Romans 6:20-25 KJV; By faith in the blood of Christ shed for us we have received forgiveness and the gift of eternal life.

 

Transfigured In The Light Of Christ

John 3:16-21 KJV; By faith in Christ we step into the light and that light of Christ will shine in and through us.

 

Reconciled To God

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 KJV; Reconciled to God through the blood shed on the cross.

Death Has No Power

Philippians 1:21 KJV; There is no need to fear for the believer. In Christ we have eternal life in the presence of Almighty God.

Listen To His Voice

John 10:22-30 KJV; 4th Sunday of Easter; The sheep hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and listen to him.

Rejoice, Pray, And Rejoice Some More

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV; Rejoice and pray and rejoice some more for your Father in heaven has heard and answers.

Where Is Your Treasure?

Matthew 6:19-21 KJV; Where your treasure is there is your heart. Where is your heart?

Reconciled By His Blood

Colossians 1:12-20 KJV; Reconciled by the blood of Jesus the Christ who is the light sent to the world. 

Jesus Preached

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. 

                                                                            (Luke 4:42-44 KJV)

We have received so many gifts from God that we cannot even begin to count them. We give thanks to God for all of these gifts; known and unknown.

We, who were separated by our sins from God, are now reconciled to God in His Kingdom through the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us. 

Jesus said that he was sent to preach the Kingdom of God. That is the Good News that he was sent to deliver to us. The Good News is that he not only preached it; he made it a reality for all who believe. 

Do not be deceived. This Kingdom is not just for after we die physical deaths. Life in this Kingdom, reconciled to God, is for today as well. That is the Good News! That is the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus the Christ!

The kingdom of God has come and we, by faith, in our Lord, Jesus the Christ, are residents of that kingdom. Yes, we live in this world; but, all who believe also live in the Kingdom and under the gracious rule of God our Father, the Lord Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us live life reconciled to God and in communion with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ now and for all of eternity! Let us share this Good News so that all might live in his presence and peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.   (Matt 28:16-20 KJV)

Today is Trinity Sunday. Usually, on Trinity Sunday, I focus a bit on the essence of the triune God. But, with the state of the Union as it is today I am reminded greatly of what or rather who it is that can save us. Who it is that forgives us all of our sins, reconciling us to God and to one another. God through Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit is our only real help in times like these.

We, too often, get caught up in the physical world, we forget that our battle is with spiritual forces. St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph 6:12)

Yes, we must stand up for what is right in this world. We must protect our neighbors. But, we cannot forget that what is behind the chaos are spiritual forces that aim to destroy us. We must engage in battle with these spiritual forces. We do that by doing exactly what Jesus commanded: teaching all people, baptizing in name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them everything that Jesus commanded to be taught. And, what he taught is good news for all people. We are to proclaim that Good News! We are to let people know that all power and authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth. That will bring to us adversity. But, we must trust him to help us as we proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom for all who believe in him. We must rely on his (not ours, not any government's) authority and power to overcome the chaos. 

We thank God our Father this and every day that through the Son and by the power of the Holy Ghost we can stand firmly, facing all adversity, so that all people might know that freedom and the peace that God would give to us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Remember Not My Sins

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.

Psalm 25:1-7 KJV

I have heard many a person say that they would like to be young again. Not me! I made way too many mistakes; committed way too many sins as a young person that I would prefer to forget. Some of them, I probably have forgotten. Others, I have not. I know that if I were to be back in the days of my youth, the lack of my knowledge and faith in what Jesus has done for me would most probably have me making the same mistakes and committing the same sins. I am sorry for them and would not like to repeat them.

As I remember them from time to time, I am thankful that God, according to His mercy, those sins are washed out. I may remember them; but, I also remember that that God is a God of tender mercies and loving kindnesses. He sent His only begotten son that through the shedding of his blood on the Cross all who would believe in him would not perish. We would be forgiven our sins and reconciled to God for all of eternity.

By faith alone, in Christ alone, we are forgiven. The sins of the past are in the past. They are done with and dead. In Christ we have new life and a new way of living.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Cor 5:17-19)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

No Peace For The Wicked

I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him.

But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked..

Isaiah 57:19-21

Always trying to stir up mud and mire; to create dirt and filth, there is no room for peace in the lives of those who plot evil. One cannot know peace if they are busy stirring up chaos.

Yet, those who pursue peace; those who assist their neighbor in the pursuit of peace; they will live in peace. Those who seek to live reconciled to God and to one another will know the peace that only He can give no matter what storms the evil doers would create for them. They will know peace because God is with them. 

God's peace be with you all. Pr. J 

Get Rid Of False Gods

And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. (Deut 8:19)

I sometimes cannot do anything but shake my head when I consider the many worthless idols that people around me worship. I know that they know better. It is very sad to know that rather than God, people fall into the trap of worshiping these inanimate objects. Even sadder is the fact that they don't seem to realize that they are even doing it; so there is no repentance. There is no change other than sinking deeper into despair as they continue in the worship of the false gods.

I have been told more times than I can count: "I believe. That is enough." But, what do you believe? Do you believe that the money you're trying to win gambling online is going to save you? It's more likely to bury you. And... even if you do win; will it really bring you happiness? Why do you waste the hours, the days, the life that God has given you to such worthless pursuits? Do you really believe that the drugs (even if they are legal prescriptions) and the alcohol are going to bring you peace? What's up with that, anyway? Has all sense departed this world?

Or, do you believe that Jesus truly came to give you life? Do you know? Do you believe that he suffered on the cross so that you could live reconciled to the one true God? If you believe it, destroy those false gods and bow before for the one who was willing to die so that you might live life in his presence now and forever.

God's Peace - Pr. J