Go Ye Therefore

Matthew 28:18-20; The Great Commission is not a mere request.

Tell Others About Jesus Tell Your Children

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 KJV; Share the Good News will all people and do not forget to teach your children about him. Evangelism is a way of life and not a program.

Love the Lord your God!

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 KJV; Love the Lord your God as He first loved you. Teach that to your children.

Avoid Evil; Do Good

Reading from Matthew 7:12-20 KJV; with comments... Do good to others as you would have them do to you.

Love The Lord

Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. 

                                                                                            (Deut 6:1-9 KJV)

Loving and serving the Lord is not just for the hour you might sit in a church building one day a week. We are called to love him with our whole hearts, our entire souls, and with all of our might all of the time. Do the people around you know that you love and serve him? 

Our love is evidenced by what we say and do. 

Praise the Lord in all things; in what you say and do and at all times that others might in turn come to love Him as well.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Immediately Or Not?

And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 

                                                                             (Mark 1:27-31 KJV)

And, immediately....  Things seem to happen with Jesus pretty quickly. In fact they happen immediately. When he heals the sick they are healed immediately. When he casts out demons they are cast out immediately. The one story that stands out for me that tells of Jesus procrastinating is the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  

"When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him."

                                                                             (John 11:6, 14-15)

Jesus procrastinated and did not rush to heal Lazarus before he died so that he would be able to raise him from the dead and increase the faith of his followers.

I often procrastinate. I am not always pleased with myself when I do it. Sometimes when obstacles are thrown in my way I realize that maybe God does not particularly want me to have something or do something; that I must wait or not proceed at all. At other times, I accept the challenge and act immediately to overcome the obstacle. 

There is a time to act and a time to refrain from acting.  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Eccl: 3:1) How can we know the difference? Knowing the answer to that is a challenge in itself. 

The only answer that I am aware of to that question is to stay in the word and listen to it; to pray often; and to trust the Lord as you abide in Him and He in you. If you're not attempting to do that now then maybe you should begin immediately!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Evangelism Is Not A Program

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."
                                                                            Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 KJV

Evangelism; sharing the Good News; sharing all that the Lord God has done for us is not a program. It is a way of life.

We share with other people those things that we care about or love. We share photos of our families. Some like to talk a whole lot about their favorite sports team. Others talk about their favorite actors or musicians like they know them personally. But, do those who profess to be Christians talk about God like they know God personally? Do we talk about him like a member of our family? He is a member of our family. He is the head of the family. He is our Father. 

If you love him who will share with others what wonderful things he has done for you. Again, evangelism is not a program that a select few are to administer. It is a way of life for all who believe!

May God open you lips and empower you with knowledge and wisdom to share the Good News!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Live In Love

 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. " (John 15:9-13 NIV)

Love can be pretty tough. There are ups and downs in any relationship. A lot of the downs come when we are called to give more of ourselves than we're prepared to give. We balk at the idea of sacrificing too much for the sake of others.

But, Jesus did not hesitate. He knew he was heading to a tortuous death for our sakes. His love is so great for humankind; for you and for me, that he was willing to endure anything for the sake of his love for us.

Does not a love like that deserve to be returned at least to the degree that it is humanly possible? Jesus asked us (no, commands us) to remain in his love for us. We are to live in his love; both loving him and others as he loves others. He promises that as we live in his love our joy will be complete.

May God bless you with the knowledge of his love for you and for all people. May he give you the strength, the courage, and the wisdom to strive to love even as he loves.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Laying Down One's Life For Others

A few of the members who put red roses (a symbol of love) on the Veteran's graves at Craig Flagler Palms Cemetery.

(some are missing from the photo)

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends." (John 15:12-13 NIV) 

Today is a day of remembrance. Today we remember those Veterans who have given their lives in service to this country. They have given their all not just for the sakes of the people of the United States. They have served to protect freedom and for the sake of justice around the world.

Jesus said that there is no greater love than the love which would motivate one to lay down their life for others. Today we pause to remember those men and women. But, let it not be just for today. Let us always remember the love they had for others that they were willing to risk their lives for us; not just for their friends; but, for all people, friends and strangers alike.

Every Saturday before Memorial Day, members of Christ Lutheran Church, put red roses next to the flags on the graves of Veterans at our local cemetery as a token of our love and appreciation of the sacrifice they have made for the sake of others.

The prime example of one who was willing to die so that others might live is Jesus. May God help us all to follow his example and the example of others putting others before ourselves in love.

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Choose The Right Path

He made the moon to mark the seasons,    and the sun knows when to go down.

Psalm 104:19 NIV

Then what of man? If the sun and the moon have, for all these years, followed the course that God laid out before them; then, what of man? Why is it so difficult for humankind to follow in The Way that the Lord would have us go?

That would be: free will. God gave us the ability to make choices between loving Him or not; between serving Him and honoring Him or not; between listening to Him or the serpent. Adam and Eve chose to listen to the serpent rather than to God. In spite of God's command, they chose to eat of the tree of knowledge and avoided eating from the tree of life. Adam and Eve and all humankind were exiled from Paradise for their wrong choice.

And, so... it continues down to this age. God has opened wide the gates to Paradise for all who would believe in and follow His Son. Yet, many choose to follow in a way they have chosen for themselves and reject The Way that God has prepared for us.

May God open our hearts to follow in The Way, the only way, that can save us from ourselves and our own wrong choices.

God's Peace - Pr. J