We Have Hope In His Goodness

Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.

Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. 

                                                                               (Psalm 119:114-116 KJV)

Since the beginning of time as we know it people have endured much hardship. The troubles often come at the hands of others; sometimes by our own poor choices. Sometimes we allow ourselves to be led astray into some serious "stinking thinking" through social media or hanging out too much with others whose lives are lived in darkness. Sometimes natural disasters are the cause of our grief. 

When troubling times come we often turn to the Lord and either blame Him or  maybe we have enough faith and good sense to trust him to see us through these times. There are definitely times in our lives when the only thing that can keep us up is prayer and hope in His Word; His promises.

We have hope because we trust God and we trust His Word. No matter how horrible things may seem God can work it out for the good for you and already has a good plan for you. Trust him and live with hope in His Word.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Not A Victim

"Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. (Jonah 1:1-3 KJV)

Jonah was given a calling by God. God sent him to Ninevah to warn the people that they needed to change or he would destroy them. But, Jonah did not want to go. He ran so that he wouldn't have to go and face this challenge that God had called him to. Poor Jonah, God was picking on him.

Poor Jonah! The ship that Jonah used to try to run away from his calling; his responsibilities was about to sink in a storm. In order to save his shipmates' lives he confessed that he was the cause of the storm because he was trying to run away from God. He had them throw him into the sea to save themselves where he was swallowed by a very large fish. Poor Jonah!

Jonah repented of not listening to God and God had the fish spit him out onto the land. Jonah went to Nineveh reluctantly and warned the people that they must repent or be destroyed. Unbelievably, they repented and they were spared! But, Jonah was not happy. All that he had to go through and those horrible people actually repented. Why did God put him through all of this? Jonah felt sorry for himself. He felt like a victim.

Not everyone who thinks they are a victim actually is a victim of others. They may however be a victim of their own stinking thinking as Jonah was. There are many legitimate victims in this world. They suffer horrendously at the hands of others. Many are tortured and killed. But, just because we don't like our circumstances at any given moment, that does not make us a victim. It may make us unhappy; but, not necessarily a victim. Sometimes, maybe often, those things that make us uncomfortable are challenges that we need to face so that we and even the people around us might grow. Those challenges may not be attacks on you personally; but, God calling you to do his will. It just may be that you are being called to follow Jesus and that may mean that your ego must die. But, do not worry. If or when he calls you, he will be there working in and through you for the good of all people.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Shake The Dust Off Your Feet

And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. (Matt 10:12-14 KJV)

I have not visited many people recently due to the pandemic and stay home - stay safe recommendations. However, following Jesus' instructions, when I do I normally ask a blessing upon the house as I walk up to the door. If I am treated badly then I can still leave in peace knowing that my prayer for peace for that household has come back to bless me.

The reality is that not everyone is going to accept who we are as Christians. Some will be overtly rude; others not quite so in your face; but, more subtly disrespectful. Jesus reminds us that we are to walk away from those who will not listen. We are to walk away shaking the dust off of our feet. 

During my CPE training in seminary one of the goals I had to work on was to walk away. It had become a habit to be a care-taker for a few people who had no intention of helping themselves. The reason I was called to some of these homes was because they were under the impression that as a pastor I must be not judge and accept all things no matter how damaging those things were to themselves and the community. They needed someone to reassure them that they were OK. I had to come to terms with the fact that there were many people who actually needed help in some form or other. There are many people who need and desire to hear that Jesus died for them and that by his blood they are forgiven and reconciled to God our Father. But, my time had been being used up by a few people who were dependent on someone holding their hands and inevitably supporting their stinking thinking. 

We do not have to be in close relationships with those who reject the Word of God. It can be helpful in order to shed some light on them. But, we should also consider that there are over seven billion people in the world; many of them have not heard how much God truly loves them. Spending so much of our time with someone who has become an impediment to sharing the Gospel with those who are willing to hear is very poor stewardship of God's gifts.

There are those who will attempt to make you feel guilty if you do not stay closely connected to those who would impede the coming of the Kingdom. The reality is that sometimes we may need to follow Jesus' instructions and walk away as we shake the dust off of our feet for their sake as well as for the sake of others.

God's Peace - Pr. J.