Less Is Best

Matthew 2:4-6 KJV; In less than the best circumstances Jesus was born. The King of all Kings was born in a stable in a small village to a teenager.

To Live Is Christ; To Die Is Gain.

Philippians 1:20-24; We desire to see Christ face to face; but, for now we are satisfied knowing that his abiding presence produces fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Servant To All

And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. (Mark 9:35 KJV)

And... that is exactly what Jesus did. He did not use his power or authority to laud it over us. He became as a servant to all people when he suffered and died on the cross for our sins. The King of Kings suffered and died for us so that we might live in his Kingdom; in the presence of God Almighty.

He who was without sin was willing to suffer and die for the sinner.

The King of heaven and earth made himself to be last for us. He became our servant so that we might have life. May God help us to live lives serving others; putting the needs; putting the very lives of others before our own desires.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

In God We Trust

Psalm 118 KJV

I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

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There is one whom you can trust 100% to be on your side. That one is the Lord God; the creator of heaven and earth. No matter what the world may throw at you he is there for his children. You may suffer for a bit of time; but, be assured that God has a plan for you. He is merciful  and will not have you suffer eternally. Trust him above all other for he has a great plan for you. 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 118:29)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Being Fruitful?

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 

                                (John 15:5,7-8 KJV)

So... do we even desire to live life fruitfully or would we rather sit around and complain about how life has not given us any fruit?

Jesus tells us that in order to be fruitful; in order to have a fruit producing and fruit filled life we need to abide in him. Those who have been baptized in to the death and the life of Jesus the Christ do indeed abide in him and he in us. He is the giver of life. He is the source of all goodness and love within us.

Do not delay; cling to his words, live life in and for Christ and be fruitful that our Father in heaven is glorified.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Turn To The Lord And Rejoice

O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. (Psalm 95:1)

Psalm 126:1-6 KJV

When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.

The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

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When the Lord releases those in bondage they rejoice.  

The Israelites ended up in bondage because they had turned away from God. When they returned to the Lord they found themselves being freed again and they rejoiced. 

There are many forms of bondage. Some of us don't even realize that we are in bondage to so many things of this world. We become slaves to other people because of our incessant desire for more; for more things; for more power. We give up our freedom as we pursue these false gods.

Prayerfully there will be a day when we recognize that we have been led astray; that we have been following a dangerous path, and turn again to the Lord for all things. On that day we will rejoice for the Lord will save us! He is the rock of our salvation!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love Or Lust?

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

                                                John 3:16-18 KJV)

It is not so difficult to tell someone that you love them. People do it all the time in order to get something or someone that they desire. But, desire is not love. Lust is not the same as love.

Love is expressed not just with words; but, in the way we treat one another; in what we do for one another. That is not to say that telling others that we love them is totally unnecessary. It can be a great comfort even as using our tongue to let people know that we hate them causes them great distress.

Jesus' love for all of humankind was so great that he was willing to die for us. Is there anyone that you are willing to die for?  Most parents (I believe) would die for their children. But, would you die for a neighbor or for someone that you do not even know so that they might live?

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Irritated By The Risen Christ?

"And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand." 

                                                                                 (Acts 4:1-4 KJV)

For sure! People were irritated then and they may be irritated now if and when you share with them the Good News that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. They may be irritated; but, many will also hear and believe unto their salvation. 

Jesus commanded us to go and tell people everywhere about him and what he has done for us.   

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." 

                                                                                 (Matt 28:19-20 KJV)

So, do you? As a professed Christian do you share the Good News that Jesus lives and he lives for all people? No matter who you are or what you may have done, Jesus loves you enough to die for you and because he did all who believe will be saved and live in his gracious and loving presence forever.

If we love Jesus as he loves us; if we desire to love others as Jesus loves them, we will share the Good News of salvation through faith alone (not by our good works) in Christ alone. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Everyone Is Tempted

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Do not err, my beloved brethren.

                                                                                  (James 1:12-16 KJV)

We all fall prey to temptations from time to times. Call upon the Lord to give you the strength to resist temptations that will in the end harm you or others.

During the season of Lent many people at least attempt to fast. Most of this fasting is pretty minor. We  give up a favorite drink or food and we think that we have done well if we have been able to resist the temptation to partake of whatever it is that we're fasting from. In fact, maybe we have done well because we are so used to caving into every desire that even a little rejecting of a temptation may be a major feat.

We are all tempted to sin every single day of our lives. Every single day of our lives we do yield to some sort of temptation whether it is what we call a white lie or maybe a slanderous word against a neighbor. We sin when we do not trust the Lord to help us resist temptation.

Without trusting the Lord it is really tough to resist temptation. We need his strength to battle the temptations of our own desires. St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians to do battle with all attacks against us (temptations are truly attacks against our own welfare) we must be strong in the Lord. 

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

                                                                                     (Eph 6:10-18)

Put on the armor of God and stand firm against all attacks of temptation by the power of God's might through the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

His Will

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;" (Col 1:9 KJV)

Eta is going to put a stop to my morning prayer walk today. I will still pray; but, I will miss the walk. It's raining and the wind is blowing pretty good. It is not terrible; but, not good enough to be walking in either. The last time I took my prayer walk in the wind and rain my umbrella was blown inside out. 

I have found that I can focus more intently on prayer if I am walking outside as I can pray out loud. I can actually have a conversation with God. And... everyday, I pray for all my loved ones and all whom I know some of the same things that Paul prayed for the Colossians: that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do that will. 

May God grant that our ears and eyes and hearts and minds be open to a greater understanding of His will for us and fill us with the Holy Spirit that we might be inspired and empowered to follow in the way that He would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

There Is None Upon The Earth Like Him

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 

                                                                                    (Psalm 73:23-26 KJV)

Stuck in a dark corner and cannot find your way out? Seek the Lord with your whole heart for He is with you. He will give you the strength to keep moving forward. There is none other but the Lord who can save you. He will hold you by the right hand and guide you wherever it is that you should be.

Stick close to the Lord God; cling to Him; love Him with your whole heart. There is none other like Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Servant Shall Be First

And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. (Mark 9:35 KJV) 

If the first are going to end up last then why try so hard to put yourself above and before everyone else? So much of the word of God is contrary to how humans think. It all seems a bit backwards and upside down. And, it is! The thoughts and ways of humankind are not naturally the thoughts and ways of God. 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." (Isa 55:8)

After all; who would consider sacrificing their child so that others might live? But, God did. He first and only begotten Son humbled himself and became a servant to all. He put himself last so that we might live.

Those who lord it over others will in the end find themselves to be last and those who are willing to put the needs of others over their own desires will be first.

May God grant that we should all have heart like that of our servant and King, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Hears And Answers

Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

                                                    (Psalm 28:6-9 KJV)

The Lord hears our prayers and answers! It may not always be the answer we anticipate or desire; but, He does answer. 

In good times and bad times the Lord is listening and watching. Way too often when things are going along quite smoothly for us, we tend to neglect communicating with God. But, when times get rough the prayer line and prayer chains get really active. 

He is our strength and our shield. He is our Savior. But, He is much more. His very presence lifts us up so that we might rejoice in His being. Do not neglect to speak to him often and to listen.

"Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
                                                                                    (1 Thess 5:17-18)

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Am Still Here!

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

                                                                                      (Phil 1:20-24 KJV)

Have you ever woke up and thought, "Oh, I am still here!" Life is a privilege, indeed! We get to live and to love. For the most part, we get to enjoy life. We get to enjoy the world around us. But, we also know that there is something even better and that is to be with Christ in his full glory. And... that is a promise to all who believe in him.

St. Paul loved the Lord. Although he had once despised Jesus and persecuted his followers; once he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, his whole life turned around and he desired to live life with Christ. So it is with many who love Jesus today. We long to be with Jesus! We long to be with the one who loves us so much that he was willing to suffer horribly and die so that we might be forgiven all of our sins and live in his presence.

The good news is that we do not have to wait until death to this world to live with him. He is with you now. He will be with you always. We can live in his peace no matter what this world throws at us. 

It would be very nice. It would be absolutely awesome to depart and to be with him even as St. Paul desired to be with him. But, it is also pretty awesome to abide in the flesh in this world and to also be able to abide in him. It is also a privilege to be able to bring the good news to those who do not know Jesus. It is a privilege and it is needful for followers to make more followers of Jesus so that all may look to the day when they will depart to be with Christ in the fullness of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Birds Have Nests

Birds Have Nests

"And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." (Luke 9:58 KJV)

Humankind's desire for more; for bigger and better, can sometimes be insatiable. But, what good is it if you strive to have the largest, finest homes and as you age, they become empty? What good is it to work long hours, every day of the year just to have the most and the best if in the end you leave it all behind and if you do not have time to actually live life? It seems to me that we spend a lot of time worrying about what we have and way too little time appreciating who we have. We (most of us) have family and friends. We also have Jesus. Are fancy houses better than a relationship with Jesus? Yes, we must work if we are to have a place to lay our heads. We must work to eat. (See 2 Thess 3:10-12)

Jesus did not have a fancy house. In fact, he tells us he did not even have a place to lay his head. He did not own a home of his own. His home was greater than a brick and mortar or a straw or a wooden house. His home is the entire Kingdom of God. 

"And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 

                                                                                        (Luke 12:29-31)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Let Us Kneel Before The Lord

Philippians 2:10

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. 

                                                                                   (Psalm 95:6-7a KJV)

We can worship all the superstars in this world that we want; but, in the end it will do us no good. In fact, it may well be our undoing. We can follow where they lead us; but, it will get us to no place good.

There is only one Good Shepherd and only he can lead us to the peace that is so desired and is found in his pastures; his kingdom.

We can worship whatever or whomever we desire in this world; but, in the end when Christ returns in full glory, every unbeliever will drop to their knees with every believer in awe of the presence of our Lord and King.

We are going to do it anyway so why wait until there is no choice but to kneel before our Lord? Let us bow down and worship and kneel before him now so that our Father's will is done on earth as it is in heaven, even today.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Storms Will Come; Prepare

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matt 7:24-27 KJV)

Open your eyes and see. See what you have built your house upon. Is your spiritual house built upon the rock who is Jesus the Christ? Or is it built upon the sand that will eventually crumble and leave you without shelter or comfort? What condition is your house in? Do you say you believe; but, do you do nothing that keeps that house intact? Are you straying from that solid foundation, which is the word of God? 

Open your eyes and see. See where you have put your treasures. You may have acquired lots of "stuff." But, what condition is it in? Have you taken the time to maintain it? Or, are you sitting back and watching it fall apart because you are  too busy doing other things that are more pleasurable at the moment? What good is it to work to have lots of "stuff" if we are only going to let it rot away or get blown away in a storm. 

Open your eyes and see. Look around you and see where your responsibilities lie. When storms come; whether they are physical or spiritual, you cannot blame God for the storms because you have not taken the time to prepare for the storms. He has given us eyes to see what needs done. He has given us minds to know how to prepare. He has given us hands to do the work. If we want to hang on to the things that God has given us, we need to own the responsibility to take care of them.

Storms will come. They are inevitable. Prepare wisely. Open your eyes and see what needs shoring up before chaos comes. 

God grant us open eyes to see and the desire and energy to care for all that He has given us. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Climb Down From Your Tree

Climb down from your tree

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

                                                                                     (Luke 19:16 NIV)

"Zacchaeus was a wee little man." I cannot even begin to count the number of children I have taught the words of this song to. 

Personally, I prefer the translation from the KJV over the NIV, "And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature." (19:6) They King James describes Zacchaeus more fully than the NIV does. Zacchaeus was of little stature not only in physical height; but, in social stature as well. He was a tax collector and had made himself wealthy by cheating his own people. He was not a popular fellow. No one in the crowd that day was going to move out of his way so that a man like him could see Jesus. In order to get a glimpse of Jesus he climbed a tree to get a look at him from a distance. Jesus knew of Zacchaeus' desire to see him and so he arranged to make it up front and personal for him. He told Zacchaeus: "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 

Today, (and every day) Jesus wants to be welcomed into your home. He does not care what the world thinks about you. He does not care what you may or may not have done. He wants to be welcomed into your home. 

If you want to see Jesus; if you truly want to get to know him more personally, just climb down from whatever tree that you've chosen to watch Jesus from afar from and welcome Him into your life.

May God help you to see Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Listen To His Voice

So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
     do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
    though for forty years they saw what I did.
 That is why I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
 So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

                                                                                                              (Heb 3:7-13 NIV)

It was not only Israel that has seen and heard what God had done for them. If we are honest with ourselves; we, too, have seen and heard what God has done for us. God has done great things for all people. Yet, many refuse to see. They refuse to hear. They harden their hearts as in the great rebellion. They refuse to follow in "the way." Sadly, those who continue to rebel against the Lord our God will never enter His rest as He has promised. Sadly, some of those people who reject Him are people that we care about and love. It is up to those who do believe to continue to encourage others and remind them that it is a privilege and a blessing to hear his voice. It is up to God's children to remind all people to listen to Him.

May God open our ears to hear and our eyes to see and our hearts that we might desire to listen and follow in His way. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

His Love Is Always There

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:25-26 NRSV

Family and friends are great. We need them. We cannot live and actually thrive in isolation. But, for whatever reason sometimes they simply cannot be there for you. Sometimes, they do not seem to be able to comprehend what you might be enduring or they are busy trying to work through their own problems or maybe they are helping someone else who is having a crisis. But, there is one who does understand everything you are going though. He is there for you always. His love for us gives us the strength to endure all things.

We know that He is always there for us. He will always love us. We are never alone. It is difficult not to desire even more of He who loves us so much.

God's Peace - Pr. J