Be Sober; Be Vigilant!

1 Peter 5:6-11 KJV; 7th Sunday of Easter;  Be aware of what is going on for the devil is always aware of what you are doing and will catch you up if you are not paying attention.

Be Sober; Be Vigilant

1 Peter 5:6-11 KJV; Be sober; be vigilant for your adversary the devil seeks to devour you. Have faith that the Lord will give you strength and lift you up!

Be Prepared!

 

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 

                                                                                     (1 Thess 5:1-6 KJV)

No one can know when their last breath will be taken. As a thief in the night, the Lord will come in full glory and we cannot know when that will take place. But, we can be prepared. 

To guard against thieves in the night there are many precautions we can take. Surely, we can at least lock our doors. I prefer it to be quiet in the house so that I am easily awakened by any unusual noises. I also do not go to bed intoxicated by anything. If someone breaks in, I would like to be of sober enough mind to at least know it and be able to either defend myself and/or at least call for help. There are many other ways that we can secure our homes and ourselves against thieves who do their mischief at night.

We can also prepare for the day when the Lord comes unexpectedly like a thief in the night. Scripture tells us we will not and cannot know the day or the hour. But, we can and should prepare for that day by reading and hearing his word. We can prepare by listening to him as well as bringing our concerns to him so that he might lead us in the way he would have us go. 

There are many ways that we can prepare for his coming. Do not delay your preparations for another day, another year, another time. No one knows when that day will come. It could be today, tomorrow or a thousand years from now. It makes no difference. Watch! Wait! But, be prepared to see the Lord in full glory!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do What Might Bring Peace

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. 

                                                                                          (Titus 2:1-8 KJV)

All I have to say about these verses from Titus is that it would be so nice if this actually happened. I cannot even begin to imagine how peaceful life would be.

God's Peace - Pr. J

All Things

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."  Rom 12:3 NIV

Have you ever been around someone who is always right?  Yes, I know you have. It can be a terribly tiring ordeal to always be wrong because someone else is always right. Those who think that they are always right and since they are everything must be done according to the way they say it must be done. That causes just a bit of conflict and discord. Generally, others like to stay away from those who are so arrogant that they think they are so perfect.

Prayerfully you are not one of those who correct everything that everyone one else says and does. Prayerfully we should all take the time to listen to others opinions and ideas and plans and dreams for the greater good. Prayerfully, one day we will all learn to listen and to lean on one another not thinking so highly of ourselves that we think we can do anything and all things. 

Only God can know all things, listen to Him. Only God has accomplished all things for us through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Not Safe To Travel

If you must travel; stay close to home!

In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil." 2 Chronicles 15:5 NIV

Okay; so I've taken the unsafe travel scripture way out of context! But, If I ever decide I must travel on the day after Christmas again; someone, please remind me to not do it!

My husband and I went to visit our youngest son and his family in South Carolina Christmas day and came home yesterday. That is the second time in recent years that I have traveled a distance on the day after Christmas. Yesterday was not as bad as the last time; but, it was not good. I did a lot of gritting my teeth and my lower back is sore this morning from all the tensing up. Over an hour before we reached Jacksonville the traffic was quite heavy and the GPS was warning us about an accident on US 95 south of Jacksonville. By the time we reached the accident it had still not been cleared out. The GPS rerouted us along a slightly faster route; but, of course everyone's GPS was trying to reroute them and many changed their course as we did. Traffic was not light, to say the least!

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit; but, not the drive. The holiday travel season is not over, yet. So, beware and be careful as we come upon the celebration of the secular new year. Drive with caution as roads will be crowded and not everyone driving will be sober. I personally make it a habit to stay at home on New Year's Eve to help ensure that I will live to see the new year. Of course, even that is in God's hands. And, may He be with you to keep you safe whether you are traveling or not. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Transformed By The Renewing Of Our Minds

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." Romans 12:2-3

Whenever I hear someone say things that promote "doing your own thing" or "whatever, so long as it makes you happy" or "don't worry about what others think.. be true to yourself," I cringe a bit inside. No, we do not have to be like or go along with the ways of the world. But, in choosing to be "different" we ought to consider our motivation in desiring to stand out in the crowd. Is it for self-gratification or for the glory of God.

Indeed, St. Paul advises us to not be conformed to the world. But, he adds that we are to think we sober judgment and live according to our faith in Christ Jesus.

May God bless each of us with renewed minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.r. J