Bless The Lord

Youth Is Renewed Like An Eagle

Bless the Lord O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord executeth righteous: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Psalm 103:1-6 KJV

If we took the time to consider what a mess we really can be; if we considered what we really deserve we would thank the Lord with our whole hearts. He has been most gracious to those of us who show so little grace. He has been so loving to those of us who can be so unloving. When we are down, He lifts us up.

Count the blessings! Give thanks to the Lord for His mercy is great and His love endures forever!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Getting Old

The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. (Prov 16:31 KJV)

All is well with my soul and pretty much my body! What can you expect when you begin to age 😊 For some reason I don't have a lot of gray hair yet. Both of my sons have at least as much if not more. But, I am aging. My doctor is quite diligent in making sure I am healthy. My annual check ups usually include a lot of follow up tests!

I was on the road at 4 a.m. this morning. And, that is why I am so late writing this. Howard drove since I was having a minor surgery that I had to be put to sleep for and I was not able to drive afterwards. Everything went as expected. The surgeon let Howard know that "all is well." I figured it was. God has been very good to me. I don't always take too good care of myself; though, so along with my gray hairs my body inevitably is slowly but sure deteriorating - just as we all do.

I won't be doing much for the next couple of weeks. Every time I've gone out in the yard this afternoon, I've wanted to pick up the rake and clean the pond. Oh... it is so hard not to be doing something!

Hopefully, tomorrow morning I will get hot and get a blog done in a half way decent hour - like the early morning 😊

Don't worry about those gray hairs! Each gray hair; each day brings us closer to seeing the full glory of our Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Get Up and Do Something!

"Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."                                                     (James 1:12 NRSV)

Temptations occur on a daily basis. The first thing that came to mind when I woke up this morning was: "Do I have to do anything today?" The temptation to do nothing, absolutely nothing, loomed large. 

The truth is that my body has been hurting all over for a couple of days and I would just like to give in to the temptation to do absolutely nothing today. The other truth is that I know, from experience, that if I do absolutely nothing today, I will hurt even worse tomorrow. 

God has called each of us to live life, according to his will. His will does not include doing nothing ever. Those who love him know that He calls us to love and serve Him and we do that by loving and serving the people around us and even beyond our personal borders. 

There are challenges in life. There are also many temptations to not accept those challenges. Time to get up, get out there, and produce the fruit that God has empowered us to produce. Be productive, live in, and share the light of Jesus the Christ in all that you say and think and do!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
    but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

The name of the righteous is used in blessings,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.

The wise in heart accept commands,
    but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

                                                       (Prov 10:6-9 NIV)

Words of wisdom often fall on deaf ears. We can share these words all we want; but, there are those who would rather chatter about their own self-righteousness albeit mostly exaggerations and sometimes out right falsehoods. Although, not everyone appreciates it, it is in my nature to confront those who chatter on tripping over their own stories. Their stories are easily found out because they cannot keep their stories straight. They make known the crooked path that they are on by the unending chatter. They make it known and they end up falling. Their names become detested rather than a blessing and honor.

I confront often; but, confrontation alone helps very little. In addition to and probably even more important than confrontation with those who refuse to walk in integrity is to turn them over to God in prayer. Sometimes, some things; some people, we just have to let go of and let God deal directly with them.

May God help us all to walk in integrity, in the knowledge of the truth, who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Receive The Crown Of Life

We may undergo many tests on our journey; but, the crown

of life is worth any hardships we might endure.

"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."  (James 1:12 NIV)

We all undergo trails and tests at various times throughout our lives. Those who follow Jesus should definitely expect no less than others. In fact, we will often endure even more for his name's sake. These tests may cause us to wonder if we are actually following Jesus or following our own wills. How can we know? Questions to ask ourselves in times like this are: Will what I do glorify God or myself? Is what I say the truth or am I misrepresenting the truth to justify myself or my personal agenda?

As we journey to the cross this Lenten season, let us remember that Jesus was tested and tried and not just by the devil immediately after his baptism. He was tested and tried throughout his short life and; although he was innocent, was ultimately tried, convicted, and executed. As we follow Jesus to the cross we can and should expect nothing less than to be tried and tested by the evil one and his minions. We will face hardships; but, the one who overcame them for our sakes, is with us.

May you always trust that the Lord is with you as you follow in his footsteps.

God's Peace - Pr. J