Ask Your Father In Heaven

The Gospel according to St. Luke 11:5-13 KJV We can trust our Father in heaven to care for us.

Miracles

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 

                                                                              (Matt 7:7-11 KJV)

Miracles abound!  The other day there was an event in the life of a friend of mine that could only have been a miracle. I had been praying for him as were other people. Then when the prayer was answered for the good of the man it took me a few hours before I realized that God had indeed answered our prayers. I then wondered why in the world it took me so long to give thanks to our Father for granting him a reprieve from his troubles.

God provides miracles all around us all of the time. Are our eyes and ears and hearts open so that we can recognize them?  There are so many good things that our Father in heaven does for us; so many prayers answered. Yet, do we even acknowledge that he does them and give him thanks or do we just go on with our lives as if he did nothing; as if it was not his hand that lifted the burden from us? 

Our Father in heaven does indeed hear our prayers and he answers them. The answer does not always come in the way we would have it come nor in the time we want it accomplished. But, it does come in God's time and and in his way for the good of all who love him. 

Talk to our Father in heaven. Ask and you shall receive. But, don't forget to give him thanks for hearing your prayer and answering.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Being Fruitful?

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 

                                (John 15:5,7-8 KJV)

So... do we even desire to live life fruitfully or would we rather sit around and complain about how life has not given us any fruit?

Jesus tells us that in order to be fruitful; in order to have a fruit producing and fruit filled life we need to abide in him. Those who have been baptized in to the death and the life of Jesus the Christ do indeed abide in him and he in us. He is the giver of life. He is the source of all goodness and love within us.

Do not delay; cling to his words, live life in and for Christ and be fruitful that our Father in heaven is glorified.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask And Receive The Holy Spirit

Luke 11:9-10 KJV

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)

What a great gift we receive when we receive the Holy Spirit!  The Holy Spirit comes to us as a free gift from God. According to Luther's Small Catechism the third article of the Apostle's Creed affirms that even our faith is dependent upon the Holy Spirit. 

3rd Article

Of Sanctification.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean? — Answer.

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.

Ask and you shall receive the Holy Spirit! Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

God Knows The Way We Should Go

As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. (Eccl 11:5 KJV)

There are some things we cannot know for sure. It can be difficult to plan ahead because we simply do not know what tomorrow will bring. We are after all not God. We can listen to the weather men or women to help us make plans for tomorrow or the next day. But, that they are not always very accurate.  We can listen to the news and try to decipher what is true and what is not. We can listen to the advice of friends; but, their lives' stories are not the same as ours and may not have the same end result as ours if we follow in their path. 

In the end it is best just to listen to God. Seek to know His will and follow in the ways He would have you go. Ask and He will show you the way.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask How You Can Serve Others

And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

                                                                                 (Mark 9:33-35 KJV)

Who is more important? Who is more highly esteemed? Whether we like it or not; whether we're willing to fully acknowledge it or not there is a class system in the country; even in the whole world. Some people are put up on pedestals and others are ignored so completely that the world barely acknowledges their presence.  

St. James wrote:

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"                                                                                           (James 2:1-5)

The actor or the sports star is more highly esteemed than the janitor or even the doctor or nurse.  Many people who live in fine houses and wear expensive name brand clothes look down on those who live in ordinary homes and who dress for comfort and work. The politician for some really strange reason often thinks that they are more important than the security guards and the others that protect them. They forget that they are servants of the people and it's not the other way around. And, the people... so many people want the government to serve them; to give them everything that they want. 

In his inaugural speech, President John F. Kennedy said:  “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” What happened to that idea? Of course, not everyone was thrilled with that idea of his. He barely got the popular vote and he was assassinated during his term in office.

So many seem to have either forgotten, never heard, or just don't care that Jesus said "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." Not everyone is willing to serve others and so the class system will live on. We can put all the laws on the books that we want. But, the law will not change the hearts of men. It may change a few as it will force them to conform to the rule of law. But, even as the people are forced to conform to the law, the hearts of many will only be hardened.  

Service to others is born out of love not the law. Christ died on that cross because he loves us. He willingly went to the cross for our sakes so that we might reconciled to our Father in heaven and to one another. 

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask For Wisdom

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 

                                                                                  (James 1:5-6 KJV)

Solomon asked for wisdom and received it so that he could be a good ruler to the people. James encourages everyone who lacks wisdom to ask God for it. If we ask faith we shall receive it.  The only problem with that is that too many of us are wise in our own eyes and have no clue that we actually lack wisdom. We think that we have no need to learn anything new. We have no need to get anyone else's opinion or advice. We definitely don't think that we should ask God to let us know what is really what since we think we already know everything. We don't ask so we don't receive wisdom or knowledge that would be helpful in not only living our own lives but in helping and serving others. 

Now knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing. There are those who are both knowledgeable and wise. But, the learned are not always wise and the wise are not always learned. It is not wise to trust the wisdom of man for the wisdom of man would tell us that the wisdom of God is nothing but foolishness. And if we believe that the wisdom of God is worthless as many would tell us then we are in for a very difficult road ending in destruction.

We trust not the wisdom of humankind. We put our faith in the wisdom that God has revealed to us in His Son who lived and died and lives again for us.  

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 

                                                                                   (1 Cor 1:18-21)

Ask your Father in heaven to place His wisdom upon your heart. Ask in faith and you will receive.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask; Receive

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

                                                                               (Matt 7:7-11 KJV)

Most parents do give good gifts to their children. However, there are some who never give them anything but grief and bad examples. They don't even help to raise them. Thankfully the latter are not the majority.

All parents make mistakes. We are human. But, most of us will give good gifts to our children when they ask and often even when they don't ask.  Most parents will strive to do what is best for their children even grieving when they are not able to do as much as they desire to do or give. But, our Father in heaven is not human. He does not make mistakes or sin like human parents. He does not fall short. He is able to and indeed gives, according to Jesus, even more abundantly to his children who ask for good things; who ask according to His good will.

Ask and it will be given you. Ask for good things. Ask for a greater knowledge and understanding of God's great love for us and His good plan for us. Ask to live in His presence always and to be filled with the living Spirit of Christ. Ask and you shall receive. Ask and live life in Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Good Gifts

Called To Be Stewards Of All Gifts From God

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

                                                                    (Luke 12:42-44, 48b KJV)

God gives us many gifts. These gifts ought to be used to glorify Him. In the beginning God made us His stewards over all that He created. It is simply good stewardship to take care of the gifts that He has given us in a manner so that they might help us or our neighbors to grow. 

Therefore; we have the saying that to whomever much is given, much is required. The more that we have been given there is more to care for so that the gift does not waste away. Whether it is material or spiritual things that are given us; whether it is plant, animal, or human beings, God would have us to look over these gifts in accordance with His will in order that His Name might be glorified.

May God help us to be good stewards of all that has been given us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask For Wisdom In Faith

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 

                           (James 1:5-6 KJV)

Again; this morning, my attention is turned to the journey on the wrong paths that end negative consequences. How is it that after doing the same old thing with the same old consequences that humankind does not ask for wisdom of God and follow in the path that leads to fruitfulness; to joy; to peace; to eternal life.

There is a quote which is most probably wrongly attributed to Albert Einstein. It says: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." 

If things are continually going downhill for you, just maybe it is time to change what you are doing or the way that you are doing them. Just maybe, it is time to ask God for the wisdom to follow in a way that will be less devastating for you. Maybe, it is time to ask God what it is exactly that you might need to change in your life. 

Ask in faith for wisdom and it will be given to you. But, remember to listen when He answers.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask The Right Person; Ask Our Father

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

                                                                                          (Matt 7:7-11 KJV)

We do not live in vacuums. There are people around us and there is God our Father who is with us and for us. When things go terribly wrong life just seems like it is not worth it, maybe we should consider who we are depending on; who we are trusting, to walk with us through this life. Are they helping or hindering? Are we trusting someone to be there for us when they are not even there for themselves? 

Are you looking for peace in your life? There is one who can help us. That is God our Father who was willing to give us the most precious gifts of life and salvation through the sacrifice on the cross of His only begotten Son. When we are in dire need of help, ask Him. Ask our Father who loves you that much. He can and He will help you on the path to a life of peace.

Most of our earthly fathers would help us according to their abilities. That is what love is. How much more will our heavenly Father help us in our hour of need!

When in need, it would behoove us to ask the right person for help. Turn to Him and find relief; find peace; find joy in His eternal loving presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Renewed!

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom 12:2 KJV)

Tired of the way your're living or the way that you think life is treating you? There is a better way. Try getting to know Jesus. Ask him to empty you of all of your sins; to forgive you, and to fill you with his Spirit. You can be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Your life can be changed. Stop! Stop being in denial of a lifestyle that is bringing you down. Stop and ask Jesus to renew your life! 

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

                                                                                             (Luke 11:9-10)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Temptations and Faith

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

                                             (Romans 5:1-5 KJV)

To be honest, I do not always glory in tribulations.  They can be pretty tough. Tribulations have definitely given me more patience though. They have given me a lot of experience and overall they have taught me that there is hope in the love of God for us. There is  also hope in what God's love can do through us.

I get a lot of prayer requests. Whenever anyone asks me to pray for them to have patience, I ask them if they are sure they want God to answer that prayer. Patience does not come without tribulation. God works patience in us through trials. 

I have a friend who, when her children were teenagers, was having a tough time with their choices and life styles. She confessed that she had asked God for patience and everything went really south for her. She has had quite a challenging life. Today, she is the epitome of patience. But, that patience did not come without a lot of tears.

God answers prayers. Go ahead. Ask him to give you patience. But, at the same time remember to ask him for the strength, the courage, and the wisdom to meet the days ahead. Ask him to grant you faith in that he will be with you and your loved ones no matter what might assail you.

God does answer prayers. Ask wisely for the gifts you desire. Patience is worked through much tribulation. But; with faith, you will know the peace that comes from living in Christ no matter how tough life gets.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matt 21:22)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Seek

"Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." Matt 7:7-8 NRSV

This morning I would really like the Lord to produce a sermon for me. It would be nice if I didn't have to focus on writing it; but, that's not how it works. God is not going to send a sermon directly to my printer. I must do some listening, some searching, in order to know what He would have me say at worship on Sunday.

God does, indeed, gift us with good gifts without our asking. He gave us His only begotten Son without our asking; without our even realizing that we needed him. But, sometimes we must ask in order to for us to be open to hear His word and His will for us. It is not a matter of God not giving them to us freely for He surely will. However, it is a matter of whether we are willing to receive them or not. And... so we finally ask when we are finally ready to receive.

The older I get, the more I realize that in order to know and do God's will I have to actively seek to practice the presence of God so that I can hear Him. I have to actively seek Him because my human nature would shut Him out as I attempt to go it alone, without Him. This, I have found, is not a very wise idea. Of course, God is always with me; but, there are times when I shut the door on Him and I do not listen; I do not hear His word or His will. Without Him, I can do nothing good. But, with Him all things are possible.

So ask the Lord to open your ears and your heart and your mind so that you can know God's good will for all people. Then spend some time in His word and in prayerful listening so that you can know Him for there is nothing more precious than knowing the Lord. For this reason Christ died for us that we might be reconciled to God our Father through him. 

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matt 6:33

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Breath of God Gives Life

"The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”  (Ezekiel 27:1-3 NIV)

Can dry, dead bones live? Of course, they can! According to Jesus: "...with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26) In Ezekiel's vision he was told to prophesy to the breath and when he did the breath came into those dry bones. The breath of God, the Spirit of God, gives us life. It was the very breath of God that brought Adam to life. It is His breath that gives us life. It is His breath that gives us abundant life.

So if you're feeling pretty dried out and dead, ask and you shall receive. Jesus told his followers: Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." (John 16:23-24)

So what will it be: a dried out life or a life filled with love, joy, and peace in the Body of Christ? So many people running (more like crawling) around filled with depression and gloom and doom; angry with the world, when they could live filled with the breath of God, the Spirit of God, united with one another in love, peace, and joy. It is unimaginable, to me, that more will not walk in the way that brings eternal life in Christ, even now.

Dry bones, get up, receive the Spirit of God, and live life abundantly.

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Will Answer

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."  (John 14:12-14 NIV)

Be careful what you ask for in Jesus' name. You may not appreciate the answer to your prayers when the answer comes as much as you thought you might. God's will; after all, does not necessarily agree with our will. A friend of mine once told me that she was very sorry that she asked God for patience. He had answered her prayer and she was receiving this gift in a very hard way. She was learning it.

Jesus tells us that whatever we ask in his name, it will be given to us. We ask for all kinds of things and the reality is that the answer to some of those prayers is "no." Jesus did not say we could have anything our hearts desire. He said, "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (vs 13)

Our prayers are not answered so that we can be glorified; rather, that our Father be glorified. Whatever we ask in Jesus' name that will glorify God will be answered in His way. We may not like the way in which He answers. His will; His ways are not necessarily our will; our ways.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Do Not Reject The Gift Of The Holy Spirit

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"                                                                                                                      (Luke 11:9-13 NIV)

I grant you that sadly there are parents in this world today who would give their children a snake instead of a fish or a scorpion instead of an egg. But, our Father in heaven, is not one of those parents. He desires good things for all of His children. He gives Holy Spirit to all who ask.

Sadly, there are also many children in this world today who ask for gifts from their parents and once they have received whatever it is they wanted; they put it on a shelf never to be used again or they throw it or give it away. They ask just for the sake of asking; then take the gift and the giver for granted.

So, it seems to go with many within the church, as well. We know that if we ask for the Holy Spirit, our Father will surely give us the Holy Spirit. We are also aware that we were anointed with the Holy Spirit at our baptisms into the Body of Christ. But, what is done with the gift of the Holy Spirit once the Spirit is given? I believe that way too often the gift of the Holy Spirit and the giver are taken for granted. Many might ask for the Holy Spirit; but, then they don't know what to do with this gift. They have their own lives and really don't have time to be following the lead of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is put on the proverbial shelf; hidden away and given no opportunity to work through the one who has received this great gift.

The Holy Spirit is a person; the third person of the Trinity. Will you hide this person in the closet like a child would throw a gift that they don't want to the closet floor?

Ask and you shall receive and after you have received do not disrespect the Holy Spirit. Do not disrespect the One who sends you the Spirit. Do not despise nor reject this great gift from our Father in heaven; but, get to know the Spirit. Get to know the Holy Spirit personally so that you might be guided and comforted and sanctified and so much more in all that you say and think and do.

Ask and you shall receive and then allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through you. Do not reject the gift of the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Dem Dry Bones

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”  (Ezekiel 27:1-3 NIV)

Can dry, dead bones live? Of course, they can! According to Jesus: "...with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26) In Ezekiel's vision he was told to prophesy to the breath and when he did the breath came into those dry bones. The breath of God, the Spirit of God, gives us life. It was the very breath of God that brought Adam to life. It is His breath that gives us life. It is His breath that gives us abundant life.

So if you're feeling pretty dried out and dead, ask and you shall receive. Jesus told his followers: Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." (John 16:23-24)

So what will it be: a dried out life or a life filled with joy and peace in the Body of Christ? So many people running (more like crawling) around filled with depression; decreeing and declaring gloom and doom when they could be living filled with the breath of God, the Spirit of God, united with one another in peace and in joy. It is unimaginable, to me, that more will not walk in the way that brings eternal life in Christ, even now.

Dry bones, get up, receive the Spirit of God, and live life abundantly.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Journeys Of The Heart In The Kingdom Of God

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst." (Luke 17:20-21 NIV)

I hold your heart within my hand.
It beats against my palm.
Your heart
The miracle of Creation and Re-creation
God's most beautiful gift.
I hold it now.
It is mine.
It is yours.
For we are one.
God's most treasured gift
Your heart, your life
Your heart is in my hand.

My Journeys of the Heart have taken me to some really awesome places: beautiful waterfalls, the depths of the oceans and lakes, ruins of long ago cultures and lands, cemeteries, monuments, some far and some near. Many of my memorable journeys have happened right here at home or at work. Many of these journeys were into the hearts and souls of others: spirit touching spirit, becoming one. Journeys of the Heart is not just a physical journey, but also a spiritual journey. It is a journey into the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom of God can be reached. It is closer than you think. It is indeed near you and in you. That Kingdom can be seen and experienced. It is seen as Christ works in and through others and as we experience all of God's magnificent creation. My journeys are not only in the physical world, but in the spiritual world, in the heavenly kingdom, as well. The Kingdom of God is at hand. We cannot see it fully, but we can see it in part. We can catch glimpses of that heavenly glory. But, alas, we've become so attached to the material world that we make "things" a priority and close our eyes to the most beautiful gifts that God has given us. We make "things" our god and write off God and His Kingdom as something that we will see only after death earnestly believing that it will not be too late to treasure our Creator and Redeemer and His Kingdom then. The Kingdom of God is important to us, but not so important that we would seek it right here where we are. Most of us really like the material things of this world and we'd like to hang on to them for as long as we can (and there is nothing wrong with "things," they are gifts from God as well, just as long as we remember who it is that gave us the gifts). Is our hope in eternity at a future date based on fear of the other alternative? Is it the fear of death; not the love of life that draws us to worship on Sunday mornings and then to escape from His Presence (or so we think) to live in a world where we are god for the rest of the week?

But, if that's not enough life for you. If you want a deeper relationship with God. If you want to live in His Kingdom now. Ask and you shall receive. Ask God to open your eyes and you will see: Christ living in and working through your neighbor, the homeless man as he huddles under cardboard to keep warm, in the eyes of the children or in the neighbor you persecute. Remember, His words: "...as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." "...as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." (Matt 25:40, 45) What does this mean? Jesus Christ does live. We do not see Him as those first disciples saw Him before the ascension, but we can see Him. He lives in and through others. He is above all, through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:6)

The Kingdom of God is at hand. His glory is seen in and through His creation, His whole creation. Listen and you will hear praises sung by that creation. His people sing praises. Unfortunately, many voices are only heard on Sunday mornings. His whole creation sings of His glory, His magnificence, His Sovereignty. Watch for it, listen for it: in the wind breathing through the trees, the waves of Lake Superior crashing against the shores in the storm, the birds singing, or even the sunflower bowing it's heavy head in humility. Sometimes its hard to open our eyes and see these things. It may remind us who exactly God is and it isn't us.

May God grant us all the gift of recognizing His Kingdom all around us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

This page was written for one of my first blogs; over ten years ago. It is dedicated to Maurice D. whose heart I held in my hand (as well as all of my brothers and sons in Christ from the Juvenile Correctional Facility). I still think of you daily and thank God for allowing me to touch your heart, as you have touched mine.

Water Necessary

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14

We need water to live. Anyone who has shown up in the emergency room to find out that they were dehydrated and needed much more water to be well knows the reality of our bodies need for water. One glass of water a day just doesn't do it. We need to continuously be replenishing our bodies with water.

When Jesus sat down near the well tired, the Samaritan woman had offered to draw water from the well for Jesus. (John 4:1-26) He took this opportunity to tell her that he could give her living water; water that would sustain her, not just for a few hours; but, for all of eternity.

Water, clean water, is necessary for life here on earth. But, Jesus, who provides living water, is necessary for the refreshment of our souls. This living water is necessary that we might live eternally in the presence of the very one who provides this living water.

Ask and you shall receive. Drink and you will thirst no more. 

God's Peace - Pr. J