Judgement

“Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.”Amos‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Amos is prophesying against Israel. They practised injustice and robbed to poor of justice and expected God to accept their worship. He was not impressed. This was written around 760BC.

How do we Christians regard this? Is a time of judgement coming for us also? Jesu spoke several times about coming judgement. We would be wise to heed Him. What is she seeking?

““But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘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.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭31‬-‭40‬ ‭

Jesus then went on to the judgement of the goats. They did the opposite. They were cast into eternal punishment (v45). 

In this time of great worship services and concerts what is a Jesus looking for? A people who practice justice and mercy. Let this be a sober reminder to us all. Amen!

Slow to speak

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”James‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We each have circumstances that raise our anger. Impatience and failure to understand are key drivers. We can become so cross with the Lord over our circumstances that we become offended with Him and His ways. We can become likewise with His people.

Yesterday I arose at three am to ready for a bus trip to Sindhulpalchok, northern Nepal. After a three hour journey we arrived in a major town and went to my accomodation. We were made wait, and wait. After having breakfast we went out to meet an elder of a local church where we were planning to show the Jesus movie. We then caught a taxi to a far away village where my Nepali friend had family. After meeting all the family I was shown around his land and visited a church his family had built on their land. There was no other church in the area.

After walking up a very steep hill we came to the village where we proceeded to go to local shops asking about human trafficking in the area. We discovered that the trade was alive and well. After some time sitting in a tea shop we returned to the family farm where we waited for hours until dinner time. After dinner I asked to go back to my motel. We went to the main road to wait for a taxi. It turned up with four youths inside. I said, “I am not going with four youths out for a joy ride!” We then waited another half and hour for another taxi and I finally made it back to my motel at 8:30pm hot and tired.

On th surface the day had been a waste of time, but in true Nepali style I was making connections and valuable relationships. To be annoyed with the process would rob me of those connections. We now know where to base our investigations.

Today starts at four am. We will attend church locally and then I am not sure what. I would be quite happy to return home. I will see what my Nepali friend has planned. As it is the planting season most of the locals in the village are crop planting for 12 hours a day. We cannot go to the schools as they are in exams. Therefore, the people we came to see are unavailable. We wanted to conduct education on human trafficking in the area. I am inclined to go home. We will see what God has planned.

Praying in faith

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What things do we pray for? Finance, relationships, homes, and health. We may be particularly hurt by the way we are treated by family and want to see it resolve.

The interesting thing that Jesus then went on to say was: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The day previous Jesus had cursed a fig tree and a Peter was pointing it out to Jesus, it was withered from the roots up.

Why was the fig tree so important? It was a tool to teach a message. If we believe God hears us when we pray and we pray in faith will we have what we pray for.

Sharing burdens

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse comes after the exhortation:

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Would you have thought that was sharing their burden? Probably not! We are not good at helping fellow believers who have fallen into sin, rather we tend to judge them and complain about them.

Therefore, in this new light, how can I share another’s burden? What can I do for them? I can talk, pray and direct, give.

What is the law of Christ? It is to love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus also said, “love one another as I have loved you.”(Jn 15:12) how did He love us? He gave His life for us. Amen!

Good judgement

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.”Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are parameters for the making of good judgement, it is not how I feel or what makes me happy, but rather what is right according to God’s standards.

Each day and every moment of the day we face decisions. Will I do what is good for me or what is right. How will I know what is right? I must base it on God’s word. If I do not read His word then I am failing to understand His ways. Reading proverbs daily is a good start, then the gospels and getting to know Jesus and His teachings pivotal.

In my flesh, all my own inklings surface and demand right of way. However, I am called to walk in the Spirit. Therefore, I must be in tune with what the Spirit says. The New Teatament tells me what the fruit of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, patience and self-control. These fruit will be evident in my life as I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

If I see: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,”(Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬) then I know I am in the flesh.

I must accept the reality of my behaviour and adjust it to follow Christ or I am lost. Thinking I am safe because I asked Jesus to be my saviour is not enough. I must make Him Lord. Amen!

Who is in charge?

“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We rarely stop to think what am I thinking and with what am I thinking? We blunder on in the flesh. Yet, this scripture is encouraging us to stop and think.

Our sinful nature sees the wrong in others and our circumstances. It weighs everything on the scale of self. Whereas the spirit is far above and trusting in God alone.

As Christians do we realise we can tune into God’s Spirit and allow that to rule our thoughts? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians:

“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If this is true He is right here with us, fills all things with His presence, we just have to tune in.

What is the Spirit saying to you right now? What is God saying through Him?

Why not tune in! Amen!

Don’t worry

““So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In this chapter Jesus deals with money, the Lord’s Prayer, forgiveness, fasting and giving and anxiety. If we consider all that the chapter entails we gain a correct focus.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As we seek God for finance, and relationships, we see Him go to work, as we practice forgiveness we see miracles unfold.

Do I have enough for today? If ‘yes’ then be grateful, if ‘no’ then pray. The verse ‘give us this day our daily bread’ comes to mind. All I need for today is in your hands Lord! Amen!