Our Exile

Loving and Supporting One Another 
Is Better Done At Close Range

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

                                                                            (1 Thes 5:14-15 KJV)

Warn those who are falling away; comfort those who need comforting; support those who need help of any kind; and do it all with patience. In other words, love one another. 

The powers that be have isolated us from one another to the best of their ability this past year. Humankind was not made to live in total isolation. No one can live life to even near its fullest without interaction with others. We need others to remind us when we are falling away. Written words are helpful even as Paul wrote to the many church. They are helpful. But, we need people in person to comfort us and support us. As Christians, we do not live for ourselves but for the whole Body of Christ. It is difficult for the Body of Christ to work as one when we steer so clear of one another. 

The vaccination is being widely administered quite rapidly. Whether or not it works is a question many people have. But, with faith in this vaccination  hopefully the fear of dying that so many people have will disappear to a large extent soon and we can get back to actually and actively doing doing good. Hopefully, we will get back to actually and actively loving one another. That is... if we haven't forgotten how.

Have we really been looking to God or politicians and government agencies to save us from this isolation; from this exile?  

In the end remember that no matter what happens in this world the only hope any of us truly have is hope in the promises of God through Jesus the Christ. That hope includes living reconciled to God and to one another in the Body of Christ, in the Kingdom of God. Whatever the world says do not neglect what we know to be good: to exhort one another; to support and and comfort one another, with much patience. 

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Rom 15:13)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Endure The Truth

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

                                                    (2 Tim 4:2-4 KJV)

The time has come when people will not endure sound doctrine. They will not endure sound anything. Lies are preferred over truth as long as those lies promise them what they think might make them  happy in this world. In other words, if the promises, whether promised with integrity or not, give them hope in worldly things then they will follow after those who give them false hope. 

May God open the ears and eyes and hearts of all people to know the truth and strive for the kingdom for all people rather than what will appease their own lusts.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Listen To Him!

Stormy day on Huron Bay, U.P.

And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 

                                                                                (Acts 27:18-24 KJV)

The sailors had not listened to Paul when he warned them that it was to dangerous to set sail. Now, in the midst of the raging storm that he'd warned them about, they are ready to listen. They ran their ship aground and ultimately their lives are spared. God is with them. He has plans for Paul. He wants Paul to stand trial before Caesar in order for him to testify about Jesus.

When we find ourselves in the midst of storms because we failed to heed the warnings about the direction that we were heading. It is not too late. Listen to God. Listen to where He would have you go and what He would have do. God has plans for you! He will do all to ensure that His plans are carried out. But, listen to Him!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Do What Might Bring Peace

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. 

                                                                                          (Titus 2:1-8 KJV)

All I have to say about these verses from Titus is that it would be so nice if this actually happened. I cannot even begin to imagine how peaceful life would be.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Hope of Future and Fruit of Labor

In all toil there is profit,
  but mere talk leads only to poverty.

                           (Prov 14:23 NRSV)

I was listening to Dr. Jordan Peterson on YouTube this morning and something that he said really caught my attention. He said something to the effect of, "an old person has the fruit of their labor; young people have the hope of their future."  

As an older person, there are days when I am not exactly sure how fruitful my labors have actually been. I have worked hard and for many, many decades. I am not rich financially. But, I feel blessed almost all of the time. I am comfortable. I am comfortable because I know that in the days when I was not so profitable or fruitful, God provided for my needs. I am comfortable because I know that he will always take care of me according to his good will. That does not mean that I get to quit laboring and let God through others take care of me. 

I am comfortable (but, not always and completely because of my sinful nature) in that I do recognize the fruit of the work of my hands. But, the question is: has my labor been fruitful in the eyes of God? Has my labor glorified God? The answer to that is definitely not always.

Dr. Peterson said that the young people have the hope of their future. Hope is a good thing. It is a necessary motivator to strive for the things one dreams of. It is necessary for growth and to being able to, when one grows old, to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 

It is the hope of many of my generation that the young will not make the same mistakes as some of us have; spending too much time dreaming and not enough time toiling to accomplish their dreams. Dreaming is a good thing. But, if we are to accomplish any thing then action must follow and often it is quite a lot of action. It is not enough to say that we will do this or that. We must work to reach the goal. There must be labor in order to be fruitful. Fruitfulness follows labor which follows the birth of our hopes and dreams.

I do not understand the philosophy that those who do not work, even though they are able, should be fed by others. Sadly, it is a growing ideology. St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living." (2 Thess 3:10:12)

And, it is not just so that we can have the basic necessities of life that we labor.  Christians will labor and do all that they can to the best of their God given abilities that God might be glorified. When St. Paul wrote to the Colossians concerning our duties to one another he said: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ." (Col 3:17, 23-24)

Whether young or old; whether still forming your hopes and dreams or enjoying the fruits of your labor in your later years; may all things that we say and think and do glorify our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J.