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.

Prophets

The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." 

                                                                           (Deut 18:15, 18-22 KJV)

There appear to be a lot of false prophets speaking in the Lord's name what the Lord has not told them to speak today. Most of those prophets have spoken words of doom. Many have like "Chicken Little" declared the sky is falling. Who knows? It may yet fall! But, take note; the sky did not fall and the world did not end when they said it would. 

Why would anyone prophesy falsely in the name of the Lord except to advance their own egos and agendas and maybe their pocketbooks? Do not fear them. The only one we should fear is the Lord.

"And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul..." (Deut 10:12)

The word of the Lord to Moses was that we should not fear the false prophets. We should not fear their prophecies.  We should; however,  listen to the prophet that God sent to us. Listen to the words of Jesus!  

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." 

                                                                                      (Matt 7:15-17)

Listen to the words of Jesus. Do not worry about or fear the words of false prophets. Listen to the words of Jesus! According to St. John we are to test the words of those who claim to be prophets. 

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 

                                                                                       (1 John 4:1-3)

Be very careful who it is that you are listening to. Be careful who you follow and do not waste your energy fearing the false prophets or their words.

May God grant us the wisdom; the courage; and the strength; by the power or the Holy Spirit, to always listen to and follow Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Fresh Start; A New Day

If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

                                                                                        (Eph 4:21-24 KJV)

In the northern regions the first snow fall brings a sense of newness; of a bright and fresh start. After a few months of all that snow and cold that sense of exhilaration tends to wear off. 

As Christians we begin our life in Christ fully exhilarated by this new relationship. But, with time, this exhilaration can wane if we are not diligent in staying in The Way he leads us in. It appears to be in our natures to take for granted and even get weary of those things and even relationships that we have been in for a long time.

If and when this happens be assured that there is a new start available to you every day. It might take a bit of self-discipline to say no to those things that would pull you away from life in Christ. Be assured, though, that Christ will renew your spirit when you ask. He will help you. He will renew your mind. Steep yourself in the word and in the Word who is Jesus the Christ and life will be full and satisfying once again. You will find peace no matter how horrible your life may seem at the time.

"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." 

                                                                                                  (Matt 7:7-8)

If you are in need of a fresh start then ask and you will receive it. Life is worth living when we are reconciled with Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Treasures

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 

                                                  (Matt 6:19-21 KJV)

Where do you invest your time; your talents; all the gifts that God has given you? Do you enjoy those gifts? There is only one place where you will find real joy. That place is in relationship with Jesus Christ and with others around you. Some things are necessary: food, shelter, heat, clothing. Other things are not. They are luxuries. They can be excess baggage that steal away our time and our opportunity to be in caring and loving relationships. 

The greatest treasure of God is being able to live in relationship with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Kingdom of God. May God help us to seek His Kingdom that we might know what a treasure living in His presence really is.

God's Peace - Pr. J