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Faith
Many thoughts cross my mind on many subjects on a rather regular basis not the least of which is what is Christianity. Is Christianity anything more than wishful thinking? Is righteousness truly attainable for humans? We are to imitate Christ but we regularly, routinely and consistently fall short of His glory. As long as we look upon ourselves and our achievements or failures we will not find worthiness. It is only through Christ that we attain glory. So we must accept Him as our Lord, our Commander in Chief, our Captain, our Head. His commands are spelled out in the Bible. They may number in the thousands but they are based on love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself.
How do you do this? Jesus went out and preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and healed the sick and lame. He helped those who needed help and who seeked help. In my daily ventures I have in my life encountered none who has seeked spiritual help from me that I can recall. That in many instances is a great understatement. I might say thank God that they haven^t seeked help through me. How can I a contrite and decrepit soul help anyone when my own understanding and ways barely suffice? I find that I often only make sense when I write. I would feel like a broken record chanting believe and trust in Jesus, Jesus is the answer, put all your cares on Jesus, worship Jesus and it would seem like a farce merely conjuring up Catholicism or Protestantism in the minds of the hearers. I do not sense that I have all the answers or that all my ways are righteous and the Bible and so Jesus teaches that if you break one commandment you break them all. So if you are unrighteous in one area you are unrighteous in all. But Jesus picked us while we were still sinners and He promises deliverance from eternal death. So maybe I should chant cast all your cares and woes on Jesus. Who else can make sense out of all this?
I guess if you can^t do anything else, just don^t give up. Work on the basics, the Ten Commandments, constantly. It sometimes takes great effort to find truth that you can speak in this hypocritical world. It is so easy to just say the first thing that comes to your mind and suffer the consequences. Most people have no patience to wait for truth and we give in to there impatience. Why not try to tell the truth and suffer the consequences? Most people don^t steal, commit adultery or murder but almost everyone lies and covets. But if you lie or covet then you are guilty of breaking all the laws. Basically you are just being human. But flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. So, all that is human about you must be set aside. You must put on Christ and protect that little faith that you have that is from God and that is your ticket, so to speak, into the kingdom. Faith can be, to put it in a physical perspective, the size of a mustard seed. It has the potential to grow into a great plant or fruitful presence.
As long as you want to keep your faith God will not allow a thing or power on earth or in heaven to take it away from you. Satan is rendered powerless against those who stand up to him. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. The problem is he incessantly returns with new deceptions and greater resolve. One must constantly be on guard. And so we must seek God^s help through genuine gratitude and love constantly, which I personally think are more important than fasting and prayer, not that fasting and prayer are not important. Christianity is not about being righteous it^s about becoming righteous. It^s not about knowing all truth, it^s about learning. It is not about obeying all commandments it is about training and putting sin out of our lives and about yielding to God with all your might one concept or commandment at a time. ^With all your might^ to me means with all your understanding and capacity. It does not mean with clenched fists. Paul talked about beating your body into submission. In my realm prove all things and keep what is right is a greater goal. One is physical the other spiritual. Nevertheless we are to walk in His ways, which is physical. That is in His truth and His spirit, which are spiritual.
I have stated that I did not know God^s voice, unlike Abraham I imagined. Did I deny God? I have an inner voice but I consider it mine. It has been with me as long as I can remember. It may be given by God and it helps guide me into truth but it is not like the sound of running waters, not what I am led to believe is God^s voice in the scriptures. I think I will recognize it when I hear it.
Who defines righteousness? Can a righteous man be accepted by God and be given eternal life without religion? God defines righteousness not man. A man cannot come to the Father except through Christ. Christ lived and taught. You cannot ignore or deny Christ or His teachings or example and enter God^s Kingdom. If God finds favour in someone he will be lead to Christ and to religion.
Faith is believing in something. Believing that you are right takes faith. You might believe that eternal life is attainable. Jesus says that it is and He resurrected from the dead. Can you find a greater reason to trust Him? You might believe that you have eternal life of yourself. Where is the proof? There were many eye witnesses of Jesus return to life. It is a well documented fact of history. Nothing else compares. Faith in a false belief is terminal; it has no value, no substance. Faith in truth coupled with works that support that truth lead to eternal life with Jesus who promises it and who is able to give it.
How many have heard of Johny Wonderbrother. Johny Wonderbrother believed that when his body got destroyed he could rebuild it instantly, bettering Christ. Well he died and no one has heard of him since. If you want to be remembered you have to humbly follow Christ in truth and faith, not proudly lead the world in lies and wishful thinking. (Of course Johny Wonderbrother is a fictitious character but he reminds me of so many.)
Jesus spoke of the way. There is a special way that is the way of Christians. There are in fact two types of Christians, those who say they are Christians and those who live by the way. Not many find it. It is strange that those who say they are Christians are very often the biggest enemies of those who have found the way and live by it. The way is quite simply the way that is given through the Holy Scriptures, every unadulterated, properly translated and properly interpreted word of it. A good understanding have those who do the commandments. That most definitely includes keeping the Sabbath holy, which is what is often called the Jewish Sabbath but is in fact God^s Sabbath.
Keeping the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, holy is a sign between God and His people. There are serious movements under foot to do away with the seventh day all together. I have seen calendars that depict Sunday as the seventh day and Monday as the first. What will they say then that Christ was resurrected on Monday the first day of the week? Any attempt to change the season or the times by changing the calendar is the work of Satan and his disciples. The western calendar, a solar calendar, is pagan, that is to say not from God. God^s calendar is a lunar calendar. We need to strive toward putting it into practice.
Keep the faith. Walk in the way. Grow.
2007 Jacques Gauvin
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