Image bearer

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:1‭, ‬27 ESV

We have forgotten we were created by God, we have forgotten He created male and female in His image, we have forgotten that God loves mankind.

God has not, mankind's identity has been stolen, we are created as individuals to reflect the glory of God.

Each of us are created with a purpose.

We have devalued life so much and forgotten God that taking a life is an easy task for a godless society that we do not morn or become furious at the loss of life anymore.

Racial tensions, despising authority, murder on demand authorised from our government are things we have become immune to.

God has not. We play god and unless we turn back God the author of life, life as we know it will be over.

For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!

Romans 5:6‭, ‬10 HCSB

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:3‭, ‬15‭-‬18‭, ‬21‭-‬23 NKJV

Are you covered?

When God told Moses that death was coming to Egypt, and would pass over the homes who had the lambs blood on their posts,  He was giving a prelude to His Son Jesus Christ.

Notice He didn't say the angel will look for homes of great workers, or wealthy businessmen, preachers, or anybody in particular and pass over He said those covered with the blood ,the blood of the lamb.

One day soon God will end what we know as this life for all of us, Jesus will return and those who are covered by the blood of the Lamb will be granted eternal life with Him,  those who are not covered by the blood of the Lamb will suffer an eternity far worse than death.

Just like with Egypt and Pharaoh's courts everyone will be warned and given the opportunity to be covered by the blood will you listen and live, or will you reject and die?

They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them. “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. I am Yahweh; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt.  The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Exodus 12:7‭, ‬12‭-‬13 HCSB

For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was chosen  before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Peter 1:18‭-‬21 HCSB

Would you call God a liar?

I don't know any Christian who would look at God and call Him a liar.

But day after day the way we live says just that, we call God a liar because we doubt Him, we do not trust Him to see us through whatever we face.

Of course this is not always seen on the outside of us, but in our hearts. God searches our hearts and when we fear, doubt God can answer our prayer, worry about our needs, are anxious about things that might happen, we are saying to God I just don't believe you're able to handle this.

But God who created all things says there is nothing impossible for Him

Don't call God a liar by the way you live, seek Him today ask for forgiveness and trust Him. He will never fail you.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25-34

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1:5-8 ESV

Making up your heart.

To many of us have not made up our hearts yet. We say we follow Christ, that is until things go wrong then we stop. In reality we were only following our hearts desire which is self serving pleasure.

When Daniel was taken as a slave the Bible tells us he purposed in his heart not to defile himself, he was going to honor God no matter what.

How many of us can say this?

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8

Here is some modern day Daniels a quick read and very challenging.

Excerpted with permission Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward by Nabeel Qureshi, copyright Nabeel Qureshi. Published by Zondervan

Since Christians will live forever, they are told not to fear in the face of death. Paul says,

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? — 1 Corinthians 15:55

Since we know we will be with God forever, there is no more fear of death for the Christian of true faith. In fact, death is even beneficial to a Christian, because it sends him to God, with whom he is longing to be. Paul writes,

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. — Philippians 1:21

The security of salvation is what liberates Christians to follow difficult teachings of Jesus and to self-sacrificially love one’s enemies, even being ready to die for them.

That is why some Christians have been willing to go to tumultuous Muslim contexts and serve those who could do nothing for them, even in the face of death. Ronnie Smith was a Texan science teacher who decided to move his family to Benghazi when the Libyan revolution was underway. For a few years, he taught chemistry to high school students in the war-torn country, bringing them hope when they had little. He wanted to serve people just as Jesus had, and just as people killed Jesus, so a group of radical Muslims killed Ronnie Smith.

A short time before his death, Ronnie Smith answered a survey indicating that the gospel is what encouraged him to serve people despite the risk of death. He knew his life was in danger before moving to Libya, but Jesus enabled him to answer jihad with compassion. Through the message of the gospel, Jesus made Ronnie Smith invincible. He was able to love without fear.

In February 2015, ISIS beheaded twenty-one Christians on a beach in Libya. In a video the men are seen moments before their execution, calling out to Jesus and mouthing prayers. Most of them were migrant laborers working in Libya to provide for their families in Egypt. Although ISIS slaughtered the men to shock the world with terror, the response of their families sent an altogether different message. In an interview with VICE News, the mother of twenty-four-year-old Abanoub Ayiad said, “May God forgive ISIS,... [but because of them] I gave the best gift to God: my son.” The mother of twenty-five-year-old Malak Ibrahim said, “I’m proud of my son. He did not change his faith till the last moment of death. I thank God... He is taking care of him.” The mother of twenty-nine- year-old Samuel Abraham said, “We thank ISIS. Now more people believe in Christianity because of them. ISIS showed what Christianity is.” The wife of twenty-six-year-old Milad Makin said, “ISIS thought they would break our hearts. They did not. Milad is a hero now and an inspiration for the whole world.”

As with Ronnie Smith, these twenty-one men had been transformed by the gospel, as had their families. They were able to live and die with confidence, and their families were able to rejoice in their deaths because they are now truly alive. Bishop Felobous, himself related to five of the slain men, even expressed sadness upon hearing that the Egyptian military was retaliating against ISIS. “I was very sad when I heard the news of the air strikes led by the Egyptian military against ISIS. God asked us to even love our enemies.” Even after they had slaughtered five of his relatives, Bishop Felobous was able to answer jihad with compassion.

According to numerous reports, one of the men on the beach in Libya was not an Egyptian Christian, but a citizen of Chad. It was not until he saw the faith of the men around him that he was moved to trust in Christ. When the time came to make his decision, asked whether he would denounce Christianity and live or proclaim the gospel and die, he said, “Their God is my God.”

He chose to live for one minute as a Christian rather than for the rest of his life after having denied Jesus.

In Christianity, Jesus shows Christians how to answer persecution with love. Although this suggestion might seem impossible to some and ridiculous to others, Jesus’ teachings were always radical, and they are only possible to follow if the gospel message is true. If we will live eternally with God in bliss, then we can lay down this life to love even our enemies. In the face of jihad, the Christian Jesus teaches His followers to respond with love.