Do Unto Others!

Matthew 7:6-12; Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Help those in need.

Refining Fires

Zechariah 13:9; The refining fires are necessary. Standing in them cannot be avoided. Yet, God is with you in them.

The Strait Gate

Luke 13:22-30; John 10:9 KJV; Do you know Jesus? Have you entered through Jesus into the Kingdom of God. He is the only gate by which you can enter.

As The Psalmist Prays

Psalm 27:7-14 KJV - As the psalmist prays so shall we pray trusting in the goodness of God to deliver 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.

Lord, Have Mercy!

Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. (Pslam 40:11 KJV)

There are days when about the only prayer that can come out of my lips is "Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!"

There are days when there are so many things to deal with that the brain is not able to slow down enough to pray much else than to beg for God's mercy and help. Dealing with government entities usually brings this state of lack of enlightenment on. But, we have a helper; a protector. We have one who knows the troubles and trials of our hearts and minds and answers our prayers whether we know what to pray or not. Trust Him!

He truly loves us and with us in every circumstance. He hears your prayers for mercy and 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.

Speak Life

A gentle answer turns away wrath, 
   but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,

    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
    keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit

Prov 15:1-4

I know that I have been guilty of having spoken wrongly or too quickly on more than one occasion resulting hurting the spirit of others.  However, I usually realize I have done so as soon as I've done it just by the look on the face of the person I've offended and can attempt to rectify it or at least apologize.

But, I have difficulty understanding why some people do not understand how badly they can hurt someone with their continuous witty and condescending comments. Maybe they don't realize how truly damaging their tongues can be to the spirits; to the lives of the ones who bear the brunt of their wit. Maybe they don't understand how badly they are damaging their own relationship with the person they are being sarcastic with as well as with others around them who hear and cringe at the ungodliness of it all.

Sarcasm really is not that funny. It is hurtful. Intentional sarcasm breaks the spirit. It destroys relationships. It destroys life. However, a gentle tongue helps to build others up. It brings life to the spirit.

May God help us to speak with gentle tongues that will do no harm to others.

God Peace - Pr. J