Stay Out Of The Mud!

"... but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

                                                                                            (Phil 4:6-8 KJV)

If you don't want your feet to get dirty then stay out of the mud. There are actually things that we can do that will make our lives a bit easier. If you don't want to live in constant drama or chaos then quit focusing on the bad and think on those things that are of good report; of things that are lovely. 

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor 15:33) There would be a whole lot less drama in our lives if we would just avoid being around people who love drama. That is not to say that we should not help them. We should. But, we should not be so involved that it ends up infecting our lives and drawing us away from the peace which God would give us through Christ Jesus.

But, even when we try to focus on the things of good report, we are still human and  there will be times that we will get drawn to situations that we would rather not be in. There may be times that we find ourselves sinking in quicksand and there is no possible way out except by the help of God.

If you prefer not to live in the muck and the mire of sin; if you prefer not to live with drama and chaos in your life; then turn to the Lord and focus on his promises. Trust yourself to the one who can truly lift you out of any mess. Give him thanks for with him your feet will be clean and your heart and mind will be at peace. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Humbly Serve

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:10 KJV)

When men and women think too highly of themselves they are bound to be exposed and with exposure they will find themselves naked, out in the cold. There is no sin that will not be uncovered. 

If you are to serve God and God's creation, then humble yourself and remember that you are a servant. You are not God. You are not better than the people that you serve. You are also not better than the people that you serve with.

As a retired pastor, a former substance abuse counselor, a former juvenile corrections counselor, and a former bartender; I've heard enough fake stories and confessions to know that those who lift themselves up over those who they are supposed to be serving or serving with; those who belittle and attack the character of others in order to win the favor of others do so only in order to justify their own sins. 

Know this: the only justification that is to be found for sin is the blood of Jesus. We are all sinners. It would be much wiser to humble yourself and follow in his footsteps rather than the ego which rules your life and attempts to control the lives of others. You think that you are free because you can attack others. No, you are not. You are a slave to sin and you will not succeed at lifting yourself up. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up." 

There is only one God and none of us are Him. Only He can lift you up out of the muck and mire you've gotten yourself engulfed in.

God bless each of us with tongues that do not falsely accuse others. May He bless each of us with tongues that will inspire peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Suffering a Good Thing?

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

                                                                                (Rom 5:3-4 NIV)

It would be good if we could all be like Paul and glory in our sufferings; but, most of us cannot. Most of us feel defensive when we suffer and sometimes we get offensive. We feel sorry for ourselves. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Most of us do not care to suffer for any reason.

It is only by reminding ourselves that God is with us and He has a good plan that we can relax a bit. It is often, after the fact, that we can look back and thank God for the trouble and suffering endured. It may be years later before we can see how the suffering was either for our good or for the good of others. It is often, only then, that we can thank God for those troubling things that we have endured.

May God help us to always acknowledge that whatever happens God is with us and He has a good plan. (Rom 8:28)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Free To Do What Is Right

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. 1 Cor 15:33-34 NIV

Watching a television show the other night about the Civil War, I wondered if there were any women left with character like that of Harriet Tubman. Jeopardizing her own freedom, she helped to secure the freedom of multitudes. Of course, there are many women today who like her are willing to sacrifice their own lives so that others might have the opportunity to live freely and in peace. I even know some of them. But, I would be most comforted in seeing many more. So many, many people dedicated and continue to dedicate their whole lives so that all people might live in freedom. Yet, those sacrifices are often taken for granted by the very people who have received freedom through their efforts. The freedom that we have received is often frittered away on momentary sensual pleasures. It is wasted on worrying more about what makes one happy without any consideration that what we do may have devastating consequences for others.

Yes, we are free to do whatever we choose. But, why would anyone choose to become slaves to sin? Why would we choose to live lives that will only lead others astray? There are many who do!

But, we are free to be the  children of the most high God by the blood of Christ shed for us. He gives to us good and gracious gifts. We enjoy many freedoms in this world; in this country, because of the sacrifices others made for us. Would we throw it all back in the face of God and in the faces of those who gave their lives for our sake? 

Why choose slavery to sin, for the sake of some few worldly pleasures? Our freedom to be children of God cost Jesus his life. Our freedoms, including the freedom to worship God publicly, cost many men and women their lives.

May God help us to not be the bad company that helps to corrupts character; but, the light that shines in the darkness of night to lead God's children home.

God's Peace – Pr. J

Salty

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:3-6 NIV)

Being seasoned with salt has a variety of meanings today. For a younger generation than I, it may well mean being disrespectful; even a bully. Being a bully is not being salty. It is evil. Salt; after all, has been used over the generations in many cases to drive away what is evil; to purify; to preserve.

When I was growing up, I was taught that being "salty" meant to be a unique personality; a character. He or she spoke the truth, not to hurt anyone; but, because it was the truth. They lived and spoke in a way that was true to themselves and the truth is that not everyone understood them. Being salty means to me speaking and living the truth in a way that will benefit others by  bringing others to Christ.

Salt is not just a seasoning. It has numerous uses. I use it to chase ants and other bugs out of my yard. A little salt sprinkled on an ant hill will convince those pesky pests to find a new location for their home. But, salt is also a preservative. It helps to keep our food from rotting away. It helps to keep food consumable for a long time to come for our benefit. A little salt is a good thing. Too much salt, as in the case of bullying, can destroy.

Likewise, conversations seasoned with a little salt can help the soul from developing rot from the inside out. Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossia that they were to season their grace-filled conversations with salt.

Yes! Yes, indeed! We ought to make sure that our conversations are filled with grace; but, not just grace for the sake of not offending. We cannot lie for the sake of grace because that is no grace at all. We must proclaim the truth and sometimes the truth will make us sound just a little salty as the lies of the devil are uncovered. It is the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, that will make us whole. Our words and actions should always be full of grace; but, we cannot forget to season them with a bit of salt when necessary. And... it is often necessary so that the mystery of Christ can be proclaimed most fully. As it has been said: grace, grace, and only more grace is no grace at all. We cannot accept anything that will lead others away from faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot say that it is all good. Not everything is good; so sometimes, we need to be reminded to season our conversations with salt so that the truth can be proclaimed and the truth will set others free to be children of God.

May God help us to season our words and our actions with enough salt that the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, will be proclaimed so that those who hear will know the truth and the truth will set them free.

God's Peace - Pr. J

A Good Name

Crazy Horse

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all." (Prov 22:1-2 NIV)

I have often reminded young people that keeping their name good, by conducting their lives in a manner that will glorify God, is going to be most beneficial to them. It will help them greatly, not just today by keeping them out of trouble and from being with their parents; but, it will help them as they become adults. In small communities (in fact the whole world is getting to be a small community) word about one's character gets around pretty fast. Even if they don't know you, information about you can be accessed quite easily. A quick look at your Facebook alone can give a reference, good or bad, in no time flat. If one ends up getting arrested, it will not take future employers hardly any time or trouble to get your records. To get the best jobs, to have greater opportunities, even to get loans for school or a home or a small business your name will affect the outcome of the application.

If you build up a name that is esteemed by serving and helping others; others will be much more likely to trust you. If your name becomes synonymous with trouble, then when trouble comes, they will come looking to accuse you, whether you did it or not. If your name has been muddied by past conduct, you may often find yourself alone and lonely as others, in order to keep their name good, will tend to shy away from you. Those who will cling to you are those who make a habit of muddying up their own name. That may not seem fair or the best thing, but it is human nature.

Riches and gold can buy you acquaintances. But, it cannot buy you genuine friendship or love. If you attempt to buy it with these things, you have only dishonored your own name.

The LORD is the creator of all, both rich and poor. He is LORD and maker of all, both those who have kept their names relatively good and those who have disrespected themselves and their own names. In reality, there is only one whose name is truly good.  Turn to the LORD and maker of all, bear His Holy Name. Bear the name of Jesus Christ no matter where you are or what you do. In this you will find much peace and reconciliation for a past that attempts to follow you. On the cross, Jesus was willing to clear your name, so that you might bear His, as you face the world before you; as you seek the Kingdom of God. Christian, bear the name of Christ, for His name is good. It is better, far better, than silver or gold.

Remember the story of the man who had been lame since birth, sitting in the temple gate begging for money so that he could eat?  Peter and John came up to him and "Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God." (Acts 3:6-8)

Silver and gold could not buy this man health, but in the name of Jesus Christ, he was healed. Bear the good name of Jesus. It will bring health and wholeness to the world around you.

What's in a name? You were given a name in Christ at baptism. Jesus calls you by that name. What will you do with that name?

God's Peace - Pr. J