To judge or …

Posted on 19 January, 2021 by papajan

… not to judge!

It is easy to point a finger and categorise people,
… judging them, even condemning them!
But is that God’s way?

      God does not judge us according to who we are,
      … but God looks at our heart!
      God does not judge us according to our failures,
      … but according to what we do about them!

      And do not be conformed to this world,
      but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
      that you may prove what is that good
      and acceptable and perfect will of God.
      Romans 12 2

Although God wants us to change,
… God cannot make us change
… because He gave us freewill,
and therefore He says to us,

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
Philippians 2 12

And as we change our way of thinking,
… and the way we do things,
God will help us,
… because He does not want to judge us
He wants to bless us!

I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
John 12 47

A whole new world…

Posted on 5 January, 2021 by papajan

… at your finger tips!

There is a whole world inside that ‘smart-phone’

      A world that may seem unreal, but shows you
      … ‘unbelievable’ possibilities and opportunities
      … that are available to you.
      All you need do is to download them and use them!
      … at a cost that everyone can afford!

And what do we do?
We search, download, install, find out how it works
… accept and play!
A GAME or whatever, taking over our time, thinking and life!

Easy to believe and easy to use,
because we see it changing and filling our lives!

Did you know that there is a REAL world inside the Bible?

      A world that may seem equally unreal, but shows you
      … ‘unbelievable’ possibilities and opportunities
      … that are available to you.
      All you need do is to download them and use them!
      … at a cost that everyone can afford!

And, if you see the Bible’s true value.
… it is easy to believe and easy to use!
It WILL change and fill your life to overflowing.
Because the developer, God, is not on some digital platform,
but real, present and installing all those promises
… personally for you, with you and in you!

Download today – so that He can upload your TOMORROW!

      And my God shall supply all your need
      according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
      Phil 4 19

Character of a Loving God

Posted on 22 December, 2020 by papajan

… His will – your choice!

God does not demand or do anything
… in which He forces His will on others!

For example,
God wants everyone to be blessed,
but at the same time, God hates sin.
… Yet the angels could sin, the devil could sin,
… and even we are allowed to sin!

God does and makes everything perfectly,
and God has awesome plans for all of His creation,
… providing all the necessary potential for them to come to pass.
But what we do with that potential,
… God leaves up to us.

      For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose
      I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you,
      and that My name may be declared in all the earth.’
      Rom 9 17

Pharaoh had a choice, the choice God gave him through Moses.
In fact – 10 times God said to Pharaoh – ‘Let My people go!’
God gave Pharaoh the choice of what happens to Egypt,
… and we know the choice Pharaoh made!

God’s plan for ALL of our lives is …

      that He might make known the riches of His glory
      on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared
      beforehand for glory, even us whom He called…
      Rom 9 23-24
      ‘Life, and life in abundance’
      John 10 10

God’s plan is simple
… but the manifestation thereof, God put in our hands!

If it’s not personal…

Posted on 7 December, 2020 by papajan

… it just isn’t!

God knows everything and everyone,
… but He does not only want to know about us,
God wants to know us personally!
Not just our name and address,
… but He desires a personal relationship with Him.

Jesus gave us this illustration of what a real relationship is, saying

      Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
      have we not prophesied in Your name …
      and done many wonders in Your name?’
      And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you.’
      Matt 7 22-23

It is not about our wants or needs,
… or what we think we can do for Him,
but about who He is,
… and what He wants to do in our lives!

So how does God get to know us?
In the same way as we get to truly know anyone else,
… by spending time with Him.
… by opening our lives up to Him.

      But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
      and all these things shall be added to you.
      Matt 6 33

God wants to be God in our lives,
… doing for us what we cannot do,
but that is only possible if we allow Him to be God,
… not of what we want, but of what He wants.

      For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
      So are My ways higher than your ways,
      And My thoughts than your thoughts.
      Isa 55 9

Getting to love … God

Posted on 24 November, 2020 by papajan

life

We all want to have that knowledge or confidence
… that God knows us.

But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him
1Cor.8 3

So the question is…
How do we love God?

      The same way He loved you,
      … by giving His all, His life (in Jesus) for you!
      You give all that you are – to Him!

How do you do that?
You believe that you are loved,
… and you start living love!

      You give Him your hands,
      … the things you do, you do for Him.
      You give Him your thoughts,
      … you put your decisions in His hands.
      You give Him your eyes,
      … you look where you can do something for Him.
      You give Him your actions,
      … you reach out in love to His creation
      You give Him your heart,
      … in which He already shed His love,

      Beloved, if God so loved us,
      we also ought to love one another.
      1 John 4 11

Supplying your needs…

Posted on 9 November, 2020 by papajan

– according to –

How does God give you what you ask for?
How does God supply your needs?

Well, what did Jesus do…?

      When a multitude followed Jesus to hear Him teach,
      … eventually they were hungry and needed food.
      Jesus told His disciples to feed the multitude,
      … they replied

We have here only five loaves and two fish.
Matt 14 17

      In actual fact, those few fish and loaves
      … were not even enough for the disciples.
      So, did Jesus give them money to go buy food?
      No!

      He took the five loaves and the two fish,
      looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves
      and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
      So they all ate and were filled,
      Matt 14 19-20

And … when all had eaten,
… there was more left over than when they started,
because God does not supply according to our need.

So how did Jesus supply in the need of that multitude?

      And my God shall supply all your need
      according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
      Phil 4 19

Standing on …

Posted on 26 October, 2020 by papajan

…a sure foundation!
life

A building is sure because of its foundation,
… that is what holds it up
and is what holds it secure!
      The foundation on which we stand,
      … that holds us up and secure, is
      the love of the Father and His commandments.

A building is strong and safe because of its structure,
… that holds it together,
and thus able to perform its function!
      The Holy Spirit keeps us safe and strong
      according to the working of God’s mighty power
      …which He worked in Christ – (Eph.1 19)
      … and in which we stand.

A building’s splendor is in what you see
… its facade, its covering that shows you what it is,
that attracts you to it and that invites you in!
      The Lord Jesus is our splendor
      … if we allow Him and His love to envelop us
      so that the world will see
      … a sure, strong glorious ‘church’
      in Me – and – on Me!

How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
All the earth shall worship You
and sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.
Psalm 66 3-4

A reasonable excuse…

Posted on 28 September, 2020 by papajan

…or lying to yourself?

What do we do or say
… when things went wrong
… or when we did something wrong?
We make excuses!

However are those excuses valid
… or are we lying to ourselves?

But … I don’t lie to myself!
Really?

      The reality is that,
      … every time we make an excuse
      … we are lying to our self!

An excuse is simply a justification,
… trying to justify something
… that was actually NOT right in the first place.

      It is covering up the truth,
      … instead of facing what is wrong
      and doing what is right!

Whereas … when you give a reason
… why something is as it is,
your are exposing the truth.
… as well as what actually happened,
thus taking the responsibility,
… so that what there should be, can be!

      For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed,
      nor hidden that will not be known.
      Luke 12 2

Small faith – Big results

Posted on 19 September, 2020 by papajan

…a seed in the ground!

Faith is not just about big things
in fact faith is really always about the small things.

      So often we ask of God,
      … then we wait for an answer from God
      and as often it seems that nothing is happening,
      … and that God also is not saying anything!

NOT TRUE…
God always answers,
and He will supply our need according to His riches.
So why then do I not hear?
Why is nothing happening?

God’s Kingdom is based on the principle of
… seedtime and harvest (Gen. 8:22)
As Jesus explained in so many of His parables,
… and He even compared faith to a seed.

      if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
      you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’
      and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you
      Matt 17 20

It seems that God mostly answers our prayers
… and our request, by giving us a seed.
A seed, that if we receive it and plant it
… then He will take us to the next step of His answer!
As the Bible also says,

      Now may He who supplies seed to the sower,
      and bread for food,
      supply and multiply the seed you have sown
      and increase the fruits of your righteousness
      2 Cor 9:10

The absence of…

Posted on 16 September, 2020 by papajan

…what is real!

There are many things that actually are not,
… yet are perceived by us as real.
Such as for instance darkness.
We so often even say this darkness is so thick
… you can cut it with a knife!

      However, darkness is a non-entity,
      … and if you don’t believe that,
      … then go ahead and prove it as being real!
      Well at least you can try!

Go into a room that is full of light,
… and switch on darkness!!!
You cannot, no matter how you try,
… it is simply impossible,
because there is NO switch to turn darkness on or off!

So, what then is darkness?
Darkness is quite simply the absence of light,
and therefore, if you want darkness,
… you have to switch off light!
In other words, you have to remove light,
… or remove yourself from the light.

Look up at the sky at night,
… what do you ‘SEE’?
Nothing – except where something actually reflects light,
… like the moon, stars, etc.
Otherwise all there is, is NOTHING,
… a nothing that we call darkness!

      Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you;
      he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
      John 12 35

      But if we walk in the light as He is in the light
      we have fellowship with one another…
      1 John 1 7

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