Paying Taxes

Luke 2:1,4-5 KJV: In this world paying taxes is as inevitable as being born and dying. But, in the Kingdom of God neither exists. 

Would You Listen To John And Jesus Today?

Matthew 3:1-8 KJV; Would you really listen to John or Jesus if they were physically present with you today?

God Saves The Rich And The Poor

And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

                                                                       (Mark 10:23-27 KJV)

Is it impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God? Jesus says no.

It is not impossible because the rich and the poor are in the hands of God. It is impossible for us whether rich or poor to enter eternal life on our own merit. We are saved only by faith alone in Christ alone. The rich may have a difficult time with this faith part though because they are so busy amassing wealth that they do not have the time to hear the word which is essential to a growing and thriving faith. As St. Paul wrote: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17)

Our ultimate concern must always be our heavenly Father who sent His only begotten Son to die for us that we might be reconciled to our Father in heaven and to one another. The worldly goods and pleasures that we seek can be a major distraction from having a relationship with the One who loves us and gave Himself for us.

No, it is not impossible for a rich man to receive eternal life. It is not impossible for anyone. Yet, we are not saved by the work of our hands. We are not saved because of how much we have or don't have. We are saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Witness To The Light

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

                                          John 1:6-8 KJV

As I live in a land and in a time where egos reign, I often think about the faithfulness of St. John the Baptist. His mission was to be a witness to testify to the light that was coming into the dark world. That light was Jesus the Christ. John was a humble man. That is not to say that he was timid. Rather, he was quite bold in his proclamation and did not worry that he might offend anyone with his words. He did not brag about himself. He did not worry about his daily or his future needs; after all, he was a wandering missionary, whose meals came from the wild and whose clothes were made of camel hair. His only concern was to announce the coming of the Savior into the world.

May God help us all to remember that our main concern is (or should be) the proclamation of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ our LORD, which was purchased for us by the shedding of his blood.

God's Peace - Pr. J