True Fellowship with God

 1 John 1:6

 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

I call myself a Christian because I asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins and come into my heart. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch. They were given the name because they were followers of Jesus Christ. A man who claimed to be God, a man who gave His life on the cross, shed His blood that the world may be saved. Through Christ, I now have fellowship with God. Christ bridged the gap, and I now can enter into the presence of a holy God through Christ who reconciled me back to my Creator. John says that if you have this kind of fellowship with God, then the way we live our life matters. Living a life of sin, and knowingly doing things that are contrary to what is right, is to walk in darkness. The Bible says that we once lived in darkness, but we are now the light of Jesus, and we need to walk in His light. Continuing to say that we have fellowship with God, and know Christ to be our savior, but refusing to walk in light is to deceive ourselves, and we are living a lie. The word religion has become the catchphrase for anyone who chooses to rest their salvation by keeping rules and rituals. It is true that a religion without a relationship or fellowship with Christ is empty. Yet, if one professes to have a relationship with God, then he or she will be a religious person, and, by God’s help and grace, walk in the light of God’s word. The devil has set spiritual traps along this path we walk. That is why we must walk in the light of God’s word and seek to do what is good and right. Love mercy, do justly, and stay humble before God and others. This is done when we walk a path that is full of light.

Doers of the Word

 James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
It is dangerous to receive God’s word and not do something with it. It is possible to become comfortable with listening to and agreeing to truth, and even believing it in your mind to be right, but fail to take action to the truth that God has spoken, Many of us have attending church all our lives, gone to revivals, camp meetings, and conventions hearing God’s word preached. For the moment it speaks to our heart and we have good intentions on taking actions. But, we return to our daily routine life and the spoken word starts to fade away. We deceive ourselves in thinking that just attesting to truth is adequate.  Being a doer of the word is to take His word and apply it to our daily walk with Him. “We not just talk the talk, but we walk the talk.” Our lives need to speak louder than what we say. As a matter of fact, speaking the truth and not living it, can become a great stumbling block for those under our influence. James says it in another way when he writes, “Faith without works is dead.” Putting our faith into action (being a doer) is the completion of our religion. Pure religion is not just a profession of our faith, but a living relationship with our God. If our faith is dormant we become ineffective for God. May we step out with our faith, and become doers of the word, believing God that He through the power of the Holy Spirit is able to help us to be doers of His word. 

In My Youth

 Psalm 71:17

O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

God first spoke to me in my youth. Raised in a religious Catholic home, I knew the importance of church and the reality that there was a God. But, I did not know Him. I was familiar with the teachings of the church, having been confirmed at age 12, and taught the 10 commandments and the rules of the church. But in my youth, I came to know that Jesus was more than God’s Son who came to earth to die for the sins of man. I came to understand that He came for me. Confession of sin was personal, like King David, I went straight to the source for forgiveness of my sinful ways and sinful heart. Confessing my sins to a priest gave me a sense of relief, but it did not give me peace that passes understanding. From the time of my youth, I came to the realization that I could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I devoured His word. I meditated on His word day and night, His word I hid in my heart that I would learn to please Him. “Hither-to, I have declared His wondrous works”, and His marvelous grace. Almost 50 years later, I still desire to know more of Him. He is everything to me, may I continue to declare that He is good and desires only what is good for me.

More Than A Religion

 Matthew 16:16

 “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.”

 

Christianity is more than a doctrinal religion. The fact that it is a belief system and one that is a faith base makes it a religion. Many will say that it is not a religion, but a relationship. I believe it is both. The doctrine of believing that Jesus is the Son of God, Deity in the flesh is grounded in historical religion taught in the Holy Scriptures from the day that Jesus walked this earth. What makes it more than a religion is personally knowing this Christ, Jesus the Son of the living God. Who is He to you? Not what the church says, or what you were taught at home. Who is He to you personally? Jesus has the power to forgive sins, He desires to forgive the sins of anyone who confesses and believes that He is more than just a doctrinal statement. He sent the Holy Spirit to us that He may abide in our hearts and purify our souls. Jesus, yes He is a religion, but it is a religion that can live in your heart. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God!

I Was A Foreigner

 Ruth 2:10b

“Why have I found favor in your eyes that you should notice me, when I am a foreigner?” 

 

Reflecting on my journey in life, I marvel at the grace of God. As a young teenage boy, God in His providence noticed me. He revealed Himself to me, showing me the sinfulness of my heart, but did not leave me there, His grace showed me the way to the cross. He favored me with His love and forgiveness. Raised in a religious home, I was taught the doctrine of the church, but never was made aware that God’s grace gave me access to the throne of God, and a personal relationship with Christ. I was a foreigner to the Word and its place in my daily life. I’ll never understand why God chose me out of the billions of people in this world to make me a vessel to serve Him. I want to glean in His fields, and live my life, so I will always find favor in His eyes

Reconciled to Your Brother

 Matthew 5:24
Leave your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer you a gift.
We cannot have a right relationship with God, if there are hard feelings between you and someone else. As Christians, Jesus wants us to have a heart of forgiveness and forbearance. We may not always see eye to eye with everyone, but Christ made it possible for us to show compassion and understanding. It is not easy to always put aside things that others have done or said to us, and act like nothing ever happened or was said, but Jesus made His teaching clear, “…be reconciled to your brother”. Your relationship may never be the same, but God is able to heal and make it possible to continue working for the Kingdom side by side without strife and bitterness.

Pure Religion

 James 1:27
 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…
I often hear, “Being a Christian is not a religion, but a relationship.” Hard to argue this point, because a religion that is founded on keeping rules and following the law is an empty religion,  but being a Christian is also about being religious. Our religion is to love those who are less fortunate, take care to help others when there is a need, consider the needs of others before your own. A religion without charity (love) is a religion without a relationship with Christ. Religion and relationships go hand in hand, much like faith and works. You really need them both to have a pure religion or a true relationship. A relationship with Christ requires that we keep him commandments, “If you love me (If we have a relationship), you will keep my commandments”. A pure religion requires that we remain unspotted by the world. You cannot have a relationship with Christ and not have a pure religion.

Power of the Holy Spirit

 Roman 15:13
The God of hope fills you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Living the Christian life can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. In our humanity, we can set our will and determination to do right and live justly, but living with hope and being filled with peace during times of hardship, uncertainty, and tribulation is made possible only through the power of the Spirit. Calling upon His power is made accessible to us as we keep our relationship with Him open. We walk in His word, we talk daily with Him as we go about our daily routines. The power of the Holy Spirit is made available to believers to live victorious and overcome unrest and discouragement. Call upon the Holy Spirit. Let Him fill you with love, peace and joy.

Belonging

Gen 2:18  And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

God created man with the desire to have relationships. We all long to be connected and belonged. It is not good for people to live in isolation in a world of being alone. As a body of Christ, we need each other. We need the personal relationship with Christ and the fellowship of other believers. Even tho we sometimes walk in the valley of loneliness, He has promised to be there with us. It is not God’s plan that we go through life alone, fellowship and belonging are critical to our social and spiritual well being. There are some things in life that we must bare alone with Christ, but we should never forsake the fellowship of others and walk alone.

Found in Christ

Phil 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Many are lost in the perception that they are good people because they go to church and follow a set of liturgical rituals. Their righteousness, or sense of goodness is founded in keeping rules that govern behavior. Following a code of conduct is good, but one can still be spiritually lost if they have not come to knowledge of faith in Christ. To be found in Christ is to have fellowship with Him. Good meaning people often say, “It is not a religion, but a relationship”. Good theology, is better worded, “My religion is having a relationship with Christ, and daily fellowship with Him”. Our relationship with Christ will influence our behavior. The commandments of God are not disregarded, but they now take on a new meaning. We now keep His commandment to love Him with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves because that is how Christ lived His life. To be found in Christ is to live in Christ and follow His example of pleasing the Father. Perfection is not found in what we do, but in whom we place our faith. We are lost without Him, but can be found in Him when we put our faith in God.

The Living Bread

John 6:51 “ I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven. If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

As a young child growing up in the Catholic faith, I always pondered the purpose of communion. I recall the priest lifting up a wafer that represented the bread, which takes away the sins of the world. The meaning of this symbolism did not reach my heart until I was a teen seeking to know God through a personal relationship, and not through the rituals of church liturgy. I came to understand that Jesus, the Bread of life not only came to die for the world, but came to die for me. What a revelation I got when my eyes were open and I saw Jesus as my personal Savior who gave of his flesh, shed His blood that I may know forgiveness of sin. Yes, I went often to confession, and told the priest all the things I did I thought were bad, and there was a measure of peace that I had unloaded my guilt on someone else who was able to resolve my sins by have me say a few “Our Father and Hail Mary” prayers, but this was peace was only temporary. What a revelation it was in my life when I found out that I could always have this peace. That Jesus, the source of life could provide eternal life if I would only believe in Him. I know their are many who find comfort in their Catholic faith, and I respect that, but I did not find real satisfaction in life until I was able to partake of the Bread of Life. Life has never been the same.

Fishers of Men

Mark 1:17 “And Jesus said unto them, “Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”-

The calling of Jesus is for us to be “fishers of men”. People need to know that God cares and desires a relationship with humanity. The analogy that Christ uses implies that there is a purpose in life beyond making a living and surviving. Our purpose is whatever occupation we find ourselves in is to point people to God. To be a “fisher of men” we must be willing to let down the net, to let people know that God is good and He came to die for our sins and give us a new life. Learning to “fish for men” requires that we follow Jesus in His steps, and have the love and compassion that He has.

Talking to God

2 Chron 6:19 “Have respect therefore to the prayer of Thy servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee:”

Basically, prayer is just talking to God. When we say, “I’ll be praying for you”, we are telling that person that we will talk to God about them and their needs. Prayer implies that there is a relationship established. It is not likely that we would be approaching strangers and start up a conversation. That is not to say that we never do, but it is not something we normally do. But, if we see someone we know, we visit and talk about what is happening. Having a relationship with Jesus, gives us an open door to talk to Him at anytime of the day. Continue always in prayer is to continue to speak to Him no matter where we are or what we are doing.  Depending on our needs, this conversation with God can take on different facets as we enter into conversation. God desires us to come to Him and make our needs know, He hears our voices as we lift them up heavenward. It is good to take time out of the our busy day to talk to God, putting aside the busyness of our day and just have an intimate talk with Him. May we always have an open heart and listen to the voice of God and take time to stop what we are doing and have a quiet visit with the lover of our soul. 

Building Relationships

Luke 19:5b And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said unto him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.”-

Building relationships requires that we take time out of our busy schedule and spend time with others. Put off that project, clean the house another day, put down the cell phone and all the social media. All of these things have there place and are important in life. But there are times that we need to stop the train, get off and spend time getting to know people face to face. Jesus, took time to visit with Zacchaeus. He desires to sit and visit with this tax collector. It matters not who they are, everyone needs someone to know they care. In a day, where the demands of life press on, it is important that we take time out our lives to connect with people in a meaningful way. May we all be willing to put people first and build relationships that will be everlasting.

Remission

Heb. 9 :22 “And by the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”-

The forgiveness of Sin, and for charges to be dropped, requires that Jesus die and give His blood as the supreme sacrifice for all sin. The sin of Adam put the whole human race in debt. All born into this world are born in sin and all come short of God’s acceptance and relationship. To be accepted of God, one must have this debt removed. All of our human goodness and desire to do what is right falls short of having the debt paid. In the blood is life and the debt of sin can only be paid when the One that is worthy, without sin was willing to die on the cross and shed His blood for humanity. Remission, the forgiveness of sin is for anyone who is willing to confess their need to God and believe that Jesus’s blood can cleanse their heart from sin. He will give wash away our sins and give us new life and purpose.

All Thing Are Of God

2 Corinth 5:18 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”-

It is difficult at times to see that God is in everything. Is God in the bad things that happen in life? As with Job, God knew what Job was going through, He allowed Satan to test Job and try his commitment. God did not cause the bad things to happen, but God does allow all things to happen. He is before all things and by Him all things consist. (Col1:17) All things that are and all things that happen. Evil is allowed because God gave man a free will and the results of man’s sin brought spiritual death to man. The things that are done because of sin are not of God, but sin brings forth death and destruction. There are some thing that God allows to happen, and there are somethings that happen because of sin. Even though man has sinned against God, He desires to have a relationship with His creation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to take the penalty of our sin that we may be reconciled back to God. Closing the gap between a holy God and sinful man. He has now put in our heart the love to reach out to others to show God’s love. We are now ambassador for Christ, reconciling the world back to God.

Following Jesus

Luke 9:59 “And He said unto another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.”-

Following Jesus is not just a metal consent of your mind that Jesus is God, or that God is real. To follow Christ is to let go of all former relationships and make Him Lord of your life. He is now the focus of your life, where He leads you, you will go. Following Him take priority over family and friends. This may lead to some misunderstanding among those who are not following Christ. To those who know the Savior, they understand that following Jesus and living in His word is the most important thing in life. When we follow Him first, He give us perspective on how to treat others and it is only then that we can truly have a relationship with others that will glorify God.

Godly Jealousy

2 Corinth 11:2 “ For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”-

Jealousy is a close cousin to envy when it comes from a self - centered heart. To be jealous carries with it an emotion of feeling resentful that someone has somethings that you wish you had, or not wanting to share with anyone that which you possess. To a heart that is self centered this could lead to behavior that is dangerous and harmful. But there is a godly jealousy that desires to protect that which is theirs. God, who bought us through Christ, desires a close relationship with us, He wants our full love and devotions. Satan is out to woe us into serving sin and put a wedge between us and God. God desires that we be faithful and with a godly jealousy will go out of His way to keep us in His protection.