Toxicity and Toxic Assets

Forgive my naivety, but I am perplexed! I was always under the impression that something toxic is poisonous and can prove fatal, whereas an asset is a possession of some value, great or small, for one’s personal or corporate benefit. So what have we got here with this financial media description called 'Toxic Assets'?

Football and the rules of life!

Football and the Rules of life!

GOAL?

Football is all about goals! The referee has seconds to decide to allow or dis-allow a goal. His decision is not always the right one. Your life should have a goal too. God has a purpose for your life. You are in this world for a reason. In order to live your life as God intended, you need to become part of His family. ‘For I know the plans I have for you…plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ Jeremiah 29 v 11

FOUL!
The problem is you have a past. God warns us in His word, the Bible. ‘All the world is guilty before God.’ Romans 3 v 19. Our fore-parents Adam and Eve sinned and everyone born since has fallen foul of their disobedience. God however, wants you as part of His family. He offers a free transfer. He does not ignore your wrong beliefs or behaviour but he will and can forgive if you come to him and ask in prayer.

SUB!
Gods love for you is so great He gave His Son, the Lord Jesus to die on a cross. He took the penalty of your sin. He became the perfect substitute. God punished His Son instead of you,
‘The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.’ Galatians 2 v 20

RESULTS?
You now have a decision to make ‘now is the day of salvation’ 2 Corinthians 6 v 2. God asks you to put your trust in His Son and what He has done for you. Don’t leave Him on the bench. You will have the ultimate goal in life if you put Him first. To get saved you need to turn from your sin. Acknowledge and renounce your sin and agree with God's assessment of your life). Then accept His Son as Saviour and Lord who has paid the price in His death so that you can be forgiven and right with God.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

Christianaphobia - does it exist?

In our society a trend of ‘christianaphobia’is rising. Christianity is accused of some amazing things and to such an extent that it turns the values of Christianity on its head. In a large circulation Regional Newspaper in England a couple of years ago, Christianity was accused of being the source of the 'tide of disrespect engulfing us'. On a very basic level the principles of Christianity (if practiced) would ensure that peace and harmony ruled on earth as all people would act in the way Jesus Christ described (forgiving, loving etc). It is obvious however that all people have not accepted the salvation that Jesus Christ offers and that sin in the heart of humanity (as also established by Judaism) still results in evil and hurt for all concerned.

The writer chose to focus on one part of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Other records in the Gospels state that the Lord Jesus did not come to 'destroy the law' as received under Judaism but to 'fulfil it'. This means that the individual who loves the Lord God expresses this in respect of others and respect for authority. The Lord Jesus never undermined the authorities of the day and indeed he encouraged his disciples to 'render to Caesar' the things that belong to Caesar i.e. revenue, tax, civil obedience etc.

The rest of the New Testament (see Romans 13) supports the principal that Christians are expected to obey the authorities and that political powers have been ordered by God and have executive powers from God to rule (with all that that implies). I would suggest kindly that should one choose to take a closer look at the Bible (and in particular the books of Isaiah and Revelation) they would discover that the Lord Jesus Christ has promised to return to this earth one day and personally dispense summary and immediate judgment on wrongdoing and evil (Revelation 21:8). Sadly unbelief in him is one of the crimes that will qualify for his judgment. This may seem harsh but essentially unbelief is the worst crime of all because of what it leads to:

God is light therefore unbelief leaves you in moral darkness.
God is truth therefore unbelief leaves you with all that is false.
God is life therefore unbelief leaves you with death.
God is holy therefore unbelief leaves you with sin, imperfection and that is wicked.

Ultimately unbelief leads to all the sins that we readily accept are wrong and harmful. Thankfully today we all have the opportunity to 'believe in the Lord Jesus Christ' to be saved. In that day it will be too late.

So in closing I want to pass on to the readers of this blog a ‘Global Warning’ (excuse the pun). This is not about the effect of the mismanagement of our planet and its resources (important though that is) but about a longer lasting issue. This planet will come to the end of its life cycle one day (see the Bible – 2 Peter 3). However your and my spiritual life will never end. The warning is that if we do not actively get back to God then we will find that we are, on death, forever at a distance from God (and all that God is, love, justice, peace etc). How can we come to God? The answer is in honestly seeking the truth, obeying his command in the word of God. This is to repent of our sin (turn away from it) and place our personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Here are a couple of Bible Verses that might help.

What must I do to be saved? So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household". Acts 16

15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but[b] have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

Following the same instructions or daring to be different?

Are you following the same instructions as everyone else or will you dare to be different?

In the last week I have met a lot of people who are not prepared to think for themselves. They are following the current trend in our society to 'rubbish' belief in God and to ridicule the idea that there might be some validity to faith. If you are reading this blog you are probably not one of these people but you may come across them on a daily basis. Just remember that faith is only as good as the one in whom you trust. This is why it is so important to understand the integrity of the Bible and the historical basis of the facts stated therein. 

The Bible states in Psalm 118:8 'It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man'. Incidentally this is the central verse to the whole Bible when you divide it up by the number of chapters and verses - interesting and significant!. The Bible also states that it is better that your faith 'should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God'.

Will you dare to be different? Read the word of God, the Bible, today. Start in the New Testament and read the four gospels. Discover the truth concerning the Son of God, Jesus, becoming man and dying 'for the ungodly'  - that's all of us, as we did not know God by nature and were disobedient to Him. He, the Lord Jesus, is worthy of your trust and he died to be your Saviour. Pray to him today, search for him in prayer and in reading the Bible. Admit your guilt before God and 'call upon the name of the Lord' and you will be saved. Email me at stepcar61@gmail.com and I will be delighted to try to help you.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

Is Donald Trump right to doubt?

Is Donald Trump right to doubt?

Anyone who is reading the news at the moment especially, in relation to the affairs of the United States of America, will be aware of the fact that Donald Trump refuses to accept the findings of the intelligence community. He blatantly states that their findings and conclusion that Russia had any involvement in the recent elections for the President of the United States is false. 

Everyone has the right to believe or disbelieve things that they hear but sometimes it seems irrational to deny something that to many people is true. Donald Trump may be right and he may be wrong but the practice of refusing to believe what many have found to be true and what has been authenticated by many is quite common. One of the most obvious illustrations of this is Christianity.

Many people deny that Christianity could be true. They refused to take account of archaeological evidence and manuscript evidence that has been the basis of Christian's historical belief in the real Jesus over many centuries. Again they point blank ignore the fact that each of has a moral compass that is built into our DNA. They ignore the fact that each of us finds it hard to live up to personal standards never mind the standards which God has set in his word the Bible.

As I close I will leave you with how the Bible explains the future of those who refuse to belief the truth:

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12English Standard Version (ESV)

10 they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Romans 1:18-32English Standard Version (ESV)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

One person who cares for you!

This time of the year can be a lonely time for many people! Everyone has their family, or do they? There are a lot of people about who are very private and keep themselves to themselves. They would not trouble anyone with their problems and would not presume that anyone else is interested. 

I have news for anyone who is reading this who thinks like that. I know someone who is interested in you; his name is the Lord Jesus. He is recorded as saying in the Gospel of John - 'I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly'. The Bible also states that God 'is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance'.

The Lord Jesus is personally interested in each one of us. For no other reason than He wants the best for you. If you doubt that then read one of the four Gospels in the New Testament part of the Bible. The record about Jesus says that 'He went about doing good'. For three years for He dispensed the blessing and forgiveness of God to the people He met. He healed them both physically and spiritually. By doing this He was proving that God is interested. That God is caring! That God has time for you! Even His amazing miracles demonstrate that God cares. The one who can heal the body can save the soul!

You can quietly come to Him, by praying to Him, wherever you are. We have all sinned against God and need His forgiveness. When we agree with God that we have disobeyed His commandments and ask for His forgiveness then He will save us.

Why and how you may ask?

Why - because we are in danger. God is just and must judge wrong. Your sin has consequences because breaking God's law is damaging. Just as fire burns so sin hurts and has ongoing consequences. This is why we need God to intervene.

God can save us from future punishment in Hell because His Son, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The Bible says 'Christ died for the ungodly'. He died for you, and I, and can forgive us because He took the punishment for sin. The fact that Jesus is sinless and perfect means that He qualified to pay the price on our behalf.

When you believe you will receive salvation - why not believe today. It works - He saved me and has been with me for fifty years now.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

25 words that could revolutionise your life!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life - the Bible - John 3.16.

Have you ever seen the words John 3 v16 held up at a sporting event (see pictures)? Did you ever wonder what it meant?

Have you ever longed to be loved unconditionally, sincerely and consistently? Well listen to this.

For God - the greatest being in the universe loves you. 

So loved - His love is the greatest show the greatest degree of love - He gave His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. 

His love is to the widest audience ever - the world.

that He gave - this was the greatest act of love - when you consider that we were His enemies, disobedient to him and sinners.

His only begotten Son - this is the greatest gift possible. Consider the value and status of the Son of the living God. The creator, the supreme one given to the death of the cross to pay the price for sin.

That whosoever - the widest audience possible - no one is excluded. God is not willing that any should perish.

Believes in Him - the greatest simplicity, believe and receive.

Should not perish - the greatest guaranteed promise. No doubt, no maybe's salvation is secure.

But - the great differentiator, we all stand on one side or the other. Saved or lost, dead in sin or life in Christ.

Have - the greatest certainty

Everlasting life - the greatest possession. Nothing else comes near, everything else has an expiry date.

Read this verse until you understand all that God wants to bless you with.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well

The Reason

Well here we are. Nearly at Christmas weekend. How has your week gone? I hope you achieved what you set out to do. I'm nearly there.

It's always a rush at this time of the year. Whether it's getting as up to date as possible with your job, buying presents or getting the food ready for Christmas it gets hectic. I have the added task of running a series of Carol Services and Christmas related events. Why go to all the bother?

For one very good reason. Christmas is special. It's special because you get time to sit down (maybe not if you are the cook in your house), you spend time with your friends and family (the latter can be a problem depending how well you get on with your family), you give and receive presents and the food is good (hopefully!). BUT (there usually is a BUT in my blogs) BUT what is the real reason that makes the season special? Excuse the corny rhyme but 'what is the reason for the season'?

The answer : JESUS

The clue is in the word CHRISTmas - it's the CHRIST part that is important. This is Jesus' official title. The title Christ means the anointed one. The Jews talked about the promised one as the Messiah. He is the one of whom all the prophets spoke, see Hebrews chapter one, as they related God's promise that one day He would send His Son into the world, Isaiah 9:6 says (700 years before Jesus was born) 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

When Jesus' disciples realised who Jesus was they were thrilled. John records Philip as saying, in John 1:45, 'We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph'.

Yes, Jesus is the promised one. His birth was predicted as was His death. Unlike us he came to die. We are born to live but Jesus came to die. The bible explicitly states that 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'. He knew this was His primary reason for coming so He said one day 'for this cause I came into the world'.

So let me end this post with a question - do you really get it? Do understand the reason for the season. Have you ever benefitted from the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus? You can: if you turn from your sin, repent and trust Him to save you from your sins.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT ME via SEEKTHETRUTH.ORG.UK