Reputation

 

When I worked for a large international organisation my secretary used to arrange appointments for me to travel up and down the country and meet various regional managers to discuss various issues.

Most of the people I used to visit I had not met before. I remember going to an office once and as I introduced myself the man I was meeting said, "Hi ... I heard a lot about you; your reputation precedes you!"

He never explained whether it was a good or a bad reputation. What did people think of me, I wonder?

How about you? What is your reputation amongst family and friends? 

Are you always the life and soul of the party? Do people gather around you to hear your witty stories and jokes?

Or are you the grumpy one that people avoid or tolerate politely?

If we're honest, we all have a reputation; even though we might not know what others think of us.

How much should we be aware of our reputation? And if in any way negative, how much should we try to change to become more likeable? Should we change despite our principles on a particular subject or topic? What is the right balance between compromise to be liked and standing up for our principles and beliefs?

Life has become a popularity contest these days. Everyone wants to be popular it seems. You can see it on TV where everyone is a celebrity despite their lack of talents or personality. Just because they've appeared on a reality show; they are suddenly a celebrity, a personality, someone to look up to.

It's the same on social media, where everyone is posting photos and articles about themselves to impress perfect strangers who, for some reason, "follow" them and "like" what they say.

I've heard it said that some people post photos of luxury houses, and cars etc ... and pretend that it is theirs just to impress and encourage perfect strangers to "follow" their posts.

Now here's a thought: What is your reputation in the eyes of God?

What does He think of you? Is it a good reputation that would want Him to "like" you? Or is it such that would embarrass Jesus and make Him ashamed of you?

But whoever denies and disowns Me before men, I also will deny and disown him before My Father Who is in Heaven. Matthew 10:33

Angry Vengeful God

Imagine you've died and gone to Heaven.

Joy of joys !!! At last, you've made it. God has seen it fit for you to deserve Heaven. An eternity with Him. You are so glad, more than you've ever been your entire life.

You look around and meet old friends and relatives who have made it here too. You greet them with a tear in your eye - a tear of joy as well as a little sadness when you remember how you missed them and cried when they were gone!

You renew old acquaintances as well as make new ones as you meet the Saints you've read so much about but had never met.

Then you realise someone is missing. 

A relative, or friend, whom you'd expected to see here is missing. You ask St Peter and he confirms your suspicion. That person is not here.

Is he in transit? In the Purification Center we call Purgatory, perhaps?

No ... he is ... in the other place.

Your joy turns to sadness, confusion, despair even. How can it be? You so expected to be with that person in Heaven for eternity.

What do you do?

Seek an explanation from God? Perhaps there's been a mistake! Ask Him to re-consider. Plead with Him even? Beg that this person is brought up to Heaven?

Has that person's absence tarnished your joy of being in Heaven? Changed your view of God's justice and mercy?

How can you possibly be here in Heaven for ever, knowing full well that a dear loved one is in the other place and will never join you?
 

On the Cross Jesus forgave those who dared to inflict so much suffering and death to the Son of God. What more heinous sin could your relative or friend have committed to deserve an eternity in hell? If God forgave those who killed His Son; and they probably didn't ask for forgiveness, why can't He forgive your relative or friend missing right now?

Your human sense of justice; and your understanding and perspective of forgiveness and mercy would like things to be different and, no matter what that person has done in life, you wish him here with you in Heaven.

But God does not work like that. His perspective is not a human perspective. He decided otherwise.

In Luke 16:19-31 we read that the rich man in "the other place" pleaded that his brothers may not join him there. But his pleadings were met with the response that each person makes his or her own decisions in life, and by their actions they choose whether to go to Heaven or not.

No one goes to hell by mistake. We choose to go there. And many, by their actions, are sleep-walking their way to hell.

The time for action and prayers is now.

And yet ... what if we're one day in Heaven and our loved one is not there? What then?

Illogical Logic

 Logic it seems isn’t always what it is perceived to be and no matter how much you try to understand the other person’s logic you might end up failing. This could be either because of your inability to understand, or because the other person’s logic is faulty – as Father Ignatius can testify.

He was walking round town the other day and happened to enter a bookshop advertising “Reduced Prices throughout the Store !!!”.

He made his way to the “Religion” shelf to see what was on offer and eventually found a book about Jesus which he wished to purchase. It had a big red label on it saying: Reduced price - £9.99.

He thought of buying two copies, one for him and another for a parishioner who would benefit from reading it. He looked around on the shelf and found another identical book; but without the red label.

When he reached the cashier to pay for both items purchased she said: “£29.99 please.”

“Why?” said the priest, rather puzzled.

“This book is priced £20.00 and this one is £9.99” replied the robotic assistant.

“But they’re identical, and they’re reduced in price aren’t they?” enquired Father Ignatius.

“Only the one with the red label is on offer for £9.99; the other book is charged at the full price of £20.00” replied the cashier monotonously.

At this moment the manager happened to be passing by and overheard the conversation.

“May I help you Sir … Reverend … Father …” he mumbled when he noticed the priest’s white collar.

“Let me explain,” continued the manager, “every morning we go to check our stock of books and stick red labels on some of them. Those with the labels are reduced in price; whilst others are not.”

“I understand,” reasoned Father Ignatius, “but both these books are identical. Surely they should be priced the same?”

“Not so,” insisted the manager who obviously knew best. He was, after all, in charge of the shop, “not so at all … this book with the label we’ll sell at £9.99 whereas the other one we’ll sell at the full price of £20.00; regardless whether they are identical or not.”

Father Ignatius is a tenacious character when he feels it needs it; and he certainly likes a challenge of wits. So he tried one more time to make the man see sense:

“Tell me … it is possible, is it not, that when you stick these labels in the morning, that you stick the red labels on two identical books?”

“Oh yes … it happens frequently …”

“And when it happens, then you’d sell two copies of the same book at the reduced price?” said the priest sensing a minor but very important victory.

“Oh yes … in that case we would sell two or more copies of the same book at the reduced price, provided they had the red labels on them.”

Father Ignatius smiled broadly. “Game, set and match!” he thought to himself.

“But on this occasion unfortunately we stuck a label on only one book. So you’ll have to buy this one for £9.99 and this one for the full price of £20.00.”

The priest’s smile soon faded when the manager continued:

“May I suggest you buy the book with the label today, and come back tomorrow? It is possible that there will be another identical book with a label on it then. Although I can’t guarantee it … but if you come back every other day or so then perhaps you’ll find another copy of the book reduced in price then !!!”

Father Ignatius gave up. There’s no point in engaging in a battle of wits with an unarmed person.

He now had to make a quick decision and had three choices:

To leave the shop and not buy the books.

To buy both books for the asking price of £29.99 and effectively, tacitly, agree with the manager’s faulty logic.

To buy the cheaper of the two books and leave it at that. Which is what he did.

“It’s a shame” he thought to himself,” as he left the shop. I would have liked to give a copy of this book to Mark. He’s always a helpful parishioner when we need him … perhaps he can borrow my copy when I’ve read it …”

It seems that the angels may well have overheard his thoughts because a little further down the road he came across another bookshop.

“I wonder …” said Father Ignatius.

And sure enough, he found there an identical book selling even cheaper at £8.99. A saving of £1; which he put in the collection box at St Vincent Church. 

MORE FATHER IGNATIUS BOOKS

HERE

Time to share some smiles

 

An elderly gentleman, in his mid-90s, very well dressed, hair well groomed, great looking suit, flower in his lapel, smelling of a good after shave, presenting a well-looked-after image, walks into an upscale cocktail lounge.

Seated at the bar is an elderly looking lady.

The gentleman walks over, sits alongside her, orders a drink, takes a sip, turns to her and says, “So tell me, do I come here often?”

==========================    

For his birthday, I got my son an alarm clock that swears at him instead of beeping. He’s in for a rude awakening.

==========================

A little girl was sitting on her grandfather’s lap as he read her a bedtime story.

From time to time she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally, she spoke up, “Grandpa, did God make you?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he answered, “God made me a long time ago.

“Grandpa, did God make me too?  

“Yes, indeed, honey,” he said, “God made you just a little while ago.”

Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, “God’s getting better at it, isn’t he?”

========================  

My husband got stung by a bee on the forehead.

He’s at the Emergency Room now, his face all swollen and bruised; he almost died.

Luckily I was close enough to hit the bee with my shovel.

========================

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast to her brunette hair.

She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, “Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?”

Her mother replied, “Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.”

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, “Momma, how come ALL of grandma’s hairs are white?”

===========================    

I told my cat that I’m going to teach him to speak English.

He looked at me and said, “Me? How.”

===========================

Fred came home from University in tears.

“Mum, am I adopted?”

“No of course not,” replied his mother. “Why would you think such a thing?”

Fred showed her his genealogy DNA test results. No match for any of his relatives, and strong matches for a family who lived the other side of the city.

Perturbed, his mother called her husband. “Honey, Fred has done a DNA test, and… and… I don’t know how to say this… he may not be our son.”

“Well, obviously!” he replied.

“What do you mean?”

“It was your idea in the first place” her husband continued. “You remember, that first night in hospital when the baby did nothing but scream and cry and scream and cry. On and on. And you asked me to change him.”

“I picked a good one I reckon. Ever so proud of Fred.”

=========================== 

Elton John has bought his pet rabbit a treadmill…….. It’s a little fit bunny.

===========================  

Interviewer: How much milk do these cows give?

Farmer: Which one? The black one or the brown one?

Interviewer: The brown one.

Farmer: A couple of litres per day.

Interviewer: And the black one?

Farmer: A couple of litres per day.

Interviewer (naturally a bit flummoxed): I see. What do you give them to eat?

Farmer: Which one? Black or brown?

Interviewer: Black.

Farmer: It eats grass.

Interviewer: And the other one?

Farmer: Grass.

Interviewer (now annoyed): Why do you keep asking which one when the answers are the same?!

Farmer: Because the black one’s mine.

Interviewer: Oh, and the brown one?

Farmer: It’s also mine.

===========================  

My mum is a hoarder and refuses to throw out her old magazine collection.

She has a lot of issues.

===========================  

A Dachshund and a Labrador are walking together when the former suddenly unloads on his friend.

“My life is a mess,” he says. “My owner is mean; my girlfriend ran away with a Pomeranian and I’m as jittery as a cat.”

“Why don’t you go see a psychiatrist?” suggests the Labrador.

“I can’t. I’m not allowed on the couch.”

===========================  

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... giving thanks.

 He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin-disease. They stood at a distance and shouted, “Jesus! Master! Take pity on us!” Jesus saw them and said to them, “Go and let the priests examine you.” On the way they were made clean. When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. Jesus said’ “There were ten men who were healed; where are the other nine? Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?” And Jesus said to him, “Get up and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17: 11-19

Keeping our distance from people we are suspicious of is nothing new. In them days when Jesus walked this earth people with leprosy had to keep their distance from other people.  People used to throw stones at them to keep them at bay. Did you know that Jesus had every right to throw stones at the leper to stop him coming near? In those days it was the done thing. You threw stones to warn the leper not to come too near you.

Can you imagine how lepers felt? Cast out of society. Thrown out by their families. No where to live. No job. No friends. No food. And eventually death by starvation or worse.

One day they were perhaps successful at their job, a family man, raising children and looking forwards to the future. The next day, they contract this terrible illness and they are cast out of this world. Through no fault of their own.

In this story, Jesus heals ten lepers and only one comes back to say thank you.

Why? What about the other nine? Were they bad people, evil and selfish?

I'd like to think that they were so overcome with joy at being healed that they ran to their family to meet them and hug them and rejoin society once again. They were just absent-minded. So overcome with joy that they forgot to say thank you.

A bit like us really! How often do we forget to say thank you when someone does something nice to us? Does that mean we are evil? Selfish? Bad people? No... just absent-minded.

When is the last time you said thank you to God for all the things He has done for you and continues to do/ How about thanking Jesus too. Now there's a thought ...

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

NOTE: This post is the LAST of a series of articles entitled "What Jesus said about ..." If you click the label "What Jesus said" at the end of the article you'll be able to access all the articles.

All the articles in this series will feature in a book of devotionals I am currently writing. More news on publication date here soon.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. God bless you all.

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... riches.

Do not store riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are. Matthew 6: 19-21

No one can be a slave of two masters; he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6: 24)

Jesus said a lot about wealth and being rich. There's the story of the rich man and poor Lazarus at his gate. "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores." (Luke 16:19-31).

And the story of the rich man who asked Jesus how to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus. The man just could not do this, and went away sad. (Mark 10:17-27).

 And also the story about the talents. "... a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away." (Matthew 25:14-30).

So, what do we learn from all this? Is Jesus against riches and people accumulating wealth? Certainly the parable about the talents does not imply so. In that parable He teaches that it is OK to make money, as much as you possibly can according to your capabilities. Don't just sit on what you have and not make your money work.

God is not against people being rich. There is nothing wrong with being rich as long as we achieve it honestly and without cheating or stealing. 

Could He perhaps be talking about something more than just material riches?

Is He maybe reminding us that there will always be someone worse off than us? Someone who is poor in material things, someone poor in spirit, poor in health, poor in education or even poor in Faith. This may be miss-interpreting Him perhaps but still worth considering.

We all have a responsibility towards those in poverty in one way or another. No matter how their poverty manifests itself.

We should always readily recognize our blessings and share them with those less well off than us.

If we are fortunate to be financially rich, we should give to those who have not.

If we are in good health, we should help those who are sick. Visit them at home or in hospital, and give a hand when needed.

If we are clever or intelligent we should be more tolerant towards those not as bright as us and help educate them where we can.

And if our Faith is strong, we should help and pray for those who falter and fail in their walk with the Lord.

We’ve all been given some talent or other and we should use them for the benefit of others.

Perhaps one way of doing so is by proclaiming our Faith in God. Be God's ambassadors and representatives on earth. We may not all be good at standing at street corners, or knocking at doors, or writing books or articles. But by just living the Christian life we are using our God given talents for His glory. 

Another way of using our talents is to be active in our church or community. The church always needs volunteers for many jobs. Playing music or singing in the choir perhaps. Doing some sort of administration or secretarial work. Editing and printing the newsletter. Cleaning the church. Ordering supplies. Visiting the sick and the elderly, or helping run a soup kitchen for the down and out. And so on.

We have a responsibility to use our talents to the best of our abilities. And with this responsibility comes a greater and more onerous one. That is to answer to Him when He asks us, “And what have you done with the riches I gave you?”

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... sin.

"If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around the neck and be thrown into the sea. So if your hand makes you lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand than to keep both hands and go off to hell, to the fire that never goes out. And if your foot makes you lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot than to keep both feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye makes you lose your faith, take it out! It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into hell. There ‘the worms that eat them never die, and the fire that burns them is never put out.’ " Mark 9:42-48

Rather graphic don't you think? Maybe Jesus was exaggerating a little to make His point. Throughout His teachings He tells us time and again about the perils of sin; yet now, so many years later, we still have not got the message. Have we?

Let's make it simple: Sin is an offence to God. It is a disobedience of His Commandments. It shows lack of love for Him and even defiance. Adam and Eve's sin was not the simple sin of disobedience but it was defiance and envy - they wanted to be like God.

We all know the story when the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught committing adultery.

According to Jewish law she had to be stoned to death for that sin. (Notice that the hypocrisy - they brought the woman. Where is the man, I ask?)

They were trying to trick Jesus into making the wrong decision. Would He follow the Jewish law or not? He said let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone, and when they all left one by one, Jesus turned to the woman and asked ‘Is there no one left to condemn you?’ She said ‘No one …’

And Jesus replied ‘I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again.’

Now Jesus did not mean do not sin any sin whatsoever ever again for the rest of your life! He knew that that is impossible. The woman was human, and it is natural that she would sin again. Jesus knows our human nature and He knows that we are liable to sin again and again. John 8:1-11

What Jesus said to the woman is, do not commit that particular sin again … it is serious enough to get you into a lot of trouble with the Pharisees as well as with God Himself.

And that’s what Jesus is saying to us today. Sin is serious and can tarnish our eternity for eternity!

One more thing ... there is no relationship between sin and any illness or disabilities that we may have. Jesus makes that very plain when He met the blind man and His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus replied: Neither this man nor his parents sinned ... but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. He rejects the notion that the man’s blindness was the result of either his sin or his parents’ sin. Jesus emphasizes that the blindness was allowed for a different purpose: to reveal God’s work and glory. John 9:1-12

This is a key point—while sin can certainly lead to suffering, not all suffering is the direct result of personal sin or the sin of others. Sometimes, suffering serves a greater purpose, such as allowing God’s glory to be revealed, as it was with the healing of the blind man.

"Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us." Matthew 6:12

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... worry.

"Jesus said to His disciples, “And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is much more important than food, and the body much more important than clothes. Look at the crows: they don’t sow seeds or gather the harvest; they don’t have store rooms or barns; God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds! Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?” Luke 12: 22-25 

Anxiety and worries are the destroyers of our souls and our health. I guess more illnesses in modern society are due to worry and our way of life.

Worry … worry … worry … what if this happened to me … what if I couldn’t cope any longer … what if … what if … what if … worry … worry … worry.

You know the feeling. It happens to most of us and we deal with it differently. 

Worry is a human emotion. We can’t help feeling anxious, sometimes unnecessarily, and in so doing we give way to doubts and worry. It’s like meeting three evil witches intent on destroying you: Anxiety, Doubt and Worry.

Like many human emotions, they can get out of control.

We’re anxious about the results of some medical tests we’ve had done. We worry unnecessarily. We fear the worst and doubt whether God loves us.

We worry without cause about our loved ones. Will our children do well in life, especially in these difficult times? We worry when they are a few minutes late returning home.

Why doesn’t God provide us with a switch we can flick and these negative emotions just vanish away. After all, He knows we can’t help these emotions creeping on us unaware and play havoc with our minds. Why can’t He provide a switch to turn them off?

Or …. Maybe He has.

Whenever we look away from God for a moment that’s when we allow anxiety to enter our life and implant the seeds of doubt and worry. Perhaps it’s because at that very instant when we look away from God, the devil is ready to pounce and lead us astray.

He’s very clever the devil, you know. He leads you to believe he doesn’t really exist, but he’s there all right. By your side day by day. Waiting for the appropriate moment to put negative thoughts in your mind. Playing on your fears. Adding a sprinkle of worry. Making you anxious about something or other. And before long, if you are a little weak, you’ll begin to doubt that God even exists, never mind love you.

The remedy is to re-focus on God in the sure knowledge that He will not let us down.

That’s the switch which He has provided to comfort us in our times of difficulties. The certainty that He has conquered evil once and for all. And the knowledge that He will not allow us to perish because He cares for us.

“Look at the birds flying around … your Father in Heaven takes care of them! Aren’t you worth much more than birds?” Matthew 6:26

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... fasting.

When you fast, do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that everyone will see that they are fasting. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. When you go without food, wash your face and comb your hair, so that others cannot know that you are fasting – only your Father, who is unseen, will know. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. Matthew 6: 16-18

Fasting dates back to the Old Testament. I guess it was a way "to sacrifice" something to God. To do something good for God. Jesus, who was/is God, fasted for forty days. So He taught us that it was a "good thing" to do.

But let's be careful here. There is nothing that we can do for God or Jesus that would repay what they have done for us. No fasting, lighting candles, placing flowers by statues, repetitive prayers or anything else will in themselves repay what God has done for us. He is in no way diminished, or left lacking, if we stopped doing these things. We do them as a sign of respect, love, honour and devotion to God. Not as a repayment or in exchange for favours asked for. God does not bargain with us and wants payment by fasting or anything else. His love for us is priceless and does not need repaying.

So ... do we fast or not? By all means fast if you wish as a gift to God; but not as a bargaining tool in expectation for returns. Now here's a thought ... why not fast by giving up something and then give the money saved to charity?

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

 

 

What Jesus said about ... Faith.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith greater.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17: 5-6

Faith is not a commodity you can buy at the supermarket. Pity, sometimes when my faith fails me I wish I could top it up with another portion which I could buy from the stores. But what is faith exactly? Is it a feeling? An emotion? Like happiness, joy, anger, jealousy and hatred? If it was a feeling then it would be something that everyone has. For example, everyone has feelings of anger, jealousy and hatred at one time or another but they learn to control these feelings before they do great damage. 

So, if faith is not a feeling, something that comes naturally, does this imply that we must do something to have faith? We "decide" to believe in something or someone? Do we need to take some sort of action in order to have faith? Is that it?

Or is faith a gift given by God. We have faith through God's grace. But if it were so, a gift from God, then are all those people who do not have faith to blame for their unbelief and scepticism? They could claim that God did not give them faith.

Often, when people are in great difficulties, they turn to God in prayer. Even people who do not believe in God do so. It is said there are no atheists in foxholes. In the heat of battle even the most unbelieving says a prayer. Here's a thought ... prayer is an act of faith. The very fact you are praying proves that you believe Someone is listening. Otherwise you'd be talking to yourself.

Maybe that's the answer to lack of faith, or to waning faith. To pray for it.

To have faith is to believe when your common sense tells you not to.

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:23

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... The Commandments.

A teacher of the Law ... came to him with a question: “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus replied: “The most important one is this, ‘The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment more important than these two.” Mark 12: 28-31

God gave Moses Ten Commandments, and let's face it, we made a right mess of them. We've re-interpreted them, diluted them, justified breaking them to such an extent that they have become unrecognisable.

Jesus simplified matters for us. He said "Love God and love one another."

And we have ignored that simple rule as well. Today many do not even recognise God, let alone love Him. He is not taught about and introduced to our children. He is excluded from our families, homes, schools, institutions and even some churches. How can people possibly love Someone they don't even know?

As for loving one another as we love ourselves? Many people don't love themselves period. They find fault with their looks, their size, their accent, background, upbringing, education and so on. So many people living life not liking themselves and wishing they were someone else. No wonder so many live lives vicariously following their favourite celebrity "idol" on social media and trying to be the same.

Why can't we just be ourselves, and accept ourselves for what we are. God's creatures created by Him through love. There are no rejects on God's production line.

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples," John 13:34-35

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... judging others.

Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way as you judge others, and He will apply to you the same rules you apply to others. Matthew 7: 1-2

Let's be honest now, we all judge others. Even if we do it silently in our mind and say nothing; we are still judging others and probably jumping to the wrong conclusions. We are all prejudiced no matter how hard we deny it. We are prejudiced against peoples' looks, clothing, backgrounds, religion, race, education, tattoos, age, and so many other reasons why we don't like some people who do not fit the "perfect" image of what we have in mind or expect of them.

Let me tell you a story. I once visited an old lady at home who was not well. She was expecting the doctor to call at home. When I opened the door there stood a young man of about thirty in T shirt and blue jeans. So I put my judge's wig/hat on and thought, "What the **** This guy is so young he is hardly out of diapers. What does he know about medicine aside from soothing his teething problems? And he's in jeans and T shirt; very modern I must say!" I said nothing and showed him in to his patient.

A week later I took her to the doctor's surgery. I learnt that he was a new doctor at the practice, and on that day he was on leave and had been phoned at home to attend at the lady's house urgently, because her doctor had been detained with another patient.  

I noticed he was wearing a suit. Also, he had aged by a week. So you see, I am not prejudiced or judgemental at all.

Are you?

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... The Holy Spirit (The Holy Trinity).

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, because He abides with you, and He will be in you.

I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." John 14:15-21

Most probably the disciples of Jesus were confused when they heard this; as many of us are today.

Jesus here is speaking of the Holy Spirit. The third person in the Trinity. 

Christians believe that God, the Creator, always existed. He spoke to the world through the prophets and the writers of the Old Testament, and He gave His people the Commandments by which to live.  

When the time was right, Jesus sent His Son to the world. He was/is a human like us but at the same time He was/is God. Jesus did not start to exist when He was born on earth. He always existed as a Spirit with God in Heaven.

At the time of Jesus the people noticed that He spoke with authority and conviction, and all that He said made sense. They watched how He lived and the way He related to people. He showed compassion for the sick, the destitute and those forgotten by society. He cared for the hungry and the poor and showed kindness for everybody. When anyone was rude or insulting to Him, He did not answer back in anger. He lived His life on a high moral plain but showed sympathy and understanding for those who were stained and scarred by sin. 

He taught them about His Father who was/is God and that He was the Son of God. One day, when He asked them who they thought He was, Peter was quick to answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven." Matthew 16:13-20

What Jesus said here is very important "... this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven." This is affirmation, by God, through the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is His Son. 

For three years the people saw Jesus perform many miracles. They saw Him die and then alive again after the Resurrection, and knew He had conquered death and the grave. Time and again they saw Him after the Resurrection, spoke with Him and ate with Him.

It was impossible for them to think or talk about God without thinking and talking about Jesus. They had come to know God their Father through His Son.

When Jesus was taken up to Heaven after the Resurrection the disciples were distraught. What are they to do now? Their Leader whom they saw and trusted all these years had gone. They were afraid, so they hid in houses secretly, wondering what to do next.

As promised, Jesus sent His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, upon them nine days later. Acts 2:1-4

Their eyes were opened and they believed, and understood, that He was the Third Person of God.

To the early disciples, the Holy Spirit was real indeed. They had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. They received Him at Pentecost in tongues of fire and they were able to speak to the crowds that gathered in different languages. Peter explained to the crowd that the disciples had received God's Holy Spirit.

The disciples, and early Christians, now knew for certain that the one and only living God they believed in, whom Abraham, Moses, and the prophets had spoken of, had sent His only Son Jesus to earth. Because they had met Jesus. They also knew that Jesus had sent His Holy Spirit upon them, because they had experienced the Holy Spirit.

 

To them this was all a reality. Something they had seen, experienced and understood. Because the disciples had experienced the Holy Spirit, He became such a force in their lives, giving them strength to spread the Good News that Jesus had taught them, enabling them to live as Jesus had lived. t was they who handed on to us the mystery of the Holy Trinity that in one God there are three Persons.

 

Apart from Pentecost, there are two other occasions when the Holy Spirit appeared to the people:

 

"As soon as Jesus was baptised, He came up out of the water. Then heaven was opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on Him. Then a voice said from heaven, "This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased." Matthew 3:16-17

 

The second time was at the Transfiguration:

 

^"While he (Peter) was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. Luke 9:34-36

 

Today, many people don’t understand the Holy Spirit. Somehow, over the years the message has been diluted. Miss-understood. Or perhaps deliberately confused to obfuscate the message of Christianity.
 

But the Holy Spirit still can and does descend on people today. And He does transform their lives. If people believe, and if they ask and invite Him earnestly into their soul.

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... charity.

Make certain you do not perform your religious duties in public so that people will see what you do. If you do these things publicly, you will not have any reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it, as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets. They do it so that people will praise them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it. Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. Matthew 6: 1-4

Now this is a difficult one. It is our duty and responsibility to help those less fortunate than ourselves, But how do we do this?

Some say don't give a poor beggar in the street money because he'll spend it on drinks. Some say don't give to registered recognised charities because a lot of it is spent on administration, salaries, advertising and such like and very little goes for the cause itself - i.e. such charities have become businesses in their own right.

However we choose to help others, let us do it discreetly and without too much fuss. I know of people who prepare sandwiches and soup and go out feeding the poor and homeless in town every evening. Others visit the elderly at home and help with shopping and providing transport to doctors' and hospital appointments. And so many other ways of helping silently and without much fuss.

You know, sometimes just giving someone a smile on the bus or in the street, or holding the door open for someone or a kind word here and there are in themselves acts of charity.

" ... whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... the devil.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Let us make one thing clear. The devil exists all right. He is not a euphemism for "evil". He exists and is a malevolent spirit. We cannot possibly believe in God and not believe in the devil. But he is cunning in camouflaging his existence from a sophisticated modern world which does not know what to believe any more. Satan and his demons are roaming free throughout the world causing trouble everywhere they go; but, (this is important), they do so within strict limitations by God.

The devil tried to tempt Jesus, (Matthew 4:1-11), so we should not be much of a challenge to him. Jesus cast out Satan from many people who were possessed by the devil and his followers. Jesus was accused of having the power of the devil in casting out demons.

In Matthew 12:22 we read as follows: 

“A blind and mute man possessed by a demon was brought to Jesus and He healed him, He drove the demon out of him.

“When the Pharisees saw this, they said, ‘Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.’ In other words, they accused Jesus of being one of Satan’s demons.

“Jesus replied that a kingdom divided against itself would fall, and every city or house divided against itself would also fall, so how could it be possible that Satan would drive out demons out of a man? Surely his kingdom would also fall.

“Then Jesus adds, ‘If I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive out demons?”

And on another occasion, when seventy-two of Christ's disciples reported "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven." Luke 10:18.

In referencing Satan’s fall from Heaven, Jesus was quoting Isaiah 14:12, “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” 

The fall of Satan that Jesus saw happened after Lucifer’s sin, before Adam and Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden. In his pride, Lucifer had lifted himself up, but God had cast him down out of his original place in heaven. Jesus’ statement in Luke 10:18 speaks of Jesus’ pre-existence and the Lord’s defeat over the power of Satan in a general sense. 

In summary:

The devil, (Satan), exists. He is a spirit who is intent in derailing us away from God through temptations and lies. He knows our weaknesses and plays with our minds when we least expect it. His greatest trick is to lead us to believe that he does not exist, He is a liar. The best way to stand up to him is through prayers.

"Get behind me, Satan!" Matthew 16:23

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What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... the Church.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then He ordered His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah. Matthew 16:13 onwards.

First, let us point at something very important here: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven."

What Jesus said here is that it was not Peter the human being who said what he said; it was the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter and confirming who Jesus is/was - the Son of the living God.

Often the Holy Spirit speaks through people to reveal truths that escape most of us. We should be on the alert and listen carefully.

Back to the topic. By "church" Jesus did not mean a building or temple. No doubt He may have been misunderstood by His listeners who often got the wrong message like they did when He said He would rebuild the temple in three days. John 2:19

By "church" He meant His people. You and I, and everyone who follows Jesus and lives according to His teachings and Commandments. We are the "church", not a building we may frequent. We, the followers of Christ, are the living "church" tasked to live according to His Way and to preach His Word throughout all nations. 

Originally, when the church started growing, just after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and followers of Jesus (Acts 2:1-31), it was a united movement led by the Spirit and taking its first faltering steps in a cynical unbelieving world. It met with great opposition and many of the followers of Jesus were persecuted and suffered death for their belief.

As time went by and the "church" got established and spread beyond its geographical origins it began to separate and split into factions and groups. (What's new?) And before long we had the Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and this and that grouping each believing something different and bickering about their differences rather than rejoicing in what, (Who), unites them - Jesus the Son of the living God.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Jesus was not Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist or any other denomination which exists today. 

What do you think He feels when He looks down on us and sees what we have done to His church? 

Especially when He prayed that we may always be united with each other and with Him.

"I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me." John 17:21

What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... holiness (righteousness)

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6

This is a teaching which Christ returned to time and again. He taught that we should seek to be right, (holy), in the eyes of God. He was talking to an audience at the time, (and now), who were more concerned with self, looking after themselves and their families and getting rich or better off in the process. People were not so much focussed on God or the teachings of the prophets. One could argue that even their leaders like the Pharisees, Saducees and scribes were more interested in self rather than holiness and guiding their followers to Heaven. Witness how many times they upheld the "law" rather than acting holy towards people suffering and in need.

Does this remind you of modern living today? How many people do you know that you would describe as "holy" or "righteous" in the eyes of God and society in general?

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

What Jesus said about ,,, (series)

 

What Jesus said about .., prayer.

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. Matthew 6: 5-6

The best prayer we can say is the one our Lord taught us. Especially if we say it slowly and meaning every word.

Some people like to say many prayers either reciting the Rosary or prayers relating to Saints or special occasions. Others like to just talk to God. They tell Him what is going on in their lives, and more often than not, ask him (or demand) favours for themselves or their loved ones. Not many spend time listening to God whilst in prayer. Do you?

God does speak to us if we listen carefully. Many worry that it is probably their own thoughts process and not God at all. Don't worry about this. When God speaks to you He makes sure you understand it is He talking.  

Prayers are the greatest gifts we can receive from or give to others. 

I often pray for other people, naming them individually. It can take ages going through the list. Whilst reaching for His headache tablets, God once told me, "Why don't you group them into various groups like family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, Blogger friends and so on; and save the both of us a lot of time?" 

God listens to every prayer and He answers in His own way and time. Sometimes He says "No ... Wait ... I have another plan for you".

When someone tells me about their problems I pray for them silently without them knowing. I also pray for all who comment here.

Jesus prayed for us ...

“I pray not only for them, (the disciples), but also for those who believe in me because of their message. I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me.” John 17: 20-21.

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What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... working on Sundays.

One Sabbath Jesus went to eat a meal at the home of one of the leading Pharisees ... a man whose legs and arms were swollen came to Jesus, and Jesus asked the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, “Does our Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?” But they would not say anything. Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him away. Then He said to them, “If any one of you had a son or an ox that happened to fall in a well on a Sabbath, would you not pull him out at once on the Sabbath itself?” But they were not able to answer Him about this. Luke 14: 1-6

Let's try to understand what Jesus, and God, said about working on the Sabbath (Sunday).

It is understandable that there are some jobs in our modern world that have to be done 24/7 and as a result people have to work on Sundays to ensure that such essential work is done. This was the same at the time of Jesus and He makes the point several times to the Pharisees and the Jewish elders who were more interested in "upholding the law" rather than being sympathetic and merciful to those who needed help and healing. They had a principle to uphold and they saw Jesus as a threat to their authority and position. So they opposed Him at every turn.

But how about this principle today? Having accepted that some people need to work 24/7; what about the rest of us?

Do we spend any time on Sundays in prayer? Going to church? Or even thinking about God? Or has our Sunday truly become a day of rest and totally ignoring its true meaning and principle?

And if we do go to church; has it become just a routine undertaking just to fulfil an obligation and we spend the time there looking at our watch and thinking about the golf game to follow?

I guess that for the most part these observation are hypothetical; because generally church attendance is down to single figures (in the UK) and Christianity seems to be in retreat. 

But for those of us who do go to church; why do we do so? Let us honestly look at the mirror. What distinguishes us as a Christian compared to anyone else? Is going to church enough? Is keeping Sundays "holy" enough? Or are we missing the point entirely?

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God." (Exodus 20:8-11).