John 11:1-45 KJV; 5th Sunday in Lent; Jesus wept not for Lazarus; but, for the people who grieved and did not understand fully who Jesus was and what he could do.

 

Our Life Is In Christ

1 John 5:9-15 KJV; 7th Sunday of Easter; Our life is in Jesus the Christ! Live life in him!

For The Sake Of Others

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13 KJV)

Jesus gave us the commandment to love one another. Then he showed us how much we should be willing to love by dying on the cross for us. 

Today is Memorial Day; the day we remember the many that died so that others might live in freedom; freedom to worship; freedom to speak the truth; freedom to live without persecution. They died to preserve freedoms here at home and around the world. They died not just for their friends; but, for people they did not even know. 

Today is a day not just to remember what they have sacrificed for us; but, maybe it should be a day to ask ourselves what we would be willing to give for love and for the sake of others. Would we give up our own safety for the sake of the well-being of others? Sadly, from what I am seeing in this country today; many would not. Safety, it seems, too often comes before serving those in need. 

As we remember the fallen today, let us thank God for the men and women who have loved humanity so much that they were willing to give their lives for us. 

Today as we thank God for the sacrifice that the many made so that we could enjoy our freedoms; let us not neglect to thank God for the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for us. Let us thank God, for Jesus who showed us what it means to truly love one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

In Whom Do You Place Your Confidence?

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. (Prov 25:19 KJV)

I recently had to have emergency dental care and am acutely aware that a bad tooth can put you down quite quickly. Proverbs tells us that trusting a person who is only faithful to their own desires is like a bad tooth. He or she will only put you down. They will do anything to lift themselves up; to look good in the eyes of others, to prosper themselves. They have no problem throwing you to the wolves if it means that it will benefit them no matter how small that benefit might be. 

Rather than trust in one who is faithful only to themselves; trust in the one who put your welfare even before his life. Trust in the Lord Jesus who lived and died and lives again for you! Rejoice! Jesus lives! Have confidence in him!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Liberty Is For Serving One Another

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

                                                                                                   (Gal 5:13-14, 25-26 KJV)

It is Independence Day! We remember and celebrate our freedoms. However, there are many who though set free from bondage continue to cry that they are still in bondage. That is true. Many are still in bondage. We are in bondage because we look to the law rather than love to set us free. If we look to the law and governments to give us what we want we will remain in bondage. It is only love that can set us free from self-inflicted bondage; from self-pity; from self-aggrandizement. It is necessary to take care of oneself so that we are able to love others. But, we must be careful that caring for ourselves does not mean stepping on the liberty of others. Often, our elected representatives listen to lobbyists that can benefit them and their particular concerns putting forth agendas that might make some people or groups free to do a little more of what they want even while they restrict the freedom and rights of others. In other words, many of our elected officials would indulge some while putting others under a yoke of bondage. Those law are not about loving all of the people of this country. They are about worrying about themselves and how they're going to get elected the next time around. Those laws are created solely out of concern for themselves.

Jesus cared enough about others; about us, enough to free us from bondage; particularly from the bondage of sin that separates us from God and one another. 

He died to set us free and he tells us that we are to follow in his footsteps. His footsteps lead us to a place where we are willing to even die so that others might live with liberty.  

Today we celebrate that men and women were willing to give everything: their property and their lives, risking even their families lives, so that generations to come would not live under the tyranny of a dictatorship; a government without representation.

Thanks to their sacrifices, today we live in a country where everyone has a voice. Some do not use that voice. Others use that voice for self-serving purposes. Even others use that voice to spew hatred rather than love.

We celebrate today, that the blood of many has given us and preserved for us liberty from countries and governments that would take away our freedoms. Let us not forget that the blood of Christ has set us free to live free from the bondage of sin, death, and the power of the devil. Let us live in love for even our enemies. Let us live in peace. 

God's Peace - Pr. J