I Dwell With The Lord Forever

Psalm 23 KJV; Make the Shepherd's Psalm a daily prayer.

Iniquities Prevail

Psalm 65:1-8 KJV; 7th Sunday after Pentecost; Iniquities prevail; atrocities are committed. Lord, have mercy upon us and forgive us our sins.

Love Others Even As God Loves Us

John 4:7-16 KJV; for Christmas Eve.  As God abides and us and we in Him we love even as He loves us.

Give God The Glory

Revelation 14:6-7 KJV; Reformation Sunday; Give God the glory for He is the one true God; the creator of heaven and earth.

Jesus Seeks Out His Flock

Ezekiel 34:11-15; 22-24; Psalm 23 KJV The Shepherd seeks out his flock. That good shepherd is Jesus.

New Wine In New WIneskins

Old Testament reading from Isaiah 65:1-9 KJV for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost with brief message.

The Church and the church

Reading from Ephesians 3:9-21 KJV - the Church of Jesus Christ is eternal. It will never end.

Beside Still Waters

Fish in Bulow Creek

PSALM 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

+++

There are few things in this world that restores me better than sitting beside or on still water. The water whether it is still or rough reminds me of the awesomeness of God. It can be very rough at times reminding me of the troubled times that come to us all and then peace makes its entrance with the calming of the waves.

Water is a reminder of our baptisms into Christ; into his death and into his resurrection. Our old selves are drowned in the waters of baptism and come out totally new; totally cleansed. Water is not only a spiritual life-giving gift from God; but, a precious gift that is essential to our life and physical well-being here on earth. We would well to protect it.

We may walk through proverbial shadows of death as day after day we encounter obstacles that would turn us away from God; but, we should not fear. God is with us and he leads us through those dark valleys on a path of righteousness beside still waters and will give us rest in luscious green pastures of his making and his choosing.

God bless you with goodness and mercy all the days of your life!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

What You Give; You Will Receive

Loving our enemies may be tough; but, it is right to do.

"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." 

                                                                            (Rom 12:9-10, 11-18 KJV)

Live peaceable with others as much as is possible. Sometimes it is difficult to be at peace with others; especially with those who appear to be enemies. However, the word of the Lord reminds us that we are to bless those and do not curse those who persecute you.  Scripture reminds us that what we put out will return to us.  If we judge others we will be judged. If we despise and persecute others we too will be despised and persecuted. But, if we love others and strive to live with others in peace then we shall be loved and loved in peace. If we want others to see us in the best light then we ought also to put the best construction on who they are and what they may or may not have done.

We are sinful human beings and sometimes no matter how hard we try we do not always think or speak or act charitably regarding other. However, according to Luther's Small Catechism we teach that we are to put the best construction on everything that our neighbor says or does. 

"The Eighth Commandment

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What does this mean? — Answer.

We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything."

Do not dwell on the faults of those who hate you; but, pray that they might come to know peace; pray that they might learn to love as Christ loves them; be merciful as God is merciful. In doing so your enemy may in the end become your best ally and friend.

"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

                                                                                           (Luke 6:35-28)

Keep guard over what you think and say and do for what you do to others may well turn around and be done to you a thousandfold.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Phil 4:8)

There are so many scripture verses that pertain to loving even our enemies I cannot possibly list them all in a blog. The bottom line is do good to others. No one needs the stress that comes with anger or hatred or vengeance either  through the given of it or receiving of it. Live life in Christ! Live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Even In The Shadow Of Death

Manatee in Bulow Creek

 PSALM 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

+++

The LORD is our shepherd! Thanks be to God that He is with us now and always, guiding us even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. 

As long as we live in this world, death looms large in front of us. But, God is larger. Thanks be to God, Christ has overcome the power of death for us. On this side of physical death there will always be trials and challenges to overcome. We will endure persecution for the sake of the Gospel (that is the good news of the Kingdom in Jesus the Christ). We will suffer even while rejoicing for we know that even as these days might present themselves as a shadowy darkness, God is with us and for us. He restores and keeps our souls no matter what darkness we might encounter.

His goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. We are confident that the LORD, our Shepherd, will be present with us even as we dwell in His presence, in His House, in His Kingdom, forever! Amen!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Evil For Good; Darkness For Light

 

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isa 5:20 KJV)

Why one might ask would anyone call evil good!

I have seen evil called good in so many seemingly innocuous places and ways that it boggles the mind. Humankind excuses evil for many reasons. Evil becomes acceptable when we ignore it because we have been told to live and let live; do not judge others. Yet, the word of the Lord clearly tells us that we are to discern between what is good and what is not and we are to refrain from what is not good. We are to steer clear of the evil; not engage in it nor condone it with our silence just to be polite; in order to be liked. 

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. (Eph 5:11-12)

Evil is not good no matter what false idol claims it to be. Evil does not become good no matter how many times we are told that it is. Those who call evil for good would have you think that they are enlightened. But, they do not live in the light. They dwell in the darkness. Yet, even in the darkness God sees their evil intents and deeds. They may be able to fool some of the people around them; but, they cannot fool God.

The darkness of evil would threaten to engulf us. But, it cannot. We stand on the word of God and no matter what might happen in the world around us we will continue to live in the light of Christ. 

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

On This Mountain

On This Mountain

And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. 

                                                                                             (Isa 25:6-9 KJV)

No more tears... No more crying... We look to the day when the covering that is cast over all of us is completely removed. We look to the day when all people will rejoice in their salvation in the very presence of God; in the very peaceful presence of God.

We can look for the way to peace for most of our lives; but, until we know Jesus the one who lived and died and lives again for us we will not truly know it. We will be doomed to chase after whatever it is that we think we're searching for until the day we abide with and in Christ in his Kingdom.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:12-15)

Our Savior has come. His kingdom has come through his death and resurrection. Thanks be to God that we can live in that kingdom in peace!

Lord, God, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10)

Abide in Christ! Abide in his Kingdom! Live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Good Shepherd Lead Me

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

 

Psalm 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Tomorrow is the fourth Sunday of Easter and the psalm for the day is the Shepherd's Psalm. How many Christians have not heard this psalm? How many have not memorized it? It is a psalm of comfort and of promise. It is a reminder that God, our shepherd, is with us. He is with us and for us. He will guide and protect us. His goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in his presence for all of eternity. 

May you always dwell in his peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Shepherd Is Near

He leadeth me beside the still waters

Psalm 23 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Amen!

The Shepherd's Psalm is a favorite among many. Over the years it has become a prayer of affirmation for me. Praying it daily I am reminded that I am living in the presence of God and that, for me, is most comforting and reassuring. The very thought of being in God's presence brings me peace.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" because God is with me. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters." I know with this affirmation that He does it because He is present in my life. God does all of these things as affirmed in the Shepherd's Psalm because He is present in our lives. He is not a God far off. He is very near.  

We get to live in His presence today. We get to dwell in His presence, in His house, in His Kingdom for ever. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus who gave His life that we might live in His presence now and forever!

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Depression Flees Under His Wings

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not come near you.

                                            Psalm 91:1-7 KJV

Depression and anxiety afflicts us all from time to time. As a young person, it hit me a lot. I still get depressed from time to time. When I do I focus on the Lord, not on myself. What does the Lord want me to do? Love others? Help others? Or, focus on my pain and suffering? When I ask myself these questions, the answer is easy. It is to focus on others and on the good gifts that God has given me. The blessings are beyond counting and life is good because God is good. The gifts that He has given me are not just for my sake; but, to be used for the sake of others around me.

The verses from Psalm 91 were always a great help to bring me out of the darkness of depression. I read them often and prayed them often. They are a reminder that God is with us and for us. We can dwell in His shelter or we can step out of that shelter into depression, fear, and the anxiety that are brought on by insisting on doing what we want and finding out that what we want is not right nor good for us or for anyone around us. 

Take refuge in the Lord and He shall cover you with His loving and protective feathers. You will find peace that you cannot even imagine right now as you rest in His shelter. Trust in the Lord and in His truth and you will know peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Pray Without Ceasing!

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess 5:16-18 NRSV

There is so much to be thankful for. The reasons to rejoice never end because "we know that all things work together for good for those who love God." (Rom 8:28) Yet, we know that there are those whom we love who do not love God; who do not know the Lord, and so we pray without ceasing. We pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that they may be strengthened in their inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith, as they are being rooted and grounded in love. We pray that they may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that they may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:16-19)

Because we love even those who do not love or know God, we will never stop praying for them. We will joyfully give thanks for we know that God hears our prayers and answers, according to His good will.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ultimate Concern: Last Day?

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. (1 John 2:18-19 NKJV)

Was it the last hour? I guess that depends on what John meant by last hour. Most people today appear to believe the last hour is when the world will come to an end and Christ will come again; not necessarily in that order. How long did John figure the last hour was going to last, anyway? I do not know the answers. I do know that unless the world ends before then, my last hour on earth will be when I breath my last breath. The world did not end in St. John's day or any where near it. Many people today also believe that the world is about to come to an end and that we are indeed in the last hour. Way too many preachers focus their whole ministry on it. Maybe we are in the last day. Maybe we aren't. In the whole scheme of things, does it matter? Is our ultimate concern really the end of the world? 

Yes, we know that many antichrists have come. There are many who dwell so much on the "last day" that they forget that Christ is with us even now. They forget to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God; the Kingdom for you through Jesus Christ. They dwell so much on the signs of the times that the Good News of salvation through Jesus is often neglected. This causes me to wonder if these fearmongers are some of the many antichrists that were predicted to come. If not, why then are they not preaching that Jesus was crucified, died, and yet lives again? They preach as though he were still dead and will rise again or that maybe he's in hiding someplace. Do they not believe that he truly lives and reigns today? Do they not believe that he lives in and through all who believe in him? Why are they not preaching that the Kingdom of God has indeed come to all who believe instead of worrying about the end of this world? 

Yes, this world is a mess! There are days I would like to see the last day. But, it will come when God decides it will come. In the meantime; let us rejoice that we have been reconciled to God our Father, in His Kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Let us rejoice and share the Good News. God is with you!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Sing His Praise

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God." (Col 3:15 NRSV)

Sometimes, it seems, we can share the Word of God and His love with all that we have in our inner being; but, it reaches deaf ears. It is met with rudeness and even anger. There are many who just do not know how to react to genuine love.

What to do about this? We are to continue doing what we have been doing. We are to continue sharing the Word with all who will listen. Do not be afraid of slander of any kind or vicious attacks. You are a child of God and He will be with you always; no matter what befalls you.

Let us always sing songs to the Lord with joy and gratitude in our hearts for all that he has done. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Sing Songs of Thanksgiving!

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God." Col 3:15 NRSV

Sometimes, it seems that no matter how much we share the Word of God and His love it reaches deaf ears. It is often met with rudeness and even anger. There are many who just do not know how to react to genuine love.

What to do about this? We are to continue sharing the Word with all who will listen. Do not be afraid of slander or any kind of vicious attacks. Rather, continue to share the word of Christ which dwells in you richly and sing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord, our God.

Remember that you are a child of God and He will be with you always, no matter what befalls you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Troll Has Received His Promise

Troll with one of the classes he prepared for their first Communion

as they receive their first Communion.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
    he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

                                      Psalm 23 NRSV

No matter how dark the valleys may get, those who believe in Jesus the Christ know that Jesus is with them guiding us; comforting us. My dear friend Troll (Michael) died last night. Troll joined Zion Lutheran Church in Skanee a number of years ago. He quickly became very active; teaching our children in Sunday School and preparing them for their first Communion. The children loved him. We all loved him. I do not recall ever seeing him at the church without his Bible in hand and when I visited him after he fell ill; there was the Bible and the church directory beside his bed. He never left home without them.

Troll's journey through life was not always easy. He suffered even before the strokes with PTSD. He had served as a medic stateside during Vietnam, trying to minister to those who had come back wounded. His retirement came after years of service as a police officer in Detroit, MI for 27 years, which also lends itself to having to experience major traumatic incidents on an ongoing basis. But, through the darkest of valleys, his faith did not leave him. Sometimes, he felt as though his faith was buried too deep within him. After he retired he searched hard for more faith. That more faith came to him as a gift from God. Today, even as I remember him and grieve our loss, I am confident that goodness and mercy has followed his life on earth and he dwells in the house of the Lord for all of eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J