Good Works Come From Faith

1 Peter 1:17-25 KJV; 2nd Sunday after Easter; Good works come from faith that God loves us without respect of persons and because He does, we love Him and desire to do His will here on earth even as it is done in heaven.

A Holy Nation

1 Peter 2:9-10 KJV; We belong to the family of God; adopted into family to live as His children now and forever. We are a royal priesthood; an holy nation and yes.... a peculiar people.

In Word And Deed

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

                                                                        (2 Peter 3:9-12 KJV)

As I was reading Gustaf Wingren's "Gospel and Church" last night it made me consider what kind of holy conversation and godliness we actually carry with us when we leave the church building after worship. Are our hearts and minds so filled with the Good News that we cannot help but carry the message (in words and in deeds) out into the community? Or maybe we've been waiting for the service to get over so we can get on our couches and watch a football game? Maybe you were in such a hurry for worship to be over so that you go and sit alone in your hunting blind so you did not hear the message the pastor was bringing to you. Leisure time is not a bad thing and it can even be a better thing if you are enjoying them with others. But, do not let them become the most important thing. Do not let them become more important than caring for and sharing the love of God with your neighbor.

For indeed, the more important thing is sharing the love of God with those who are in need of either physical assistance or spiritual food which is the word and love of God. That can happen with something as simple as being present for them.

In St. Peter's second letter we are reminded that the Lord is long-suffering and wishes that all people should repent and be saved. He is not willing that any should perish. How will that take if we are not sharing his love by caring for our neighbors and being in community with them?  How will that happen if we don't relieve the heavy burdens that they carry within themselves by reminding them that in Christ their sins are all washed away. They (and we) are forgiven. It definitely won't happen sitting on a couch alone watching very rich false idols. (Yes, I have been warning about these false idols for a few decades and have been asked by parishioners not to do that. LOL I will keep reminding them to beware of false gods.)

In this season of Advent let us not only prepare for the coming of our Lord; but, help others to prepare for it as well and to rejoice in the promised Kingdom of God for all who believe in him. 

May God help us to reveal to others the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Holy Nation; A Royal Priesthood

"The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”
They will be called the Holy People,
    the Redeemed of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,     the City No Longer Deserted."
                                  (Isa 62:11-12 NIV)

The LORD declares through Isaiah the Savior comes! And... through Him the people will be reconciled to God. Through him it is as St. Peter wrote: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

How awesome is that! You are a member of a royal priesthood, a holy nation! You belong to God and because you have been called out of the darkness into His marvelous light, you desire to declare praises of Him! That's what those who have been called into relationship with God, those who have been called into His kingdom, do. They proclaim the Good News! That's what Isaiah did! That is what St. Peter did! That is what all members of that holy nation are called to do. How could anyone who has received their inheritance in the holy nation, the kingdom of God, do otherwise?!

So... the question is: are you proclaiming the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord, our  Savior, and our King?

God's Peace - Pr. J