Many Gifts Of The Spirit

A Time To Refrain From Embracing

A Time and Season for Everything

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Eccl 3:1-8 KJV

There is a time and a season for everything. Covid-19 has pretty much dictated to the world that it is a time to refrain from embracing depending upon who it is that you plan on embracing. If it's your children or spouse and you have been practicing safe distancing in public, embracing may be crucial to the mental health of your loved one and yourself. As hard as it might be for "huggers", if it's someone outside of your own household then it is not a very good idea at this time.

The world is going through a tough time right now. But, do not worry. This too shall pass for we know that there is a time and a season for everything and there will once again be a time for embracing. In the meantime, we can embrace one another with the words of our lips as we encourage one another. We can embrace one another by helping to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless by whatever means that are available to us. We can embrace one another with words of comfort and with prayer.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we ask you to comfort all in any sorrow or need. Embrace them with your loving arms; embrace them by the power of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus's name. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Communicate Truthfully

Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;

But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

                         (Matt 26:59-61 KJV)

Jesus was crucified, not on any real evidence of blasphemy because there was no evidence. But, that did not stop false witnesses from coming forward and twisting Jesus' words to make them sound like the words meant something that they did not mean. He was speaking of his own death and resurrection. But, those who wanted him gone accepted it to mean that he was able to and going to destroy the Jewish Temple and if he chose would miraculously build it up in three days. No one could do that except God. It was God's temple to do with as He pleased, not Jesus'; therefore, blasphemy...

Scripture requires two or more witnesses and that would mean reliable eye-witnesses, not false witnesses, to find a person guilty. Perjuring yourself to assist in finding another person guilty of a crime that was not committed is a sin. It is definitely against the law. Well; that is, it is a crime in a court of law. Whether that law is valid in every hearing today is a bit questionable. 

Apparently, lying about others isn't so bad if you haven't taken an oath to tell the truth. We hear it and read it all of the time in the various forms of media. We even hear it after someone takes the oath. Perjury, as previously noted, is illegal and could get you jail time yourself.

One of my pet peeves is the lack of ability to communicate; especially the inability to understand what others actually mean. This country is diverse whether everyone wants to acknowledge it or not. Diversity includes people from many ethnic backgrounds; from many cultures; from different generations; from various regions. The words one person uses to say something does not always mean the same thing to the person who hears it. 

One of my granddaughter's uses the words "passed out" to mean she fell asleep. I guess that is how many in her generation describe being so tired they fall asleep without trying. I've asked her not to use those words to describe falling asleep as to me and to many of my generation it means got so drunk they fell asleep or "passed out." I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about her. 

As we are so diverse, maybe it's time before we jump to judgment on what someone is saying that we begin attempting to understand who the speaker is and where the speaker is coming from. That seems to be a much better solution to some of the communication issues in this country than slandering the speaker and ending up a false witness to what was actually said.

None of this is not to say that we should not speak the truth. The truth does need to be communicated. Let us communicate it plainly without false accusations. And... if what you are relating is a joke or satire; please, present it in a way that people know that it is. 

May God help us to refrain from passing false judgment on those whom we are unable to understand or relate to. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Eighth Commandment

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

                                                                 (Luther's Small Catechism)

Build Upon A Rock

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”  (Matt 7:24-27 NRSV)

The house that will stand; the congregation that will stand, must be build upon the rock, who is Jesus the Christ. (1 Cor 10:4) A congregation built on any other foundation other than faith in Jesus, will not stand as a church of God. The building may survive. The people may even gather often. But, without Jesus as the foundation of all that is done in that building, as a church it will fail.

Let faith in Christ be the rock of our foundation that we might stand tall and give all glory to God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Free To Serve

For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. (1 Peter 2:15-16 NRSV)

Just because we are free does not mean that we are free to do anything we want if it will harm others or ourselves. We belong to God. We are to care for all of his creation. We are to do what is right so that others may not use our actions to justify their own harmful actions or lifestyles. 

Over twenty years ago, I decided to quit drinking. It did me no good. My drinking also did not do anyone around me any good. The day I decided to quit was the day that I heard a loved one, who drank daily beginning at noon, say:  "Nothing wrong with a few drinks. Even Judy drinks." That floored me. I rarely drank. I do not believe that it is a sin to have an occasional drink or two. But, here was someone, that I loved, who used the few drinks that I did have every now and then as justification for them to live every day of their life inebriated. Bogus, for sure. But, I wasn't going to be someone else's excuse for destroying their lives. I quit. They, sadly, did not.

St. Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians:

 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (1 Cor 6:12)

and

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. (1 Cor 10:23-24)

If what you do, even though it is lawful, will harm others and you are aware that it will hurt others then, please, just stop. We are free. We are free to seek not only those things that will be to our own advantage; but, free to seek the advantage for others, as well. We are not to use that freedom as a pretext for evil; as a pretext to harm others or ourselves.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Helping Or Enabling?

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Gal 6:7-9 NIV

I remember hearing a pastor preach on doing good, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. I could not believe my ears! I thought that maybe he was making it up. How, as a Christian, could one show this kind of partiality, I wondered. So, I looked it up and there it was.

As the years have passed, I have come to understand this a whole lot better. Scripture does not say that we shouldn't help those outside of the family of believers. We should. But, I have also learned over the years that sometimes we can spend so much time and energy helping those whose only goal is to please their flesh; that, we have no time to build up the members of the Body of Christ who may be truly in need. There is sometimes a rather fine line between helping someone and enabling them to continue in their sinful pursuit of the flesh to their destruction. We ought to be careful not to be enabling those who have no love for God or others in their lives; rather, we ought to help those who are concerned about their eternal life and are truly in need.

I know... Much of the world thinks that Christians should be some kind of door mats and are here only to be taken advantage of. Jesus did not appear to think so. In the sermon on the mount he warns us: "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Matt 7:5-7

This does not mean that we should not help everyone in need. We just ought to be careful that we are actually helping and not aiding anyone on the path to their destruction.

May God grant us the discernment to know whom He would have us help and who it is that is truly in need; to discern when our help is truly help and when it might lead to another's destruction.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

God Has A Plan For Every Season

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV

What time is it? What season are we in? Even in the darkest of times, God has a plan and it's a good plan. He will bring His people through it.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Prosperity Gospel, Oy!

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!" Galatians 1:3-8

Oy! Oy! Oy! Such blasphemy coming out of a preacher's mouth! I woke up early this morning to spend some time alone with God. My husband had fallen asleep with the television on. I woke up to a pastor proclaiming that faith did not build the church he was ministering to, money did! Of course, he was encouraging everyone to plant a seed with his ministry so that the giver would become rich in this world. Again, I say, "Oy!" Oh, yes... although, he claimed the validity of hell, he claimed that Jesus did not save us from it. Say... what!?

The proclamation we are called and sent to share with all the world has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with the Kingdom of God for us, by faith in Jesus who shed his blood on the cross for us. We are to preach no other Gospel than the Christ crucified.

May God help us to see and receive the most priceless treasure we could ask for: reconciliation with God, in His Kingdom, through faith in Jesus Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J