When almighty God created the universe and all things therein, he established certain laws by which it would function and continue. He established all the laws of physics, mathematics, and astronomy, which he has by grace revealed to mankind; likewise, he established spiritual laws by which mankind was to relate to him and enjoy his fellowship. He delivered to Moses the ten commandments and other instructions that were required to be obeyed if one was to have fellowship with him and inherit his eternal glory.

No one can see God and inherit his glory unless they kept the whole law. If they failed in one point of the law, all was lost. God knew from the very beginning, because of the nature of man, what was in man, and the frailty of man, so he made provision for mankind by sending Jesus Christ into the world, the one and only person and member of the human race who is one hundred percent man and at the same time one hundred percent God, who alone was able to obey the whole law in its' entirety.

God stills holds all mankind responsible for obeying his laws, but warns us that no one is capable of obeying the law perfectly, therefore unless someone else who is capable does for us that which we cannot do for ourselves, we are without hope and lost. But the good news is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save us from the curse of the law and set us free and place us under the grace or unmerited favor of God.

Jesus said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. for verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittles shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5: 17-20.

Some people may think that because Christians are under grace and not under law, that the laws and commandments of God no longer apply, but this is not so. Jesus taught otherwise. The requirements of the law are in effect today as much as they ever were, but none of us can meet those requirements no matter how hard we try. Our only hope is to flee to Jesus for forgiveness and ask him to impute his righteousness to us. Then sin no longer abounds but grace does much more abound, and we are set free from the curse of breaking God's laws.

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Up until the time that Jesus was born, the world was in a state of deep spiritual darkness. There had been no communication from God for four hundred years since the prophesies of Malachi, silent years in which every man seemed to do that which was right in his own eyes without any regard for the things of God, much as it is in the world today.

Isaiah had prophesied that there would come a time that the light would be turned on through the coming of the Messiah.

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shinned." Isaiah 9: 2.

Jesus Christ, the light of the world had come to seek and to save that which was lost and give light unto the world, but even after his coming into the world, the world was in such gross darkness that even though the light was shinning, it was necessary for God to send John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness, to declare that the light had been turned on, and to tell the multitudes to "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men." John 1: 4.

"Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12.

We who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and born into his family, have the light of Christ dwelling in us. We ought to keep our gaze upon him so that we will reflect his light to the world around us, even as the moon reflects the light of the sun.

Jesus said: "Ye are the light of the world. a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5: 14-16

Let us pray that each of us who are his will reflect the light of Christ and his salvation to give light and hope to a lost and dying world.

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What is the role of the Christian in the midst of an ungodly world culture? Jesus likened the Christian's influence to that of salt.

Salt is an important substance which adds flavor to our food, and acts as a preservative and an antiseptic healer of wounds. If salt looses its' saltiness, it no longer adds flavor, and no longer preserves, and no longer heals. It is no better that the earth on which we walk.

Jesus said: "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5: 13.

When a Christian comes in contact with those around him who have no knowledge or relationship with God, and know little or nothing of God's saving grace, the ungodly person ought to be able to taste the difference between the holy and unholy lifestyle. The Christian should be a living testimony to the saving grace of God, and the ungodly should taste and see what may be missing in their lives. The Christian ought to act as a preserver of righteousness and right living in his own family circle, his community, and his nation. The tragedy is that many so called Christians have lost their saltiness, so to speak, and though they may be saved and retain a form of godliness, yet, they are no longer the salty influence in their family, community, and nation as they ought to be. Therefore their influence is at a minimum, and the world disregards them, and pays little attention to what they say they believe.

How can this ungodly world system be seasoned so as to have a flavor of godliness and righteousness?

"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another." Mark 9:50.

How does one maintain his saltiness? The answer is: by abiding in Christ; By having his words constantly flowing through our mind; and by keeping short accounts with God, confessing our sins daily so that we maintain a continuous walk in the spirit; and by prayer and meditation.

Let us pray as Christians that we do not loose our spiritual saltiness and continue to make a difference in the world.

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No one can out give God.

Jesus said: :Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Matthew 5: 11,12.

If, for the cause of Christ we make ourselves vulnerable to be reviled, ridiculed, spit upon, abused, neglected, and abandoned by even our own familiar family and friends; even if we suffer physical pain and death, even as the martyrs of old have done, we should count it all joy because God has great rewards for all those who endure such things.

If we must face persecution for Christ, we should never be ashamed of him, for we will be more than conquerors with him in the end. Consider the suffering and persecution that he suffered for our salvation, and see how God has rewarded him for his obedience by giving him a name above every name to whom every knee shall eventually bow.

When we are being persecuted for righteousness sake, we are in good company with all the prophets which went before us.

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Many people, down through the centuries, have suffered persecutions for the cause of Christ, and for the preaching of his gospel.

Jesus warned his disciples, and us, that to follow him would mean persecution and suffering.

The bible says that Satan is a liar, and cannot tolerate truth, so wherever truth is lived and preached, Satan will be at work to stop it.

We live in a relatively free country here in America. We have not yet known religious persecution as some in other countries have; but there are many today in our country who would suppress any mention of God in public places, particularly, the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Bible reading and prayer is being banned from the public school system and sporting events. If we remain steadfast and remain true to the teaching of the word of God, we stand in line for persecution from the ungodly world. Who knows to where it might lead? It might lead perhaps to martyrdom and death.

Only as we derive our strength from a one on one personal relationship with Jesus Christ can we find the grace and strength to endure such persecution.

Jesus said: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5: 10.

If we are being persecuted for the cause of Christ and his righteousness, and bear it patiently to the end, Jesus said we would be blessed and inherit the kingdom of heaven.

We must, however, be sure that if we are persecuted, it is not for any misdeeds of our own, for then we would deserve persecution; but for the cause of Christ, let us be steadfast and unmovable, trusting him to bring us through trials and difficulties for his name's sake.

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