Category Archives: Jesus

WHY DO YOU CELEBRATE JESUS?

Many times, people celebrate Christmas without even thinking about the purpose of it. Some people think, it is all about having fun, getting with family members, sharing presents, eating your favourite meals, drinking more beer, etc. After doing all that, they get an emptiness in their hearts.

We live in a time when God is shifting things, shifting minds, touching the core of our hearts, and shaking our comfort zones. But we have to remember that God pushes his plan to help us get into his righteousness.

We learn from the Bible, that God does things in perfection; for instance, he chose certain numbers to ascertain his plan; the most popular ones are listed in the Bible with a meaning – six is significant – connected to a human being; Seven is connected to the time of resting and deliverance; twelve is significant – connected to Jesus’ twelve disciples – connected to twelve tribes of Israel – connected to a human’s twelve ribs on each side.  Three is significantJesus died for three days and then was raised again – also connected to a normal way of communication (speak, hear, see), and to three stages of life.

And the question is, when did Jesus come on earth? When you examine the Bible, you realize that the angel Gabriel gave us a clue; (Luke 1:26) In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel…. Moreover, as Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day, I believe Jesus had to come on earth on the day connected to man-kind. So, what about the 25th of Dec.? How did it come about? I read on the internet that it was created by the Romans; they had their own Pegan beliefs which they celebrated on that particular date.

However, God has a way of turning things around for his own purpose; when people celebrate around the world, a message of Jesus Christ is preached. As you are aware, Christmas has a name attached to it for a purpose – Jesus came to save mankind; in other words, to connect human beings to God; (John 3)

The Bible says, ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…God was reconciling the mankind to himself; (2 cor. 5) So, this is what a human being must do in their life time – to reunite themselves to God – for this is the ultimate decision above every decision. Plus, the bible says, if you hear the word of God, you start acting on your faith today, because tomorrow is never guaranteed. (Hebrews 3:15)

Oops, I can hear someone saying, ‘Ok, Maggie, we get that!  What about the celebration?’ Oh yes, the happy celebration!!! Now listen, no more joking; I have to be serious, even these unprecedented times.  I have to say it, even though some of you don’t want me to say it – God Almighty wants us to understand that the celebration is attached to his forgiveness, love, and salvation through Jesus. Amen!

God bless you!! Happy Christmas!! Keep Smiling!!

THE KING OF ALL

Jesus is the King of all human beings.  The Holy Bible says; He is above all angels and his name is above all names, and before him every knee will bow – Philippians 2:10.  And then he says; all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Mat. 28) He is the chief adviser on life and faith, because he knew how God and a human being operates in every detail, so he says; love your enemy, do good, instead (Math. 5:43-45)  Think about it, what happens when you help your enemy, if he or she is desperately thirsty and you give them a glass of water?  In most cases, a heart will soften, for Love is stronger than hate. We all encounter people who don’t like us for one reason or another, that’s why his advice is paramount.

Note; he didn’t say, tell your enemy to love you, in most cases, it doesn’t work.  For, it’s your responsibility to deal with your own heart.  You’re responsible for your actions!  You are no.1 in your life. You have to deal with yourself first before you deal with someone else.  In other words, save yourself first before you save someone else.

He says; do to others as you would want them do to you.  Let’s face it, we all want to be loved, or be treated in a good way.  Who in this world would want an enemy on their side?  But then again, you learn from your enemies as well as your friends.  With your enemies, you learn that they’re acting in weakness and in many cases, they are confused and don’t know what they’re doing.  And from those who love you, you learn strength, for they know what they’re doing. The love, Jesus is talking about is not connected to any sin, because sometimes it is so easy for us to  manipulate our feelings.

When you read the Bible, you see the beginning and the end. The Bible talks about everything in detail.  But I used to have a nagging question, why other religions?  It is a question many people may ask as well.  I couldn’t get the  answer from people.  I needed to ask God instead.  It took a long time for me to get an answer, but as I kept on examining the scriptures, I found the answer in Daniel, and I John: 2. Jesus knew other religions will come into the world, and he said, all these things must happen, (Math. 24). However, he says; I’m the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except though me. John 14:6.

Jesus did everything out of pure love for Yahweh God and man kind.  And in him there was no fault.  He states, what is in the mind of a person will come out in their actions.  A good tree will produce good fruits (good actions) and then he says he is that tree and then those who are in him are the branches. John 15:1. And then  he said:  he’s been given authority to judge, (Math. 25:31). Someone may say, hang on, you are preaching something we  already know. True! But there is also someone out there who doesn’t know and needs to know.

ARE YOU SLEEPING?

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Jesus would say to any one who is sleeping – wake up!  It means to get into the scriptures and understand what he is saying.  It also means to be alert to his message and put it into practice, and to be aware of his warning.  Mathew 6:13 He goes on to say, choose the narrow road..and pray that you don’t fall into temptation.  He advises us about what it means to be baptised in water, and how to worship God in truth.  (Acts 2:38)  Babtism is an indvidual decision before God, which requires us to examine ourselves and to fully understand what it means.  According to scriptures it means to bury the old self (which had gone astray from God) into the water and come out as new person/creation. (means a person is in the light, understands the will of God and are willing to obey, therefore they’re on the narrow road- on God side)

I was baptised as a young teenager when a priest sprinkled water on my head.  I thought I did the right thing.  I didn’t even change inwardly, for I kept on living a life of sin, as I totally ignored the Bible.  But God was on my case, when years later, something kept on nagging me; you didn’t do it the right way.  I remember thinking; I want to do it the biblical way as Jesus did, for he set an example for us, when he was baptised as an adult in the big water, Math. 3:15-16, even though he didn’t have to because he had no sin, it was part of God’s plan.  So what did I do?  After studying the Bible, I was baptised by being fully immersed in a pool.  It was something I’ll never forget, and so special that I cried.

Some people may ask,  is it right to baptise babies?  My question is how does Jesus see it?  He wasn’t babtised as a baby, and there is no where in the Bible that it should be done so.  God will judge according to what you have done.  From Jesus point of view a baby has done nothing wrong apart from being born with Adam’s sin.  And the scripture says God exercises absolute justice.

Most of the questions Jesus used are intended to get us think.  For the believers, he asks, ‘Do you really love me?’ and he goes on to say, ‘obey my teachings’.  So that means obeying God and loving Him go together.  If you want God to love you, obey Jesus’ teachings. John 14:23.  Jesus wants us to understand what it means to love God, which he explains in the scriptures.

Do what pleases him.  He says; Love him with all your heart, in thinking, and obedience.  He also knows we will never be perfect, but  wants us to do our best and take his words seriously; to have a heart of obedience and focus on the scriptures; that’s why the scripture says confess your sins, 1 John 1:9.  (Confessing a sin requires obedience and humility).  It softens a heart, when we acknowledge our sins and feel deeply remorseful  before God and then ask him for forgiveness through Jesus.  And when we sin against someone, we go to the person and apologise and ask forgiveness. James 4:16  But when we confess, we have to set our hearts on loving God by being obedient to his word; for Jesus advises us to be humble before God, to repent and do the right thing. Luke 24:47

photo 16‘Are you still sleeping?’ is also directed at someone who goes to church but still doesn’t understand.  For God to open our minds, we must be willing to take in his words and guidance.  Jesus said, ‘the word is food’.  Food nourishes our physical being, which is synonymous with the word of God to nourish our spiritual being. This is crucial because it means we take his words in our hearts and set our mind on obedience by living our lives accordingly.  We have to remember God’s guidance is for our own good, for it keeps us from getting into trouble, and gives us peace to enjoy life in abundance. John 10:10

When He asks, is that your idea or did others talk about me? John 18:34 – is directed at someone who is misinformed,  distorts the truth about him, and has another theology.  Another question he asks, why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? – This gets us to examine our hearts and thoughts.

To be continued..

 

JESUS AS YOUR BEST FRIEND

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Jesus said, ‘God our Father in  heaven’,  provides our needs.  The way He deals with us is similar to a good relationship between a parent and a child.  Any good parent would not want their child to do wrong, so he or she guides, protects and disciplines with love.

As you can tell, the questions God used in the Holy Bible are similar to ours. This kind of relationship between a human and God especially when you listen to him and try to reason even though He knows what you are thinking is beautiful, for you can feel His love and kindness.  And when your reasoning is good, you hear an answer from the Holy Spirit which speaks to your mind, ‘you’ve answered correctly’.  A Greek woman did just that with Jesus, and he approved. Mark 7:24

Having Jesus as our best friend is the best thing we could ever do, he is there when we need him, for he operates through the Holy Spirit.  No human being would ever fill that position.  And this pleases God (YHWH). The moment we become born again, John 3:7 – we get into God’s Kingdom, and get into a transformation and a sense of happiness. Our thoughts and actions become beautiful just like the scriptures.  (I relate this to when a pupa changes into a butterfly.)

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The scripture says we become children of God. I John 2:28-29. Now that he is our friend, we end up loving him, and listen to him by following his teachings and do what he says. (John 15:14).  He is now our preacher, counsellor and teacher.  He is with you wherever you go and advises you on every situation.  He comforts you when you have problems and says,  ‘everything is possible with God’.   When you start worrying, he says, ‘don’t worry!‘  When you are afraid, he says, ‘take courage’. When you face a temptation, he says, ‘use the scriptures and run away before you get yourself into trouble’.

Nothing pleases God more than someone building a relationship with him through Jesus.  If you read the Bible you’ll understand why? And when we sin, we have to ask God for forgiveness through his son Jesus.  However, He still wants us to do our best when it comes to following the scriptures and obedience.  Even though Jesus is in heaven seated at the right hand of God, he is watching the world and operates through the Holy Spirit.  Luke 22:69

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We all look for real friendships, those who understand us, and care about how we feel.  A real friend who operates within or outside a family is special because they operate with love, and listen to our concerns. They are aware of what pleases us and are loyal.  Jesus feels the same way, he knows his real friends are the ones who listen to him by taking the scriptures to heart and actions.

Many religious people  make a mistake of ignoring  what God says through the Holy Bible, to help them understand the truth about salvation. The scripture says, live a life that pleases him. I Thess. 4:1-8.  Ephesians 4 :17-32  Jesus says, get into the word of God and obey it, that’s the only way to enter into God’s kingdom.  It’s not about relying on what a particular church or anyone else is saying.  It is about relying on what God says, because in the end He is going to judge us through Jesus Christ, according to his word. Math. 25:31-34, Romans 14:9-10, Heb. 4:12-13

To be continued….

GOD COMES UP WITH A SOLUTION

After the great fall, the Serpent, Adam and Eve were subject to judgement which goes on to affect the rest of mankind. But God (Yahweh) in the end comes up with a solution; Jesus (Yesuah) – to help mankind.  He does it step by step by using the prophets.  (Hebrew 1:1)  Note; when Jesus came, he preached and solved people’s problems.  He was a perfect Doctor; through him we get a treatment for Satan’s bite (sin and its consequences).  Every problem he solved pointed to the most important healing of all, which targets the spiritual side of us Adam messed up.  Jesus brought about Salvation and forgiveness to build a bridge between God and mankind. That’s why He emphasised on believing, love, and obedience.

flowersThe fall of mankind was the beginning of questions which connect to our own hearts.  And because we are made in God’s image we also ask questions, which are normally directed at each other.  The words that come out of a person reveal who they are.  However, when it comes to asking God, it is good to ask for wisdom, especially when we don’t understand the scriptures, or about any situation we find ourselves in. That’s why Jesus says, ‘ask and it will be given to you’… Mathew 7:7 (He doesn’t mean ask for anything that comes up in your mind).  He means, ask according to God’s will.

Occasionally, we may find ourselves asking Jesus questions which begin with a why.  Now a question that comes to my mind; why did God ask Adam first, considering it was Eve who sinned first?  (And the Holy Spirit says, because God spoke to him first.  He had that initial relationship with God, and he could have been adamant to say no to sin, and remind his wife of God’s commandment, but he didn’t.  It was his first fatal mistake which went on to affect all humanity apart from Jesus).

Sometimes just like Adam and Eve, we play the blame game to cover our sins. Instead of taking responsibility of acknowledging our own sin and changing it or reading the scriptures, we sometimes give excuses.  Sin has a way of making us crumble; Satan the master planner of all wrongs has a way of playing all kinds of tricks and lies on us, and will give us all kinds of reasons to convince us, it is okay.  But God wants us to know the truth, and understand the Holy Scriptures.

The Effect of Adam’s Sin

sjc j0035The effect of Adam is so clear in our own lives, which the Bible says; birth pains, marriage breakdowns, stressful toiling etc, and then finally death.  But before that we go through other zones of insecurity:

War zones of unhappiness,  can’t seem to get enough, fear or no peace,  confusion,  feelings of emptiness or doubt,  lack of understanding, selfish attitudes,  weighed down by money problems,  and to name just the few.

WHERE ARE YOU?

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Before I go to the first question (where are you?), which is directed to all of us, I have to go step by step.  First of all, I have to start by praying; ‘God help me here to explain the passages below.  I know you have a way of using Jesus through your Holy Spirit to help us, or to get your message across’. 

My blogging is about encouragement, however, I have to say it as it is!  There is a phrase that comes to mind, ‘if you have something good to say, say it; especially if it is accompanied by Jesus’ wisdom’.  Sometimes when you tell the truth about Jesus, you get some people who will disagree but as the Bible says, God will judge (Roman 14:11-12), and is of kindness and justice, Jeremiah 9:24.  God is love, and sin separates us from him because He is HOLY.

Christianity is compared to (Eden) – a beautiful garden with full of flowers and fruits, which is based on the principles of love, kindness, righteousness and forgiveness.  And if you want to have that fulfilment in life, eat the good fruits.  I’m one of those people who love our God,  and have Jesus not just as our saviour, but also as our best friend.  He said, ‘if you love me you’ll be loved by my Father’, John 14:21.  Jesus is normally portrayed in pictures as an attractive man; surprisingly he wasn’t at all, according to Isaiah 53:2,  but I believe He had a very kind face.  

But, it was God’s plan to stop people to be attracted to him for the wrong reasons; for some would have gone to him just to admire His looks.  Oh, he is so handsome!  And it could have been a distraction.  Evangelism is a calling to any one who knows the truth. Christianity is about listening to God through His words (Bible) and taking in Jesus’ guidance of living a life that pleases Him. As Jesus said, ‘know the truth and it will set you free’. John 8:32

I LOVE READING THE BIBLE;

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It has a way of talking to you and taking you right from the beginning all the way to Jesus and up to the end.  Every time I read a chapter I feel like I’m there listening and learning.  Normally before I start reading, which is an everyday routine, I have to prepare my heart.  And if I don’t understand something I ask God to help me, and he normally does through the Holy Spirit. 

So right now, I’m going to take you to the Land of happiness, Eden, where Adam and Eve are enjoying a perfect peaceful happy life of living forever.  And they love God with all their hearts; a perfect relationship between God and man. I know most people are aware of this story, but I’m going to elaborate on it a bit more. (Genesis 3) Prior to this, I’ve never understood this scenario properly until recently when God opened my eyes to understand it even more, and then I found myself asking the why questions.  I don’t know everything but I’m going to try to explain from a spiritual point of view as the Holy Spirit leads me. I hope this can help someone.

To be continued…