We Cannot Hide From God

A reading from Jeremiah 23:23-24 KJV. God is at hand. He sees all. He knows all.

Do Not Be Deceived

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

                                                                                 (Eph 5:6-14 KJV)

These are troubling times. It can be difficult to discern the truth. So much of what we hear is coming from political or personal agendas and bias'. It is true in the world at large; but, it is also true in way too much of the church. People promote themselves. They make money from distorting or exaggerating the truth; sometimes from outright lies. Those who live as though these lies are truth find themselves confused as they live in the darkness.  It is difficult to find your way when the darkness surrounds you. 

But, a light has come into the world. The light who is Jesus the Christ sheds light onto a dark world. His light shines into our lives. If you really want to be "woke" you will need to step into the marvelous light of Christ.  Wake up and live life in Christ! 

The light of Christ; the truth in Christ unite us. It will bring us together in loving fellowship. Leave off; stay away from those who would deceive others to their own advantage with their vain words. Step out of the darkness of deceit and walk in the light of Christ that you might know the truth and live an abundant life.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Grow Up

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

                                                                                           (Eph 4:11-16 KJV)

Each and every individual, it does not matter who you are or where you are from, have gifts; have abilities, to serve God and humankind. These God-given gifts are not meant to serve you alone or to enable you to lift yourself up over others. They are given so that as you use these gifts the Body of Christ, the whole people of God, are lifted up and united. By the loving use of the gifts that God has given us through Jesus the Christ we are edified and grow up as members of one Body in Christ.

May God help us to love as He loves so that we might truly grow up united and work together for the good of all people.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Jonah Did Not Want To Warn Them

And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

                                                                             (Jonah 3:1-5,10 KJV)

The story of Jonah is quite a story! The end result of finally doing God's will and going to Nineveh to prophecy their impending doom if they did not repent was that they repented!

Way too often in today's world those who are sent by God to warn others of the disaster that will fall upon them if they do not change their ways do not warn anyone. They would rather pretend that there is no sin where there is sin just so they can be liked by everyone; to get along with everyone. 

At first, Jonah didn't want to speak up. He did not want to go and warn the people. When the Lord told him to go he tried to run away from God, as if that were even possible. "But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." (Jonah 1:3)

Jonah ended up with much hardship himself for not obeying the word of the Lord. He ended up in a major storm on the sea; thrown into the sea to save others; saved from drowning by being swallowed by a big fish. When Jonah finally repented of not doing God's will; God had the fish vomit him out onto land where Jonah finished the mission to Nineveh. 

The story of Jonah's call to prophesy to Nineveh is prophetic in itself. It is a warning to all who are called to share the word of God to actually share the word of God. It is a warning to those who are called to proclaim the truth of God's word. We are not called to come up with another gospel that pleases itching ears. We are not called to water it down. We are not called to hide from the truth or hide the truth from others; but, to proclaim it. Jesus told the truth shall make you free.

If the truth, which is the Word of God, is not proclaimed; how will anyone know that they are on a path to destruction. If we truly love our neighbors we will let them know that no matter what they have done God loves them so much that he sent His only begotten Son to die for their sins. And... that is the crux of the matter. We must be able to recognize and call a sin for what it is: a sin. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

Because Jonah had finally warned the people of Ninevah they repented and God forgave them.

Jesus told the disciples "the truth shall make you free." (8:32) The truth is that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness. We are all in need of being reminded of that from time to time. Let us not hide the truth or hide from it; but, share it with all in need of forgiveness and that would be all of us. We are all in need of God's grace and His mercy.

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Confession

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

                                                                                   (1 John 1:6-10 KJV)

I watched parts of the "Irishman" yesterday with my husband. I watched only parts because I have a hard time watching television. I am not able to focus well on stuff that I know is fiction; especially stuff where lives are getting snuffed out. But, since my husband is spending most of his time in the recliner as he heals from surgery, I have been trying to at least sit with him.

Frank Sheeran was an official in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the president of Local 326, and an alleged Mafia member and hitman. Now, I am pretty sure that there is no priest who would reveal the contents of a confession so I count it as fiction; but, at the very end of the movie we see Frank Sheeran making his confession. He made his confession without any remorse. In the movie he did not appear to actually be able to fully recognize that he was a sinner. I hope that this was totally fictional for effect. I do not know. Only God knows the hearts of man.

Over the years, I have had way too many people confess their sins as they sought absolution. Not everyone showed any signs of real repentance or remorse for the damage they had caused. Those that did not were usually sorry because they got caught in their sins. If you are one of those who asks for forgiveness; but, has no remorse over hurting others or turning your back on God, maybe you ought to ask yourself if you truly repented.

We are all sinners and if we say that we are not; then we are lying to ourselves. But, we cannot lie to God because He knows everything that we say and think and do. As sinful human beings we continue to turn our backs on God and one another. But, as Christians we will strive not to. We will recognize our sinful natures and we will repent because the light shines on us and the truth of our sinful ways is revealed to us. 

And, so we give thanks to God for sending His Son to suffer the penalty for our sins so that all who believe in him will not perish; but, receive everlasting life in the presence of Almighty God.

Repent and step out of the darkness that the light of Christ may shine on you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Future Of Hope (Quit Dwelling In The Past)

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 

                                                                                    (Isa 43:18-19 KJV)

It is a good thing to consider the wrongs that we have done and to correct them if we possibly can. It is even necessary. Our past can remind us of things that we do not ever want to do again for our own sake as well as for the sake of others. Without considering our sins; without repenting of them, there is no forgiveness and we will drag those sins with us through the rest of our lives. 

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

                                                                                          (1 John 1:8-9)

It is not so good to be stuck on dwelling on memories of the past. It is not a good thing for you to allow guilt to keep you from moving forward. The past will have a lot of joyful memories. But, it will also have many not so good memories of things that we have done that we should not have done.

None of us are without sin and the sin that we cling to can and will drag us down. We all have things that we wish we could undo. But, we cannot undo what we've done. We can; however, repent and receive forgiveness. In Christ those sins are washed away. They have no power over us. We must let them go or we will live in despair as we dwell on our past leaving no room in our lives for hope for the future.

We must continue to look forward with hope for the promise of God. 

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 

Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Eph 2:8)

So, live life in Christ! Dwell on the promises of God. Through Christ you have been saved from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Place your faith and hope in Christ and live life in him!

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Rom 15:13)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Growing Up In Christ

Growing up in Christ is not easy; but it is essential.

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." 

                                                                                    (Eph 4:14-16 KJV)

To truly grow up takes a lifetime and even at the time of death we still will never be as mature as we could be. Society, today, gives us about eighteen years to help our children grow up and then we turn them loose on the society. As Christians, we do our best to teach our children who Jesus is and what he has done for us and why. We pray that they will follow him. But, the devil prowls and not everyone would have our children go in "The Way" that they should go for their own benefit and for the good of society. With the help of God, we do what we can while they are with us and then we continue to pray for them until the day that we die.

It would be most helpful for our children and for society if we could all work together to help all of our children grow up into him is the head, even as we continue to grow in Christ. May God help us to follow in "His Way."

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Confess The Truth?

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9 NRSV)

Let us not miss the word confess in the verses from 1 John. All too often, I have heard apologies without the person who is apologizing even being able to recognize what they are apologizing for. They might apologize for hurting you or someone else; for disappointing you. They might apologize for not doing what they were responsible for doing. But, do they really acknowledge that they did something they ought not have done or neglected to do something that they promised to do? 

Is just saying "I'm sorry" enough to be reconciled to others if we cannot acknowledge the sin that we have been committing and change? Sooner or later others will recognize that we have not been speaking the truth when we apologized. Failure to recognize the sin in us is a failure to recognize Jesus the Christ who is the truth. Do we think that he is so limited in nature that he cannot see beyond the walls we, ourselves, have attempted to hide behind?

Jesus tells us: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) There is no sense in trying to hide the truth of our sins from ourselves or anyone else. The truth is that Jesus knows what goes on in our lives that others may not be able to see. He knows the real motivation for what we do or do not do. He knows our inmost thoughts. We cannot hide our sins from God; so may as well get it over with; confess our sins; and live life reconciled to God and one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Unknown Sin

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24 NRSV)

We confess our sins known and unknown at least every Sunday. Hopefully, as individuals, we recognize that it may be necessary more often than that.

It is pure vanity to say that we know and have confessed our sins when in reality Christians, like everyone, tend to get so caught up in the ways of the world that it is very likely that we do things every day that are not pleasing to God. We might not consider them sins because "everybody does it." But, does God consider them sins? How many things that we do out of habit actually turn us away from God? 

May God grant that our eyes be opened to see the things that we may be doing or saying that are leading us away from God instead of closer to him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Am Not Always Patient Or Gentle

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph 4:2 NIV)

I have to confess that I am not always gentle or patient. My patience flies out the window when I end up listening to someone explaining why they don't thnk what they did was a sin rather than just confess them. My gentleness disappears when I see or hear anyone using or abusing others to make themselves feel or look better. I am neither gentle or patient when the word of the Lord takes second place to one's own opinions; their egos; their personal goals. I am not very gentle when man's will becomes a priority over God's will within the church on earth.

I am often accused of not being Christ-like when I lose my patience or my gentleness. Paul reminds us in his letter to Ephesians that we need to be. I wonder though, was it a reminder to himself as well? He, too, could lose his patience. He also could come across as a bit unkind. He did not sit back and let people trample on the rights of others. He was not quiet when others were teaching falsehoods about Jesus.

Jesus, himself, did not take kindly to his Father's being used as a mean to get rich. He was not pleased when he entered the temple and witnessed the shysters making a profit, it appears that he lost his patience with them and was not very gentle. "Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, 'Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!' His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  (John 2:15-17)

I confess. I am not always patient or gentle. You can accuse me all that you want of not being Christ-like; but, I will stand up for those who are being used or abused. I will not placate anyone by saying a sin is not a sin. I will be quite blunt with those who would subvert the will of God and proclaim their will rather than the will of the One who sent His only begotten Son to die for us. 

May God fill us with zeal for Him and for the whole Body of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Saint and Sinner

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10 NRSV)

Just about every Sunday, we are reminded during confession that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Then following confession, we are reassured that our sins are forgiven. We are cleansed of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. Christians are well aware that we are "simul justus et peccator," both saint and sinner. We do not always do what we know we ought to be doing. But, we also know as we confess our sins that we are forgiven. We know that we are sanctified by the blood of Jesus.

However, when it comes to personal confessions, I find it truly frustrating to hear someone's confession and the confession ends up sounding more like they are confessing for someone else. There are some who simply cannot 'fess up. They are always right and everyone else is wrong. They will not confess their own sins. Rather, they end up confessing the sins of others. I'm not sure how they think this is working for them. There are times when I long to be back working within the correctional system again. There they have already been convicted of their sins and many are eager to be absolved of their sins. But, within the community of those baptized into the church, I often see attempts to cover sins committed by blaming someone else or flat out lying about what one did or didn't do. If we truly want to be cleansed of our sins, we first have to admit that we are sinners.

Help us, Lord, to recognize our sin that we might repent and turn to You.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Life In The Light; Confess

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.                                                                                                                                                     (1 John 1:6-10 NIV)

Have you ever had the experience of feeling that you had been terribly  wronged by someone and thought that the best thing to do was to talk about it with them? Maybe you thought it were best to bring everything to the light so that you might be reconciled to one another? Yet, it did not happen. The one whom you wanted to be reconciled to decided that they wanted to keep everything in the dark. They wanted to keep on telling everyone else about their problem with you and how they thought they could fix you. But, they refused to meet with you. They refused to talk about the issues that might be causing a break between them and you. They refuse because they may have to acknowledge that they may have sinned. 

As a pastor, I have run into too many people who prefer to hide in the dark than admit that they could have done anything wrong. People just refuse to admit that they may have done something most inappropriate and damaging to others. Adults in most "Christian" circles do not like their sins addressed. Many prefer to run away or hide in darkness from the issues that have brought hurt and division to themselves and the people around them. They do not like to be called on the carpet for things that they have said or done to cause rifts with their families, friends, neighbors, or churches. I confess that I have heard more confessions from people under the age of twenty then those that are over twenty. Is it because once we put a few years under our belts we do not sin? I think not.

St. John wrote that if we claim to be without sin, the truth is not in us. And; remember, Jesus is the truth! (John 14:6)   Our sins do not need to be made public; but, there are definitely times to heal wounds and to be reconciled to one another; one must confess so that they might be forgiven and be made whole.

Live in the truth! Live in the light! Live life abiding in Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Tongue

"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:7-8 NIV)

I visited the Jacksonville Zoo this week. The variety of animals that God has created is just mind-boggling. Some of them I had never heard of before seeing them.

The giraffe is such a graceful animal and apparently gentle as well. There was a long line of children waiting patiently to feed the giraffes. The giraffes would quickly and gently stick out their tongues and take the leafy food that the children were offering them. 

Human tongues are not also as graceful (grace-filled) or gentle. The human tongue can be as deadly as a poisonous snake as it can strike without warning to take anyone or anything that gets in its way down.

The human tongue is often used to lie, deceive, coerce, steal, and a multitude of other sins to get what the owner of that tongue wants. It is a very sad thing when we use what God has given us to destroy rather than to build up others. 

May God help us to use our tongues; the lips that He has given us to proclaim Good News to all people and to glorify His Holy Name.

God's Peace - Pr. J

If We Say We Have No Sin

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:8-10 NRSV

I remember very well an occasion in which I listened to someone insist that they had never stolen anything from anyone. They were totally incapable or unwilling to confess that they were guilty of taking something that belonged to another in spite of the fact that there were witnesses - many witnesses covering many different incidents. 

I wish that this were an isolated incident; but, it is not. Over and over again, I have witnessed this inability to confess a sin even though there are witnesses; even though confession would have helped them in the long run.

A few years ago, I witnessed two teen-age boys breaking into a house. But, they claimed that they were innocent. I was mistaken. How do you mistake someone crawling through a bedroom window? Apparently, I can! I guess they were just going to visit even though no one was home. They meant no harm. There was no need for forgiveness because they denied it; the incident was forgotten and these young people continued in the way that they had been  going.  And, those who enabled them by lying for them? Well, they never confessed or asked for forgiveness, either. In some circles it is okay to say that sin is not sin. For way too many people it is better to say that they have no sin; that they are innocent than to open themselves up to receiving forgiveness.

We all sin. But, according to St. John, it is imperative that we confess our sins so that we can receive forgiveness. Being cleansed from all unrighteousness, we can move on with our lives in a new and fruitful way that will benefit not just ourselves but others around us.

"If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Sadly, in this world there are those who feel that they do not need to be cleansed of unrighteousness. Sadly, there are those who feel that doing injustice is the way to live and to teach others to live.

Jesus died so that we might receive forgiveness and be reconciled to our Father in heaven and to the whole Body of Christ. This forgiveness is for all who would believe in him; none are excluded. Repent; turn around and follow Jesus into the Kingdom of God.

May God speak to our hearts and minds that we might all repent and turn to Him; following in our Lord's footsteps; helping and defending rather than doing injustice to our neighbors.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Forgive Us!

THE LORD'S PRAYER

The Fifth Petition.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

What does this mean?--Answer.
We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor deny such petitions on account of them; for we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for we daily sin much, and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we verily, on our part, also heartily forgive and also readily do good to those who sin against us.

The Book of Concord

Forgive us our trespasses. We begin this petition by asking that our sins be forgiven. We begin by acknowledging that we have sinned against God and others. We begin with repentance. We understand that we are sinful beings and that without the grace and mercy of God we would be lost for all eternity. It is only by faith in the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that we can be saved. 

In John's first epistle we are reminded: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8 NKJV) It is very difficult to receive forgiveness if we cannot acknowledge that we have sinned and in need of forgiveness. It is like a pitcher filled with sour milk. There is no way you can add fresh milk to the pitcher. There is no room and even if there were the fresh milk would also become rancid. The pitcher must be emptied and cleansed first.  

Having worked as a cognitive behavior treatment specialist at a correctional facility as well as having served in pastoral ministry for over twenty years, I have witnessed and addressed the various ways that human beings deny the truth of their sinful nature. One of the most common ways to deny the truth of our own sinful nature is to attempt to justify one's actions by pointing out someone else's sins. In other words, we direct the focus onto others in the hopes that our owns sins will not be quite so visible to the people around us. During confessions like this, I usually remind them that we are not called to confess the sins of others; but, to confess our own sins.

We are called to repentance; to turn around and follow in the footsteps of Jesus in and to the Kingdom of God. Jesus, the only one without sin, was willing to take the sins of the world upon himself and to be crucified for our sins that we might be reconciled to God and to one another. He was willing to die that we might receive forgiveness and live life in him. It behooves us then, if we are to truly follow in his footsteps, to forgive others even as we would desire to be forgiven.

It is not now or ever helpful for one to confess the perceived sins of others, day after day, year after year. This is not will not aid us in any way to continue on the path that Jesus would lead us on. It is a major distraction and will only lead us on the path to destruction. It is definitely not a way to witness to God's great mercy and love for us and for all people.

Repent and receive the forgiveness of sins that cost Jesus his life. Turn around and follow him on the path to eternal life. Forgive others even as you are forgiven.

According to the Gospel of Luke (17:3-4), Jesus tells us: “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.  Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

May God help us to repent of our own sins and to forgive one another even as He forgives us.

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Confession And Forgiveness

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:8-9 NIV)

Pretending that we have not sinned when we clearly have is a sin in itself. The inability to admit that we have sinned separates us from God and from one another. Reconciliation happens when we confess our sins and desire to be forgiven.

Willingly communicating that we are sorry for harming others opens the doors to the reconciliation that God desires for His children. It can be hard to acknowledge our part in bringing hurt to others. But, that is a first healing step for the ones we have harmed and for ourselves.

May God move us toward confession so that we might receive the forgiveness of sins and be made whole in the sight of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Transparency

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Heb 12:13

Transparency... That word has been used an awful lot lately. The problem is we often apply it to someone else's attempts to cover up their true motivations. It makes me weary spending so much time attempting to discern the truth when people work so hard to hide it. I am of the nature that when I feel I am being lied to, I take the time to confront the lie so we can get to the bottom of it and get on with what we are called to do: live life in Christ. I need the truth to live and Jesus, by the way, is the truth.

We cannot be of any real help to anyone if we don't know what the problem really is. Half-truths (which are lies) just compound any issues that need to be dealt with. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8

As Christians, we are to be transparent and that goes for politicians who claim to be Christians. The people whom are actions will affect deserve to know the truth. Transparency with the people we are called to serve is a good thing. It is the honest thing. It is the godly thing.

We can hide our real motivations and even think that no one knows. But, God knows. The one to whom we will give account knows all of those secret motivations and actions that we think we've been able to cover up. Not only does God know; but, the actions of those who attempt to hide their evil plans are in reality known by others who have a sincere desire to seek the truth.

May God help us all to be more transparent in what we say and do so that we might be able to serve God and all of His people more faithfully, to the glory of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jesus Is The One We Proclaim

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Col 1:28 NIV

Is he? Is Jesus the one we proclaim as the Christ? We cannot have any other gods. We cannot lift up anyone or anything else above him. As a church; as members of the Body of Christ, we can proclaim only Jesus as our savior. No one and nothing else can save us from ourselves or from any other power that comes to deceive and destroy us. Without the Messiah, we are lost.

It is only in Christ that we have real life. May God help us to teach and to learn with all due diligence and wisdom so that together we may fully mature in Christ.

Put away your teachings of false gods so that everyone may grow into the fullness of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J