had just started his new job, and so had Viola, and they were really looking forward to maybe a new sort of life in this beachside 2-bedroom unit overlooking Nobby's Beach, and both were starting new jobs.

Newcastle is a fantastic place to live, especially just starting out - lots of beautiful beaches, great shopping, lots of entertainment and restaurants, and also going to church. Take your pick.

Robert and Viola, moving into Newcastle from way out in the west in the country, found the place enchanting, beautiful, and great. Both gained pretty good jobs. Robert, an Accountant and Viola, a Primary Teacher, both gained pretty good employment in Newcastle - everything was looking up. 

Their unit was beautiful and so close to the beach - so great.

Both of them commenced work, and they were soon paying off their mortgage and really enjoying the beach and the lifestyle they were loving.

After twelve months, Viola found out she was pregnant, and even though it was a pretty big shock, she was excited to think that they would soon be parents. It was a little boy tucked up so neatly inside - they were so excited.

Viola saw her boss and told her exactly what was happening, and she was going to be granted maternity leave when the baby was born. Viola kept on working, teaching her second class throughout her pregnancy

One month, two months, three months, and time went on 4 months, five months, and then just 5 and a half months passed - all going so well. Viola was so happy at home and at work. Her class at school was so good, and they worked so hard, and she strived her very best. She really felt she had THE very best class in the whole school.

We often feel this when we go through life. We can be very happy doing what we do and going where we go. We so very often get really absorbed with life as it is that we never or hardly ever consider others, or more importantly, what Jesus actually did for us all those years ago.

So many people find it hard to believe in the Christ that we believe in and have given our hearts and lives to. So many people actually question who this Jesus person is? He never ever did just make our day bright and beautiful, and he wasn't just here to teach us how to be good! 

Jesus had the very authority to forgive us our sins and told everyone about His death and, more importantly, his resurrection. Jesus is part of our Triune God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Back to Viola. She left work late that day. She had lots to do and was getting the classroom ready for Parents' Day, which was due the next day. Driving home in the thick of traffic at the end of the day, she didn't realise what she was doing. She was totally absorbed in what was going to happen tomorrow.

She kept driving and also looking at her phone for messages sent to her throughout the day. She didn't realise, but she actually sped through a red light. It was an absolute disaster, and her negligence caused total mayhem and an enormous traffic accident. 

Her car was a right off, as were the two other cars involved. Two of the people, including Viola, were immediately sent off in an emergency ambulance to the John Hunter Emergency Hospital. Unfortunately, she had to have an emergency operation, and the baby boy had to be delivered by cesarean section. He was so small, and he had trouble breathing.

Caleb, the baby, survived, and both Caleb and his mum, Viola, were in hospital for quite a long time, but eventually they came home, and Robert, the new dad, was so thrilled to have them both alive.

Could have been a total disaster! Viola learnt one huge lesson: to concentrate and not take your eyes off the road. 

We often go through life paddling our own canoe and making decisions, and keep on doing the things we want to do, and never really thinking of the consequences of making ourselves number one in life and putting others behind us.

We have to make sure we put others ahead of us. Jesus did, and by doing what he did,  he certainly paved the way for us to come to Him and ask Him into our lives and to lead us through every situation.

Way back in the Bible, in the Old Testament, there is Moses. Born of an Israelite lady and raised by an Egyptian Princess. The whole story of his birth and the miraculous life-saving event that happened was God-ordained. Moses was certainly destined to lead the Israelite people out of Egypt, where they had been slaves for generations.

Was Moses a sinless person to be able to do this? No, he wasn't. Actually, Moses was a murderer. One day, when he was living in the palace and had been adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, he must have known he wasn't a true Egyptian, because he came across an Egyptian man attacking an Israelite slave and beating the poor fellow.  Moses was aghast and killed the Egyptian guy.

Moses took off like a rocket and never ever planned to come back to Egypt. The rest of the story is pretty amazing, really.

You know you can never really live a perfect life. We are all sinners, every one of us. We all deliberately sin or often accidentally sin. Moses did, and where we may not commit murder, it is all sin in the eyes of God. Sin is sin, and we as mere humans seem to have it inbuilt in us. The thing is, we have to come to Christ and ask his forgiveness and make him No 1 in our lives.

Moses took off, and even though he was a 'killer', he seemed to live a pretty quiet life. working for a shepherd and looking after his sheep, marrying his daughter, and raising a family. All seemed quiet until...

Things changed for Moses, and as we know, he ended up leading his people out of Egypt and becoming the person who reinstated the nation of Israel. Quite the story, and Moses ended up being the one who reinstated his people and dragged them back out of slavery.

Where are you with Christ right at this moment? Being extra nice to everyone and doing a lot of 'good' things doesn't make you right with God. We cannot cause ourselves to be born into God's family by doing lots of good things.

We need to come to God and ask him to come into our lives and lead us. We will still make mistakes, but if you are still uncertain, you can decide right now to place your faith in Jesus Christ. Becoming a child of God is asking Him into your life to become No 1.

You can say a simple prayer if you like, something like this:-  "Dear God, I know I am a sinner, and I really want to put it all behind me. I know I will continue to make mistakes, but I really want to be in your family. I really want to put my faith in Jesus, who died for me so that I can have eternal life with Him. Please forgive me for all the sins I have committed and help me to put you No 1 in my life."

God bless you and hope to see you next time.

Jonah!

Well, what can one say - our Grandson Sam - now a full-time primary teacher at a special school here in Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

He is so good at teaching that he specialises in kids who have all sorts of problems. Young children who have experienced extreme trauma in their young lives, and who have all sorts of huge difficulties coping with going to school at all.

Sam loves his job and really puts a lot of work into preparing for his special classes each evening, and spends nearly all of the school holidays preparing for what is to come.

I know he has experienced all sorts of problems teaching at school, and yet he really enjoys what he does. I doubt if it is everybody's cup of tea, but he really does find this special Ed a real experience and finds it extremely fulfilling.

Not everybody would look forward to what life belts out for them, but Sam really does.

I'm so reminded of lots of things about a good old prophet from way back in the Old Testament. Jonah!

What can we know about this extraordinary fella? Well, the first thing I might add is that Jonah, like everybody who was ever born here on earth, was just an ordinary guy, living his life, BUT there was one difference between him and me.

Jonah knew that the God he knew was an equal opportunity God. The same God we worship today. He doesn't care what language we speak or what country we are from. He created us all, and He desires that we all have a personal relationship with Him.

Good old Jonah loved God deeply, but he wasn't always on board with God's plan

So,,,Jonah was all loving and deeply committed to God UNTIL one day God spoke to Jonah (not sure how but He did), and He told old Jonah to get himself across to Nineveh and do his duty and tell them that God is the Creator of the Universe and to make sure that all of them turn to Him.

UMMM Thought Jonah "I don't think so, God! - The Ninevites? Ummmm NO! Way! They would have to be one of the worst lot of people ever to step foot on earth. They are gruesome and truly horrible! And they certainly didn't deserve to hear the Good News. But why would God want them to hear it anyway?"

Poor old bloke was stuck! He loved God and wanted to do what God wanted him to do - "BUT NINEVAH!! NO! I can't possibly do that!"

Jonah made his escape - he ran away from God - he was terrified. Here were the Ninevites, the most vicious group of people around at that time. They would certainly make an example of Jonah

The Ninevites lived in what we know as the Ancient Assyrian Capital, now modern-day Mosul, Iraq. They were a very powerful, extremely wealthy (because of all the countries and cities they exploited and took slaves from), a constantly brutal civilisation that flourished around 6000 years BC.

They were highly known for their constant military conquests and, more so, their intense idol worship.

So, I can really understand Good Old Jonah's reaction to God. "I can't possibly do this," was his reaction. Nineveh, renowned throughout the known world at that time as THE most outrageous place on earth.

Looking at Jonah at that time, I must admit that I certainly can see where he was coming from. He desperately tried to escape from God and not go to Nineveh. I think I may have done exactly the same. WOW!

Jumping on board the boat and going where he couldn't care less, Jonah sort of felt, I guess, sad in a way because he loved God and really wanted to do what He said.

And so he sailed away. Suddenly, there erupted (and that's a good word for it) an almighty storm that deluged the little boat, and at that time, I can only imagine what it was like. Jonah rushed below and hid there. The crew tried saving everything, but to no avail. They threw everything overboard, but the amazing storm continued.

Jonah saw the light in his heart and mind and came up top and told the captain and the crew to throw him overboard, and the storm would cease. The crew said NO! but eventually they did, and the storm immediately ceased.

Over Jonah went, boots and all, down, down, down, sinking quickly as you may imagine, and of course, the waves and storm suddenly ceased. Jonah must have thought, "Well, this is the end," and just as he would have been thinking that, this huge fish thing (they say whale, but hard to imagine) opened its huge mouth and gulped Jonah down.

He ended up in the belly of the giant creature - hard to imagine what he must have been going through - the smell alone would have been too much to bear.

What makes Jonah's own testimony unusual is that it came while he was stuck in the digestive system of a large fish thing. If we think for just a moment about what that would be like. He was stuck there three long days in the slimy, stinky, pitch-black darkness, hardly able to breathe at all, circling slowly round and round the sea with no inkling of when this disaster was going to cease, if at all.

Yet even though Jonah didn't know how things would play out, he recognised that his situation, as unique as it was, was part of God's answer to his prayer.

The whole thing makes me wonder, "Can I trust God? Can you trust God in the same way about our current situations?" 

Anyway, three days later, the poor old sea monster must have been feeling awfully woozy and ended up throwing up Jonah pretty much right on the shore of where Nineveh was.

Jonah bravely went to Nineveh (hope he had a wash) and there he stood telling everyone about the very love of God and also the outcome if they didn't turn to Him. He must have been astounded when they fully accepted what he was saying and turned to God.

It's amazing, really, that according to history, Nineveh (now Iraq) was later renowned for its temporary repentance following Jonah's preaching!

You know. We all have to repent. We all have to come to God and ask Him to rule our lives and for God to take charge. Does that mean we will never make any mistakes? No, it doesn't, but what it does do is that we can constantly come to God and ask His forgiveness.

This is from John Bevere.

"Repentance was never meant to be a one-time moment we look back on. It's a daily posture that keeps our hearts responsive to God.

Grace doesn't remove our need to turn toward Him. It empowers us to do it. Repentance is how we stay aligned, humble, and free. It's not about earning God's love. It's about continually responding to it.

A transformed life isn't marked by a single prayer, but by a steady willingness to obey, surrendered and be changed."

God bless you this week. See you next time

Struggle

Some people sadly struggle so much. Our beautiful neighbours are so nice; they will give us anything if we ask them.

It is so good to have neighbors like this. It is truly nice to live in a neighborhood where people are respected, and we are really, really blessed to have our very special neighbours. They are really good friends.

What is sad, though, is that no matter how nice you are and whatever you do or give away, if you don't give your life to Jesus and ask Him to come into your life to lead you along life's pathway, then your Heaven means nothing or equates to nothing when time comes for us to leave this place called earth.

If you ask anyone what you have to do to get to heaven, that is, of course, if they believe in some sort of afterlife, the main response you will get will be "I've got to be a good person".

Mostly, a lot of what the world teaches, in a roundabout way and, if you like, ethically (if I can call it that), is that if you want to get to heaven when you die, it is a matter of being a good person. That is sticking to the 'Golden Rule" and the ten commandments in the Bible, and unfortunately, so many people believe that is exactly how to get to heaven - it is definitely not!

It's interesting to read in the book of Matthew, chapter 19, about what the Bible describes as a rich young ruler. Here we have the young guy, living a pretty nice life, probably has heaps of money, and is living pretty comfortably. He's probably being pretty good with the people around him, obviously friendly and willing to help out as much as possible.

He comes to Jesus and asks him what good thing should I do to get to heaven? It's exactly the same today.  A lot of people think that all they have to do is lots of nice and good things for people. There are so many nice people just like this in my life. Often so much nicer than me in so many ways.

Jesus pretty much tells this nice young man to live for others and put them before himself. Giving to the poor and actually not worrying about how you are faring with what you have in the bank, because where that can be really useful, God comes before everything.

The young guy, after Jesus responds to his questions, sadly walks away, thinking that he has to give everything away. Jesus actually said to the young man to give God the number one place in his life, and not to spend so much time thinking about money.

Making God number one in our lives puts everything else into perspective. Yes, we need money to live, and we need to work, and if possible, everything else in life takes a real meaning, but when it comes to making God number one in our life, all these things miraculously take a real second place.

If it were left up to all of us here on earth, then none of us would ever be saved. None of us would ever be eligible to get to heaven. Why? Because we live in a world of sin, and we are all contaminated with sin. In Romans chapter 3, the Bible tells us that we all have sinned and that the wages or the penalty of that sin is death.

Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin, and lived and died cruelly on a vicious cross, and rose again after three days to show the world that all we have to do is to accept His offer of salvation. Jesus died and rose again to pay the penalty for our sins, and all we have to do is accept his loving and gracious offer.

The message of the Bible is clear - very clear; We don't get saved because we are good and kind and generous, but we are saved solely by trusting and giving our lives over to God. In the Bible, in Romans chapter 10, it says, "If we confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved". Isn't it amazing that our very salvation, which is going to be with God after we die, is a very precious, unearned gift. 

If we don't give our lives to Christ, we will never ever get to heaven on our own! We will never be good enough, and we will never earn any sort of place there at all, no matter how good we are here on earth. Just like that rich young man mentioned in the bible or just how nice and friendly we are here on earth, or just how much we give to others. 

We can give and give and keep on giving. We can be super nice to everyone and never ever lose our tempers. Which actually is really super nice and something we all should strive to do, BUT it will never earn us a place in heaven after we die. 

Hell is also mentioned in the Bible as somewhere where the alternative is other than Heaven. Jesus himself mentions Hell.  In Matthew chapter 5 and lots of other places, Hell is mentioned, for example, Jesus said, "Anyone who says 'you fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Hell".  So yes! Hell is there, as is also Heaven.

The Bible states that lots of things, like unchecked anger and insults, are really dangerous and tells us to make sure we put others way ahead of ourselves.

As mentioned, we are all sinners and we all never ever measure up to get God's amazing glory shown to us. The only way we can do this is by obeying the command of God and saying, "I'm really sorry for my sins, and I truly and honestly repent of them,"  and then after that, we put all of our trust in Jesus Christ in everything we do.

We will still make mistakes, but straight away we will be reminded of those mistakes, and we can ask God's forgiveness, and he will give it.

God loves you, and He loves me, and He really wants you to ask Him to take number one position in your life. If you do this, things may not change straight away, but then they may, but regardless, God will take residence in your life and will change you so much.

He will remind you often when you make mistakes, and you will be able to come to Him all the time. He will be there for you, come what may.

May God bless you this week. Hope to see you next time