The Last Shall Be First

Matthew 20:1-16;17th Sunday after Pentecost; Mark 10:35-44; The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Humble yourself and serve others rather than your own egos and personal desires. 

He Will Have Mercy On The Righteous

Reading from Genesis 18:20-33 KJV - He would save the city for 10 righteous people; but, he could not find 10 righteous. They sought after their own desires and did not pay heed to the desires of the Lord.

Friends With Ulterior Motives

Psalm 41 KJV; Help us to help others, Lord. Let us not destroy others by putting our own desires over the needs of others.

Helping Our Neighbor

Romans 15:1-7 KJV

Devil And Earthly Lusts Depart

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." 

                                                              (Gal 5:13-17 KJV)

Desires of the world infiltrate our lives. But, they do no have to take over our lives.  Jesus said:

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt 6:24)

The lusts of our flesh and the Spirit within fight against one another as the devil is always in conflict with the Spirit of God. It can be a major battle especially for those with addiction problems. The Good News is that the Spirit of Christ will help us to flee from the temptations of the devil and overcome any worldly lusts that we may have. The Spirit of Christ will teach us how to put behind us our own earthly desires so that we might live empowered by the Spirit loving one another.

Jesus is the ultimate example of how to love one another as he gave his whole life for you. Focus on him and walk in the Spirit commanding that the evil spirits, that would lead you to a self-centered way neglecting to love and care for others, would flee in the name of Jesus.  

Love one another and live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Rejoice In God's Peace

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

                                                                         (Phil 4:4-7 KJV)

Every day; all day long I pray with thanksgiving that He is with me.  Without Him I would have no peace at all.  The world is a mess. It seems to always have been. So many spend their lives filling their own desires with so very little consideration for how that fulfillment might be detrimental to others. Where is the peace in being so self-centered? It gets you know where.

Christ's whole purpose in dying for us was so that we could be reconciled to God and to one another. Self-centeredness divides it does not reconcile. It brings no peace.

But, abiding in Christ, who was totally selfless, can and does bring peace. Live life in Christ and live with peace that surpasses all understanding no matter what the world throws at you.

Give thanks and rejoice for the peace of God that is given you!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love Them And Show The Children The Way

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.." (Psalm 127:3 KJV)

For a few of generations now, I have witnessed children being neglected. Sure, most, but not all, have adequate food, shelter, clothing, etc.. Most of the children are physically provided for. But, not all of them. 

This morning, the neglect that I'm thinking of isn't due to lack of caring for physical needs. The neglect that I'm thinking of is when love is withheld. This neglect happens when these precious gifts from God are ignored by their parents. Some are even left to raise their parents because their parents put themselves before all others. They put themselves before God. They put themselves before their children. Sometimes, they have a lot of fun with their children. They horse around and play with them because that makes the parents feel good for the moment and then they are off to do their own thing.

There are some who say that many children raising children. Sadly, in many cases it has gone beyond that. The children are raising their parents and the children are not equipped. I am not saying that the whole world or all parents are being raised by their children. But, way too many are. It really is up to the parent to raise up a child in the way that they should go. It is not up to the child to take care of the parents' needs and desires.

"Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." (Eph 5:14)

Wake up, as they say, and smell the roses. Your children are a gift from God. Care for them, guide them, teach them, love them as God loves you. Love your children even as they love you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Trust God And Know Peace

Proverbs 3:1-12 KJV

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:

For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

+++

There is a path that leads to peace. Our Lord has shown us the way if we would only listen to Him. I have fallen off that path more than a few times. Thanks be to God for loving me enough to lead me back to the path that He has set before us! 

I have learned over the years and after being corrected by God more times than I can count that the way to live a peaceful life is to live trusting that the Lord will provide for us and by  honoring Him for all that He is and for all that He does. 

I have found that it is best to listen to Him rather than my own desires. The Lord provides all things including a peace that surpasses all understanding. (Phil 4:4-8)  As a young married couple so many decades ago my husband and I often struggled trying to make ends meet. We struggled and didn't get most of the things we desired. We did not get any extra conveniences. But, we were never without our daily needs being provided for.

It is a wise move to listen to the Lord and trust Him. Follow in the way that He has shown you and live in peace.

God's peace be with you always - Pr. J.

Brother's Keeper

"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." 

                                                                                       (Matt 7:9-12 KJV)

"And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9) 

After killing his brother, Cain would not answer the Lord directly when asked where his brother was. His retort was "Am I my bother's keeper?" Consider today if you are your brother's keeper. And, are you your brother's children's keeper? I hope that you are answering in the affirmative.

Our lives can be full of chaos and not just ours. Everyone has down times. Let us not be the ones to bring those down times to others. Let us not harm those close to us by considering our own desires above the needs of others. May God help us to remember to look out for not only our needs but for the needs of those around us as well.

Yes, you are your brother's keeper. If you, yourself, are a child of God then you would respond in the affirmative when it comes to helping those around you. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Faith, Hope, Love

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Cor 13:13 KJV)

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:13 NIV)

Faith, hope, charity or love for one another that we might be most charitable in word and deed to those around us are most important to living life most fully. 

Where faith is there will also grow in us the seeds of hope and love. Without faith we not will not even be able to see as though we are looking through a glass, darkly and when we cannot hope will not survive and love will expire.

When hope dies our faith in the one who loves us and desires that we live with and in him also dies. When hope dies, faith and love will soon follow suit.

When love dies there will be no charitable acts of kindness toward others. We will consider only our own selfish desires. 

When love dies both hope and faith will also go. We will become like the walking dead, dried out old bones if we leave behind faith, hope, and charitable acts born out of love. Without faith, hope, and love there is nothing; but, emptiness.

May God keep you in his Word that you might know these greatest gifts of faith, hope, and charity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Praise God for the Rain

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 

To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

                                                                                     Psalm 63:1-3 KJV

The land may be dry and thirsty as many of our desires are larger than our abilities to fulfill those desires. However, it is raining outside and the land around me is thriving. We are home in Florida. The temperatures are wonderful and I have been outside under the canopy drinking my morning coffee, praying, and listening to the rain. 

It is good to be back in Florida. I have a lot of unpacking and reorganizing to do. Over the last few years we have been working on down-sizing. We live in what many would call a tiny house here and I love it! But, it is a little trick to find a place for everything that we still do have. I get restless inside of buildings. It is hard for me to sit still. But, when I am outdoors I can relax as I am reminded of not what man has made; but, what God himself has created.

To see the beauty of what He has created brings me peace and a greater knowledge of His presence.

May all God's children praise the Lord for the abundance He has given us!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Only The Spirit Knows

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Cor 2:14 KJV)

We too often view the world with the natural eyes; with what makes sense to us, without considering what it is that God might want for the world. As humankind struggles to try to find peace with what is going on around us, we forget that God has a plan. Through all of the struggles that we encounter, God is at work showing us the way in which He would have us go.

That Way is Jesus the Christ. He would have us follow Jesus to the cross and to eternal life in His presence. But, it cannot happen for us as individuals if we continue to cling to our own egos; to our own self-righteousness. We must see as Christ sees, with love for humankind and most of all for our Father in heaven within our hearts. We must be willing to give our lives for the sake of others. To give up our petty differences and strive to come to understand what others may be going through. This does not happen through lies or gossip. It does not come through assaulting those who have done nothing to us or anyone else just so that we can prosper. 

Reconciliation with God and with one another by any means, especially by the love of God through Jesus Christ, is foolishness to those who put their worldly desires before anything or anyone else. 

As carnal human beings we cannot know the mind of God. But, the Spirit of Christ, that abides in those who believe, knows all things. Listen to the Spirit of God so that you might know reconciliation with the Father and that you might know His peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Kind

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.." 

                                                                                         (Col 3:12-15 KJV)

We are not to be doormats. We are to stand firmly on the truth, which is the Word of God. Jesus, and in the end his disciples, did not back down from the truth. They stood firmly on God's Word and on His promises.

But, neither are we to be bullies asserting our rights over the rights of others. Paul encourages the Colossians to treat one another with compassion and kindness. We are to try to have empathy for others; to, as the saying goes: "walk a mile in the shoes of others." We are to listen to all sides with humility; humbling ourselves so that we do not put our desires over the needs of others, and with empathy so that we can act with compassion and kindness to those who are suffering.

May God reconcile us to Himself and to one another, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J

Speaking the Truth in Christ

"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost," (Rom 9:1 KJV)

This verse never fails to bring a smile to my face. I find it a bit bewildering and amusing that a man of St. Paul's faithfulness would have to defend his integrity. 

Yes, before he knew Jesus, he hunted down Christians to put them to death. Even in that, as horrific as it was, he was ferociously dedicated to what he believed was God's will for the good of the people. But, once he met Jesus his life changed. He was convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah and was totally dedicated to proclaiming the truth in Christ.

It is good when we one say with Paul that I am speaking the truth, my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit. But, sadly that is not always the case. The truth of Christ Jesus is often tainted with personal desires. It is difficult to know when someone is truly speaking the truth and so we must depend upon the Holy Spirit within us to help us discern the truth.

Paul's truth in Christ, sometimes hurt people. The truth is not always pleasing to hear. May we always speak with integrity for the good of those whom God loves.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

We All Must Die

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Heb 9:27-28 KJV)

We all must die. These old tents that we live in deteriorate and will finally give out. But, thanks be to God who sent His Son to be a sin offering for us, all who believe in him will not perish but will live eternally in His presence.

The question that often enters my mind is why would anyone think that it will be awesome to live eternally in His presence after their bodies wear out and die, if they have no desire to live in His presence today. Eternity means for all time and all time includes today. 

Our fate is decided by the grace of God of through faith in the one who lived and died and lives again for us. 

When Martha was grieving the death of her brother Lazarus, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." (John 11:25-27)

Yes, our bodies will wear out. We will all die. Yet, the one who lives by faith in Jesus, will be judged sinless by the power of the blood of Jesus on the day when he returns for us and we shall live for all eternity in the presence of Almighty God.  Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Seek The Presence Of The Lord; Live By The Spirit

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal 5:16 NRSV)

I hear this scripture all too often for my liking. It's not that I don't agree with it. I do. It's that I am tired of hearing it preached by people who don't live by it. It is not just the prosperity preachers who promote gratifying their flesh by their actions. It is also a lot of other clergy and lay people who would judge the prosperity preachers. The way we live; our actions, should at least come close to what preachers tell others they must do. If the Spirit of Christ abides in us, we will be more concerned about seeking the kingdom of God rather than seeking things. 

Those who insist on saying that others must live by the Spirit and not gratify the flesh; then it would beneficial for them to examine themselves. If getting your car detailed is more important than serving or supporting others then I'd say you ought not be telling others to be living by the Spirit. If you have hours to spend shopping for that perfect, very expensive, dress for the weekend while insisting that you are spiritual, then I'd say your actions do not coincide with the words of your mouth. 

Whether you live by the Spirit or the desires of the flesh is up to you. But; please, do not pretend that you love the Lord while you are busy trying to satisfy your self-gratifying desires.

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. (Gal 6:7-8)

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Way And Wisdom Of God

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future. The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established. (Prov 19:20-21 NRSV)

We like to plan for the future; for the afternoon; for tomorrow; for what we will do when we grow old. We like to plan according to our own desires. We can come up with many plans. Some will be brought to fruition. Many plans will never be achieved.

To achieve those things that we want there usually has to be a path for us to follow. How will we get there? What steps shall we take? 

It is not expedient for us to get side-tracked on various other things. We must focus on the ultimate goal if we're even going to begin heading in the direction that we want to go. It does not help us to ignore the advice of those who have taken that same path and reached the goal. It is fool-hardy to think that we know better than those who have already succeeded and that we have no need of taking their advice. We can throw their advice under the bus; but, that will not get us any where except run down. It is also not wise to follow in the same ways of others whose journeys ended with them sinking in deep mire.

Most of all, it is fool-hardy to think that we do not have to follow the wisdom of God; we do not have to follow the path he has set before us; because, in the end it will not be our will be done; but, His. The purpose of the Lord will be established no matter what plans that we might have.

May God help us to learn to be still and actually listen to Him so that we may follow in the way that He would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Losing Friends For Living With Christ

Do good! Do what is right! 

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.                                                                                                                        1 Peter 4:1-4 NIV                

No, you won't be too popular if you leave behind those things that the pagans choose to do; but, you will be much more at peace with yourself as you begin to live in Christ.

As a former substance abuse counselor, one of the toughest things to deal with is that when someone finally decides to trust God for their recovery they lose most, if not all, of their old friends. It can be a lonely time. It takes a bit of work to realize that the only reason they hung out with you was because your substance abuse justified theirs. Once that is gone, they are out of there. "They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you." (vs 4)

But, new friends will come with time. Friends that will share in the joy of living as a member of the Body of Christ with you. In Christ you are a new creation. "So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:19)

May the peace of the Lord be with you always! Live in his peace and ignore the drama this world would throw at you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Led By The Spirit of God

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
                                                                                                                     (Romans 8:12-14 NIV)

From the perspective of some, I can get a little irritable at times. In fact, I do. I get irritable whenever I see the misdeeds of the body being greatly lifted up and lauded and generally celebrated and this by those who would profess Christ as their Savior. I cannot imagine someone who knows Christ would brag about their misdeeds as though they were not sins. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ strive to be led by Spirit of God and not the desires of the flesh. Turn around and follow in The Way the Spirit leads that you might live life.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love, Joy, Peace

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

                                                                                                                        Galatians 5:16-23 NIV

Love - a fruit of the Spirit of God! There are days that I just shake my head in wonder at the lack of love that I witness around me. People using people to get what they want. I believe that everyone wants love but they have no clue that gratifying the desires of the flesh isn't going to get it. Sexual immorality, anger (temper tantrums and tirades), idolatry, etc. isn't going to get you love. Love is of the Spirit, not of the flesh. Love is not self-seeking. Love seeks unity with one's neighbor. Love seeks good for others and not harm.

According to St. Paul: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." He warns us that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

On the other hand, those who live by the Spirit of God, will have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. They will produce fruit of the Spirit. "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." 

May God help us to love others, even as He loves us. May His Kingdom come; His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J