Do Good; Live In Peace

Psalm 37:1-11

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

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Do not fret! Do not be angry or jealous of those who appear to have more or be happier than you are! The Lord will provide for you. Those who live life focusing on the good gifts of God will delight in an abundance of peace.

So much time is spent feeling sorry for oneself; for lamenting their perceived trials and troubles. There are real troubles in this world and then there are also those that are contrived in one's head. That is not to say that we should not strive to help those in real trouble. But, sometimes it might be good to recognize that others have much more serious problems than our own.

When Jesus died he gave it all for us. He gave his life for us and then he rose from the dead to reign in the Kingdom that we hope for. That old addage that says it is better to give than to receive is not wrong. He gave it all! What would we be willing to give? 

It does not do any good to complain about our lives. Take a look at the world around you and consider what you might do, following in the footsteps of Jesus, to do good for others. If and when you do this you will find that your own perceived troubles will begin to disappear. You will not have time to fret about your life. Those things that once bothered you will mean very little to you.

Do not fret! Trust in the Lord! He will provide for you.

God's Peace - Judy

Serve The One True God

Deuteronomy 6:4

 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15 NRSV)

There are many gods. We will all serve someone or something. Some serve money; others serve heroes of this world; some serve their own ego. But, there is only one who is the creator of heaven and earth. There is only one God that can save us from the rest of these false gods. There is only one God who can save us from ourselves. Who or what is it that we serve?

In Jesus' sermon on the mountain he said: “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matt 6:24)

It is much easier for me to understand someone telling me that they serve a god other than the Triune God; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit than if they tell me that they are Christians and serve the one true God and do not. The way one lives; the way one gives; the way one worships can be very good indicators of who or what each of us serves. if while one serves in the name of Jesus; but, it is their own ego that is in the limelight then I have to wonder what or who it is that they are really serving. Who or what is going to profit by their actions? Will it be the Kingdom or the person's ego or pocketbook? I am human and so I wonder about these things.

Jesus also said in his sermon on the mountain: 

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. 

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”  (Matthew 7:20-27)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Abominations

 

An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.

                                                        Proverbs 29:27 NKJV

If this proverb is true (and I am quite certain that it is) then it seems to me that there was and always be a division within this country and the world. We are divided in many ways; but, the most glaring of late seems to be between those who want justice for those who have striven to do what is right and those who want to appear righteous in themselves and subvert justice.

God will always know the truth and it is He who will judge each of us on the last day. He will judge those who close their eyes to sin. He will also judge those who have be been falsely accused. And, as our Lord promised those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake will be blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:10)

In the first letter of Peter, Christians scattered through Roman provinces of Asia Minor are encouraged to remain faithful even in the face of persecution.

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ( Pet 3:13-17)

So if the world is divided between those who are justified by the blood of Christ and those who are not; if it is divided between those who persecute and those who are persecuted; who are what are we; abominations to the wicked or abominations to the righteous? Where do we stand: with Christ or against Christ? 

Even as we are all sinners; help us, Lord, to do what is right. Help us to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with our God! (Micah 6:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J

My Light And My Salvation

Hunting Island Lighthouse, SC

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.

                                          Psalm 27 NRSV

 

The southern shores of the United States have been buffeted this fall with some major storms. There is yet another one, soon to be named Nate, brewing in the Gulf. In years gone by, lighthouses were placed strategically upon the shore to help anyone who found themselves caught in a storm upon the waters.

 

Life brings about many storms of many kinds. Some are small and some are huge. But, no matter what kind or how large the storm you are facing; no matter who brings it; no matter how dark it gets; there is a light shining to help you find your way. The light of Christ will always shine in the darkness to bring you to safe harbor. Follow the light of Christ and walk in the confidence that no matter who or what storm is attempting to bring you down; you will survive; you will live in God's presence for all eternity.

 

The Lord is our stronghold. We have no need to fear anything or anyone. God is with all who believe in Him.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J