What Are The True Riches?

Luke 16:10-15; The true riches are found in the Kingdom of God.

The Just Will Live By Faith

                                                                                      

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.  (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV)

Wisdom sometimes comes with age (but, not always). It never ceases to amaze me how some of our eldest brothers and sisters in Christ are able to humble themselves and confess their sins. These sins that they confess seem to pale in comparison to some of the sins that others do not confess.

The ability to understand that all sin no matter whether we consider them big or small sins are an abomination before God. It is understood that none of us are without sin; that we are made righteous only be faith in the Son of God who died for us. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. There is nothing that we can do or avoid doing in order to stand before God and be proclaimed innocent.

We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone. Sometimes, it just takes years of being humbled in order to be humble enough to know that we are indeed sinners and are saved by faith alone. This is a gift of God. (Eph 2:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Practicing Piety Before Others; An Abomination

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven." (Matt 6:1 NRSV)

“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Luke 20:46-47)

Beware! Beware of making a show of your faith. If one has to make a show of it, then they ought to examine themselves and question whether it is really faith in God that inspires them or if it is that they are trying to inspire others with their own goodness. The latter will not instill faith. Faith comes from the Word alone who is Jesus the Christ. 

A servant of God is a servant of his people. A servant of God is not one who stands before others and says, "Look at me. See how devout I am!" A servant of God will kneel before others to help them put on their shoes and they will do this quietly without alerting the world to their good deed. 

Jesus was a wandering teacher and preacher. If he owned anything, it was the clothes on his back. He came to this world for the sake of others, not for himself, and then he told us that we too must deny ourselves if we would be his followers.

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)

False piety, the obscene showing of our own righteousness is an abomination. It has caused many to have faith in their own works. No man's works can save him. Faith alone in Christ alone will inspire us to love and serve our God and his children quietly according to the gifts that he has given us. 

Get rid of those fancy robes; quit with the pious words that seem so pious yet are self-aggrandizing. Speak and act, as Jesus did, for the sake of others not for yourself. After all, he did not have to die for himself. He died for the sake of the whole world. Then, rejoice for you have been called to take up your cross and follow him!

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Sin Is Sin

1 John 1:8

One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

                       (Prov 17:15 NRSV)

What is a sin is a sin. There is no getting around that. It may be fully legal in this world so do something; but, that does not justify a Christian purposefully committing a sin. We can be justified by only one means and that is by faith alone in Christ alone, who gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

We are also not justified by condemning the righteous simply because they believe in Jesus and desire to follow in The Way that he would have us go. But, of course, many who believe are accused of being narrow minded and condemned because we do believe that Jesus is the only way and we will strive to follow him. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that we are to: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matt 7:13-14) 

Jesus also said: “...I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) This the Christian truly believes. This the Christian will proclaim. It is not to say that the Christian will force others to believe this. Everyone in this world has a right to believe as you choose; to do what you desire in accordance with the laws of the land. The government, at least in the United States, grants us these rights. But, the Christian does not belong to this world and answers to a Higher Power. That Higher Power, for us, calls us to follow in a path that is not self-serving; but, is lived in service to God and to others. 

Therefore; to pretend that the wicked, who in service to themselves, trample on the rights of others is not a sin is a sin in itself and must be recognized as such. We do no one any favors by ignoring sin. To condemn those who follow in The Way that Jesus calls them is also sin. 

Whether the secular world chooses to believe it or not; we can call a sin out for what it is and still love the one who sins. We after all are all sinners, justified only by the blood of Christ shed for us on the cross. In fact, if we truly love others, as Christ loves them and us, we will not pretend that all is well; but, point them to "the way, and the truth, and the life," who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J