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

The Goal

 

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV)

So much time and energy is wasted striving after things of this world. Of course, we all need to work for basic necessities. St. Paul had written to the Thessalonians, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (2 Thess 3:10) But, often our focus is so centered on "stuff" that we forget that we are to focus on the Kingdom of God in Christ Jesus. We think that our worship and service can be relegated to one hour per week and the rest of the week is to strive after and, yes, even worship and glorify "stuff" of the world. We lift up powerful people and even sports heroes and musicians and other such celebrities. We envy and strive to be like those who have earned much in this world; after all, they have done so much for themselves and look how happy they aren't! In this world it is a sign of success to have earned much "stuff."

But, the "stuff" that you've been striving after will not save you. "Stuff" will only drag you down. It will require your focus and energy to obtain and maintain. "Stuff" will not save you. The world will not save you. You cannot save yourselves by your own power and might. Only Jesus saves. Put, aside those things which have puffed up your ego and set a new course. Strive for the goal: life in Jesus' presence, in his Kingdom. Press on and take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of for us. Set aside egos and desires of this world. Set aside your confidence in your own flesh to earn anything worthwhile. Spending your life accumulating stuff is a waste of time and energy. Trust Jesus and live life in him!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Avoid Vengeance

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." (Lev 19:18 NIV)

Revenge is a waste of both time and energy. Avoid any thoughts of it. There is not enough time in this world to waste it on someone who is so negative that they would hurt you at any opportunity. Step away if you must. Do not give them room to hurt you. Keep your conscience clear so that you might go about enjoying the life that God has given you. Do not fill your heart or mind with those things that will rob you of your peace. Revenge only creates more drama. If you want to live in peace let the Lord who is Almighty handle your enemies. Vengeance is His. We must focus on living life in Christ.

"'Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.'" Rom 12:17-19

May God give you the wisdom and courage to let go and let God take care of your enemies so that you might live in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J