Wake Up And Live In The Light

Ephesians 5:8-14; 1 John 1:7; KJV; Wake up! Step out of the darkness and live in the light of Christ!

Saved By Faith In Christ!

Psalm 119:1-8 KJV; Not by keeping the law are we saved for no one can keep it perfectly. We are saved by faith alone in Christ!

We Shall See Him!

1 John 3:1-3; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Ephesians 7:4-6 KJV God is omnipresent; so omnipresent that we cannot fathom it. But, the children of God look for the day when we shall see Him face to face.

To Sweep The Streets Of Heaven

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

                            (1 John 3:1-2 KJV)

To be a janitor and sweep the streets was what one of my pastors once told me he'd like to do when he gets to heaven. Some can't wait to sing in the heavenly choir. Others have said they hope they get to go fishing or see their friends and family who are no longer here on earth. We all have differing views of what heaven is like or what we will do there. No one knows for sure.

What I am convinced of though is that those who abide in Christ and he in them can get a taste of heaven even here on earth. We can know the peace that living in God's presence can bring. And... that, I am convinced, no matter what else heaven might be like, is what life after death to this world is. It is living in the presence of our heavenly Father the one who loves us so much that He has given us the privilege of being His children through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. We who were not his children, by God's grace through faith, are now his children.

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Answers Prayers

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

                                                                              (James 5:13-20 KJV)

Pray and praise the Lord for in His he hears or prayers and answers.

What ails you? Pray to the Lord for healing and wholeness. Then thank him with songs of praise for answering your prayers.

It is difficult for one who refuses to acknowledge their own sins; yet, complains about the sins of others to have a deep faith. How can we say that we have faith in God when our faith lies in our own actions or inactions? How can we say that we have faith in God when we insist that we are not guilty of any wrong-doing?

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

If we have no part in the injustice and ills of the world; if we are not guilty of committing sins against God and our neighbors then why did Christ die for us?

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Gal 2:21)

Let us not frustrate the grace of God! Christ did not die in vain. He died so that we might be forgiven our sins and reconciled to God our Father in heaven. Confess your sins; pray for healing and God in Christ Jesus will make you whole.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Has Chosen Us! Praise Be To God!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

                                                                                        (Eph 1:3-6 KJV)

In a nutshell:  God chose us. We did not choose him. Without his grace given to us through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit we would totally reject him. After all, his way are not our ways. His ways are not the ways of the world and we really like to fit in. 

In spite of our sinfulness, God still chose us because of his love for us.  I have said it more than a few times lately.  "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19 KJV) It is God's love for us and not the fear of hell that moves us to love and serve him. Perfect love casts our fear. So, if it is the fear of hell that motivates you then you probably don't have a real loving relationship with God. It is more than likely that what you're doing is pretending in order to try to hedge your bet, just in case...

Open up your Bibles and may God open up your hearts and minds so that you may have a loving relationship with your God who loves you enough to die for you.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Confession And Forgiveness

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:8-9 NIV)

Pretending that we have not sinned when we clearly have is a sin in itself. The inability to admit that we have sinned separates us from God and from one another. Reconciliation happens when we confess our sins and desire to be forgiven.

Willingly communicating that we are sorry for harming others opens the doors to the reconciliation that God desires for His children. It can be hard to acknowledge our part in bringing hurt to others. But, that is a first healing step for the ones we have harmed and for ourselves.

May God move us toward confession so that we might receive the forgiveness of sins and be made whole in the sight of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Follow In The Way

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what

is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful

is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. 1 John 3:7-8

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-2

If you're going to be led astray by those who would mock God and His good will for all people then stay away from them. It's as simple as that. Unless, of course, you're going to be the strong one and helps guide them on "The Way." But, that can be very wearisome to the soul. Being in the almost constant presence of those who insist on following the ways of the world; of those who insist that everything has to be done their way; can really wear the spirit out. 

For the sake of sharing the good news sometimes we have to put ourselves in those positions. But, we must also make sure that we spend much more time meditating on the word of God so that we might be refreshed and empowered to walk in "The Way."

May God protect us, that the wicked one has no power over us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

God Is Bigger Than Any Giant

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

We face giants every day. The world would place obstacles before us to prevent us from doing God's will; to prevent us from following Jesus wherever He would lead us. But, those giants have no power over us because Christ lives and dwells within us. He has overcome those giants. On the cross, he overcame all that would come against his children.

Do not fear the giants in the world. God is bigger! He is greater! He has done great things for us and He will continue to be with you and in you as you face those giants.

May God grant you courage to do His will and the faith to trust that He is with you as you face whatever the world would throw at you.

God's Peace - Pr. J