He Holds Us In His Right Hand

Psalm 139:1-10 KJV; 2nd Sunday of Epiphany; Those who love Him are comforted because we trust that the Lord is with us; even holding us in His right hand.

The Blessings Of God

Matthew 5:1-12 KJV; 4th Sunday after Epiphany; When we are down and out our hope lies in the blessings that God has promised through Jesus.

He Is Risen; Do You Listen To Him?

Luke 16:19-31; He is risen! Do you heed his voice?

Quit Whining And Rejoice In Christ Our Savior!

Matthew 5:1-12 KJV

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

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Quit whining! Rejoice! Thank God that you live! Hopefully, prayerfully, you live for him! I know that life can be very tough at times. Many are persecuted for what they believe. Some are persecuted for what they don't believe. But, Jesus reminds us that those who are persecuted for his sake will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

When I look back at the history of the world, I am reminded how fortunate we are today. Yes, there are still injustices. But, no one gets their hand chopped off for stealing a piece of fruit from a vender to feed their child. There are most often consequences for theft; but, not so drastic as they were in years gone by. No one is getting egregiously accused of being a witch and being burned at the stake. We actually have running water and can stave off illnesses caused by poor or no appropriate hygiene. We have a lot to be thankful for!

Consider how Christ died for us even while we were yet sinners. Consider the love he has for us. Is not the fact that we are saved and heirs of the kingdom of heaven through the sacrifice that he made for us a blessing!? Rejoice in that blessing! 

Things can be hurtful today. There is no doubt about that. Regardless, sometimes we need to stand up and speak the truth no matter what might happen afterwards. At other times, maybe we just need to quit whining about what we don't have and thank God for what we do have. Sometimes we just need to do what that old cliche "Count your blessings" tells us to do. Sometimes, we just need to recognize that those things we count as times of suffering maybe actually be blessings. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:3)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Justice For God's Children

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

                                                                              (Isaiah 54:11-15 KJV) 

Here is the word of God that I stand on today for the sake of all of God's children who are oppressed; for the sake of all who desire peace and justice in the face of injustice.

May God grant them justice and peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Blessed

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

                                                                     (Matthew 5:1-12 NRSV)

The Sermon on the Mountain begins with what we know as the Beatitudes. These words of Jesus are a comfort to many in need of emotional or spiritual support. They are genuinely good news and for many reason to rejoice! But, what about those who are not poor in spirit; rejoice rather than mourn when disasters assault other around them? What about those who would do harm to others for their own profit or to lift themselves up rather than hunger after righteousness?  What about those who show no empathy or mercy? What about those who are without remorse as they persecute others so that they might have their own way? 

What about that? How blessed are they? Will they receive empathy? Will they receive mercy when the hour has come to give accountability to God? The hour will come for all of us. No one can know when that day will be. 

The best news is that God our Father has indeed blessed the world by sending His only begotten Son to die as a sacrifice for our sins. That sacrifice has been made so that all who believe in him will be blessed with eternal life in the Kingdom of God now and for all of eternity. 

May God open our ears and our eyes and our hearts to a greater understanding of His Word and His Will for all people so that we might do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Will Lift You Up

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 NIV

As I read the fourth chapter of James this morning, it reminded by of this Sundays' Gospel lesson, which is the Sermon on the Mount preached by Jesus.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:3-11)

It is promised that those who are brought down will be lifted up. Those who mourn will be comforted. It is the meek, not the self-empowered or self-glorified who will inherit the earth. Blessings are promised to those who are last as Jesus also promised that "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." (Matt 19:30)

So let us not then exalt ourselves; but, trust in the Lord that we may be lifted up not for earthly glory but that we might see the glory of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J