Let Us Pray

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

(Eph 3:14-21 KJV)

God is not a mere abstract figure. He is above all and in all and through all. Jesus is the one who is able to do all that we ask and more according to the power of the Holy Spirit that works in and through all of our Father's children. 

May God grant all of his children the knowledge of who he is and what he has and will do for us so that we might learn to depend on his grace and his power in all things.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Fiery Plagues

Rev 9:13-21 KJV

The sixth trumpet sounds and what is this army that God sends that it would have no impact on the hearts of humankind? John sees a powerful image of hundreds of thousands of mounted troops to destroy one third of mankind by three plagues of fire that come out of the mouths of the horses. What a fearsome site that would be! 

Now, most people have a little fear of fire or at least a little respect of it. Once burned by fire, it would be wise to learn from that lesson and play games with fire. We change the way we do things so that we do not get burned again. But everyone learns. Not everyone in John's vision learned. The plagues of fire that God sends do not change the hearts or minds of any of those who were not believers before the great army of mounted riders came. Those who are not killed still cannot comprehend that God is Almighty; that He is God, and He alone is to be worshiped. They do not repent. They continue to worship demons and all sorts of false man-made idols. They do not repent of any of the things they have been doing to disrespect and sin against God or humankind. 

May God open our hearts and minds so that we can comprehend that once burned we ought to quit playing around so we do not get burned. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Good Gifts for Children

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13 KJV)

Not every parent gives good gifts to their children. There are those parents who are so self-absorbed that their children are neglected and/or abused in order to satisfy their own egos; their own desires. Years ago I was doing substance abuse assessments on new intakes at a youth correctional facility. One young man told me how his uncle who was his guardian beat him with an electric cord when he didn't live up to his uncle's expectation. I asked for an example of what would get him a beating. This teen was expected to keep the house clean. On his knees, he used a scrub brush and rags to clean the floors. Of course, this is not unheard of. Many of us still do this. However, if his uncle found the job to be unsatisfactory, the boy would bare his back and the uncle would beat him with an electric cord. I asked to see his back.  His dark skin was covered in stark white and fresh pink scars; too many scars to even count. I cannot comprehend how anyone could hurt anyone like this. I do not recall why this child was in the correctional facility. However, the atrocities that were committed against him by someone who should have been caring for him are burned into my mind.

Not all parents or guardians know how to give good gifts to their children. But, it is not so with our heavenly Father. Whether we live up to all of the standards the world would set for us; our Father in heaven loves us and cares for us.  Every now and then I cannot help but give thanks in wonder at why He should bless me so richly. 

Let us give thanks to God for our life and our breath and for His loving presence with us always. May He also put a spirit of unconditional love into the hearts of all who are in positions to care for children. And, we all are!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Comprehension of Love

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Eph 3:17-19 KJV)

I woke up this morning with the realization that I did not just believe in God or as some would say a higher power. I woke up with the comprehension that I actually know him. There was no doubt in my mind that he exists. However, I also realized that I do not pay Him the honor or respect or the love that belongs to Him. 

It is one thing to say that I believe in the one true God. However, it is totally something else to worship Him in spirit and truth. We must be reminded often that God loves us so completely that He was willing to give His only begotten Son to die for people who so reluctantly or even refuse to worship Him. Without the comprehension of how much He truly loves us; of what He was willing to do to save us from ourselves, it is quite impossible to love and worship Him in return as we ought.

Today is also the anniversary of D-Day. A day that so many were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of others. Can there be anything greater than a love like this? 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

God grant us the ability to comprehend the true value of the love of God in Christ Jesus that we might all learn to love God and one another even as He loves us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The God of Power and Glory

Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. (1 Chron 29:11 KJV)

So, your life seems totally messed up? The whole world is against you! Everything bad that happens is someone else's fault. If so, just maybe it's because you are worshiping a false god. I know, you are a Christian. The reality is many Christians don't really comprehend what it means to follow Christ. It means he comes first. He comes first before us. He comes before our personal desires that actually go against the will of God.

God is the greatness, the power, and the glory! When we put anyone or anything else before him we are deluding ourselves and setting ourselves up for a fall. We are short-changing ourselves and setting ourselves up to live in a very dark place. 

May the light of Christ shine in and through all of His children that He might be exalted in all of the earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J.