Now that we have worked out who JESUS is, you would think everything would get a little easier.
And by everything, I simply mean, trusting and following Him and having faith.
But that doesn’t seem to be the way things work out.
Take Peter for instance.
On two occasions he recognised JESUS to be the Son of God ….first when JESUS asked them all who they thought He was, and Peter answered that He was the Son of God.
And then on the Mount of transfiguration, He sees JESUS for who He really is.
You would think that is all Peter needed to be strong in his faith.
AND SO, on the night JESUS was betrayed, Peter took with him a sword, and went out into the Garden and when trouble came, Peter was the first to attack.
BUT what Peter was unprepared for was Jesus’ intentions, and when JESUS told him to put his sword away, he was lost and so he ran.
Later that night, still filled with confusion and uncertainty, Peter denied three times that he knew JESUS.
So much for learning something Peter.
You see, JESUS doesn’t need rescuing.
JESUS doesn’t need someone to stand up for Him
He wants us to be followers.
People, who will see what He is doing, and fall in behind, not running off in front.
And so, here’s the thing: JESUS doesn’t always do what we expect.
He sees things differently and He invites us to watch and follow.
Sometimes that is harder to do than doing.
But like Peter, when you get on God’s wave length it is wonderful.
God bless you as you seek to follow.

God Bless

Ron French

JUST WHO IS JESUS?

To some the answer is a no brainer.
He is the Son of God.
But what does that mean?
I mean, how did God get a son?
Especially when you consider that scripture tells us that JESUS is also God.
How can JESUS be the son of God and God as well?
How did the early church come up with this thing that we call Trinity ~ that God is three persons yet one.
As I have said a few times since I have been here, we tend to see JESUS as being human.
AND we also seem to treat God the Father as being human too.
I mean, that is understandable, considering we have no other benchmark.
We only know and see humans.
But and here’s the thing: JESUS was a ‘being’ before he became human.
Scripture tells us He was there at the creation.
In John’s terms, He was the Word who became flesh.
And as Paul writes, he emptied Himself of His divinity in order to become fully human with us
This period of Lent in the Christian year helps us stop and take in just who is JESUS, and our reading this morning, gives us a glimpse of just who He is.
Of course, to fully understand who JESUS is, you need to have faith (which I will talk about next Sunday).
Faith is not something you do.
It is not a verb.
it is a noun, which means it is something you receive and take hold of.
As you lean into Lent and ponder these things you will discover the hope of the nations, and discover as well the love that the Father has for you.

God bless you
Ron

Who Is God Like?

Ever asked yourself that question?
Yeah, we know God is kind and compassionate and all that, but is there anyone we can compare Him with, so that we might be able to get our minds around it.
I mean, God is so big.
And, He is perfect in every way
He’s just not like any other human

And there you have it.
Do you ever notice that when you think of God you tend to think of Him in human terms?
Oh yes, we are always asking God for miracles but we need to jump start our minds when we do that.
Because, when things get tough for us, we tend not to think about God being able to help.
We just have to help ourselves.
Confusing?
Yep, sure is.
You see, there is just not anyone we know, like God
So it’s hard to see who God is like when you cannot see someone ‘in the flesh’ who acts like God.
I suppose this is where FAITH comes in.
The bottom line is that God is like someone we have never ever seen before
AND He is not human.
He doesn’t make mistakes
AND He doesn’t act like one of us
He is so much more or above what we perceive humans to be
So there is no one to compare God with.
And that is the crux of the problem fo us.
To trust in someone you just cannot get your head around is not easy.
Someone once said, to understand God, you need to disengage your brain and just trust Him, and then you will see God for who He truly is.
God bless you

Ron

Salt and Light!

Two very important ingredients in the world today but not just for today but for years and years passed
We have relied upon them heavily
But, as years have passed, many have decided that salt is not that important, and, in fact, it may be harmful, so many have reduced their intake of this commodity.
Anyway, one of the major uses for salt ~ preserving ~ has been taken over by the refrigerator.
Meantime light has become more and more important.
Billions of dollars have been spent on making light better ….. not just so we can see better, but because advertisers can sweet talk you into buying what they are advertising.
Mmm, sounds heavy
BUT what does it mean when JESUS says, “YOU are the salt of the earth, and YOU are the light of the world.”

Most of us have taken this to actually say God wants you to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
But that’s not what JESUS said.
So, take away salt and remove light from our existence and instead YOU be the salt and YOU be the light.

What would that look like, you think?
That should get your thoughts a moving.
Maybe that might start up a discussion over morning tea
God bless you
Ron

There’s something about flavour
It sets your taste buds a tingling
And, of course there is flavour that is sweet or desserty, and flavour that is savoury.
And salt fits into the last category
One might argue that it was the original flavour.
It was also the original refrigerator (of sorts)
Before the advent of such a luxury, people salted their meat to keep it as fresh as they could.
In calling us to be salt, JESUS is not asking us to be a preservative or a substitute to the refrigerator.
Rather He is inviting us to show by the way we live that JESUS is worth living for.
In the part of the chapter we read last week (Matthew 5: 1-12) JESUS spells out the attributes of the One who loves us all
And He calls us to follow Him (not just down the road) but by displaying those same attributes
When you mix salt and light together, you have a real dynamo, and these two things in us allows people to see JESUS in us
And that will draw them to want JESUS in their lives too.
Talking about JESUS is one thing.
Living a life that shows JESUS to the world is another and much harder thing to do.
But it can be done, when we call on God to help us.
And He will
Well, God bless you,
Ron