Do You Really Believe in Jesus

If I asked you if you believed in Jesus you would probably say something like, "Yeah, duh.  I'm a Christian, a follower of Christ."  But are you?  Do you really believe?

In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says, "Not everyone who says... but only he who does..."  You see, the Bible is pretty clear that belief is much more than what we say.

Imagine my family and I are going away on a month long world tour (maybe I should say missions trip to seem more spiritual).  Dad has invited a young newlywed couple to house-sit for us while we're away soaking up the sun in Spain (I mean saving souls in the Congo).  Dad nominated me to create a list of all things that need to be done around the house in our absence.  I have written down all the necessary information in a 15 to 20 paged notebook. It says things like, the cows need to be moved into the next paddock every second day, the cats are fed twice a day, customers' orders must be sent out daily that come from mine and my brother Matt's home business (www.SimplyCleverToys.com). Also, I write a whole page about how to feed and water my pet parrot.  At the back of the notebook I include all the emergency numbers just in case any thing goes wrong.  When I give the notebook to the couple they commit to do everything it says.

Now, imagine that after a month my family and I come back and the first thing we notice is that one of the paddocks has not a single blade of grass left in it and the cows look like they could fall over dead at any moment.  As we continue driving down our driveway we see two little grave sites next to each other where our cats have been buried.  After seeing what happened to the cats I rush inside to see if my pet parrot has fared better, but to my horror I find him on the bottom of his cage feet up.  Then the young couple who have been house-sitting come to me and explain how helpful the notebook had been.  In fact they tell me that they have committed parts of it to memory and that every night before they went to sleep they would read the whole thing through.  I can see where they highlighted sections and made notes.  What am I going to say to this couple?  Well, Jesus said,"...Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matt 7:23)  You see, they may have spoken words of commitment, but there is no evidence that those words meant anything.

James in the Bible puts it perfectly when he says:

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (James 2:14-16 NKJV)

So, you say you believe in Jesus? I hear you, but when was the last time you fed the hungry, visited those in prison, clothed the naked or cared for the orphans and widows?  What do you do when your friends start gossiping about that girl at school?  What do you do when the movie you're watching keeps taking God's name in vain?

Last question - Do you truly believe in Jesus? 

 

The Way You Treat Others is the Way You Treat God

Whoa, what do I mean by a crazy title like that!  Don't worry I'll explain, but first you need to read these few verses from Matthew 25:

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Judging by these verses I think it is safe to say that,

"The way we treat others is the way we treat Jesus"

I mean, how can someone say they love Jesus with all their heart when they rip a customer off, mistreat a sibling or treat their parents with disrespect.

The Bible says that you will know them by their fruits (Matt 7:16)

Just telling God we love Him is not going to cut the mustard.  It is like a husband telling his wife that he loves her so much, but in reality he is secretly having an affair with someone else.

Worshiping God in church is a great thing, but if we knowingly treat others wrongly we are no better than the cheating spouse who says he loves his wife.

So, what about you?  Are you treating other people as if they were Jesus? 

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."  - Jesus

Your True Identity In Christ - Part 1

Identity is such a big thing, especially among teens since we are still trying to define who we are and what we want to become.  If we do not have a solid identity we as teenagers become insecure and unsure of ourselves (trust me, I know this firsthand). Well, pastor and author John Piper says this,

"...Fight for joy, not by doing things that establish your identity with God, but by becoming what your identity already is with God in Christ.  Become what you are."

So in other words,  when we try to establish who we are through what we do our identity is no longer in God, but in the works we do.  We kind of become like the Pharisees.  But on the other hand if we find our identity in knowing that we are children of God bought at a price then our identity already is in Jesus Christ - we become who we are meant to be.  We become children of God who are Spirit filled and not ashamed of the Gospel.

A couple of years back I saw that "Super Christians" did tons of good works.  I thought to myself, "If I start doing lots of good works in the church then maybe I will become a better Christian."  So, I got involved with the evangelism team, I helped out with the Christian boys group and I also became a leader for the pre-youth group. Bam, I was becoming a "Super Christian"! Or so I thought.  In real honesty I was actually becoming a bit of a Pharisee.  I was trying to find my identity in my Godly works.  But what I didn't understand was this:

"Your identity in Christ is not about what you do for Him, but what He did for you."

Now, I am not saying that you should stop doing Christian deeds, but don't find your identity in them. Instead come to the knowledge that your identity has already been established by Jesus.  He thought that you were so special that He gave his life for you.  When you truly know this then you will naturally want do good works when you let Christ's light shine through you.

In the next post I am going to cover the topic: "Why we are so special and valuable when we become a Christian.". Trust me, this is seriously cool.

The Black Dog and The White Dog

 A wise American Indian Chef once told this proverb:

 "Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog, all of the time." When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied "The one I feed the most."

 As you can probably guess the black dog represents our sinful nature while the white dog portrays our new self that has been reborn in Jesus Christ.

At least in me these "dogs" battle almost everyday and too often it is the black dog who claims victory and wins. Each time leaving me wondering how on earth I gave in to my sins when just yesterday I was doing fine.

Whenever the black dog wins in your life realise that you must have been feeding it and starving the white dog. When this happened to me I prayerfully went to God and asked for forgiveness and while I was there He showed me that not only do I need to starve the black dog, but I also need to feed the white dog. I did a thorough self examination and looked back to the period of time before I had sinned. I noticed that I had not been very regular with my morning quiet time with God. I was not necessarily feeding the black dog, but I was however starving the white one.

Whenever you are being tempted to do something stop and asked yourself this simple question, "Which dog am I feeding? The black one or the white one?"

Let me leave you with a couple of verses from Romans 13.

13 "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

Be The Most Enthusiastic Person You Know

  Some wise guy once said, "Be the most enthusiastic person you know, then you won't go far wrong."   Enthusiasm is so often the ingredient which makes the critical difference: it sustains and helps you when you are going through tough times, it encourages the people around you, it is totally infectious and quickly becomes a good and enjoyable habit.  In turn, enthusiasm adds an extra 5% sparkle to everything you do. So often life is won or lost in that little extra bit that carries us past the finish line.  When you wake up in the morning it is a choice what attitude you will tackle the day with.  So, choose a good one!  Be the most enthusiastic person you know.  Undoubtedly people will love you for it and remember you for it.  I mean heck, who doesn't want to work with an enthusiastic person. You may not be the smartest, the funniest, the strongest or the most talented, but there is nothing stopping you from being the most enthusiastic person you know.

Love Adversity

   In 1941, when Britain was going through some of the darkest and most tragic times of WW 2 Churchill addressed the young people with these words, "These are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived." Why did Churchill, who knew the horrors of war, call them "the greatest days"?  Because he knew that when times are tough and the situation dire, people learn what they are truly capable of.  Diamonds are formed under pressure. But when there is no pressure they remain worthless, lumps of coal. The trick is to learn to embrace and accept adversity by realising that it is your friend, guide and teacher.  Achieving your dreams is never easy.  Unfortunately there will always be obstacles that you trip over and if there aren't any, then the dream at the end probably isn't that great.  Embrace adversity, embrace obstacles and get ready for success.  Today is the beginning of the greatest day you have ever lived.