Do What Is Right; Live In Peace

And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

                                                                                                                  (Mark 7:14-23 KJV)

These verses seem pretty cut and dried to me. It is not what you eat that defiles you although you absolutely should make sure that you're not eating something that will make you physically ill. It is who you have chosen to be that defiles you. What is in your heart manifests into what you think and say and do and that is what causes a person to be defiled; to be sinful causing harm to themselves and others.

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.

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. (Phil 4:8-9)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Wisdom; Preaching Of The Cross

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

                                                                                       (1 Cor 1:18-25 KJV)

To many I am a foolish old woman because I pray an awful lot and I trust that God will answer my prayers. I thank God for the faith He has given me in Jesus the Christ who is my Lord and Savior. 

Had I followed in the ways of the world as completely as the worldly thinks is wise I would be totally lost. I have made it through many storms in life not by following in the ways of the world but by trusting that God is with me and would see me through by the power of the Holy Spirit. I trust that He has a good plan for me and for all who believe no matter how foolish we look to the unbelievers.

It is most prudent and wise to follow in the way that He has shown us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Following the wisdom of the world will always be our downfall. What appears to many to be the foolishness of God is so much greater than the wisdom of the world! Listen to Him!

It is by God's grace alone received by the sacrifice that Christ alone was able to make for me that I am here today. It is by His grace alone that I live and I live in Christ.

God grant all people everywhere to receive the wisdom of God; the wisdom of the cross of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Perverse Or Wholesome Tongue?

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so. 

                                                                                     (Prov 15:1-4, 7 KJV)

God does see both the physical and mental abuse that goes on in this world. Nasty tones and attitudes do indeed stir up anger. They stir up hatred. They stir up division. 

It is human nature to become angry when offended. It is more Christ-like not to act upon that anger. It is best to walk away for your sake and everyone else around you. If an angry person is in need of aid help if you can and if they are willing to let you. But, do not become so involved in their lives that you risk the chance of becoming a person filled with anger yourself. Nothing good will come of it. The book of Proverbs reminds us: 

Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. (Prov 22:24-25)

The world is full of anger and hate. But, we do not have to be. In Christ we have been born again. We do not have to live the old life that included so much anger. We can live in peace with joyful spirits when Christ abides in us and we in him.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. (2 Cor 13:13)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Preaching of the Cross

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18 KJV)

We preach the cross, a symbol of death so that we might live. Those who love their lives in this world though, steer clear of the cross. They are unable to understand that it is only by the sacrifice our dear lord Jesus made for us on that cross that we have been freed from the power of death. We have been freed from the power that the world, that evil, that sin had over us. 

Those who consider the cross as a symbol of foolishness will perish. It is wisdom to preach the cross and to cling to it for in the cross of Christ we have eternal life in the presence of Almighty God.

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.

The Cross Is Foolisness To Those Who Are Perishing

"For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  (1 Cor 1:18 NRSV)

For awhile; before I went to bed each night, I would listen to different sermons on YouTube. I gave that up awhile ago. I found that way too many YouTube (as well as television) preachers neglected to preach the message of the cross. Many preachers (not all) are not seen (or heard) for what they are: wolves in sheep's clothing.

They would preach about prosperity while they get rich on your offerings. Some preach a message of fear; of hell if you don't do everything exactly right. Others preach that the Good News is all about love and if you love enough that will be counted toward your good works and you will earn your way into heaven. After all; don't all good people go to heaven? They preach about doing good works so that we can manipulate God into getting what we want out of life; again, that is usually about prosperity, sometimes fame. They neglect to preach that the Good News is the Kingdom of God purchased for you by the blood of Christ shed for you on the cross.

The message of the cross is foolishness to false prophets and to those with itching ears who listen to them. You will not hear about suffering from these wolves in sheep's clothing. You will only hear about how God wants to give us everything we want in this world. He wants to bless us with riches (gold and silver) today! But, the truth is that God has already given us the greatest gift. He has given us forgiveness through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. He has made us His children through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ. We have been made us heirs of His Eternal Kingdom! We have been saved by the power of the cross of Christ. That is the Good News. It's not about money. The Good News is not about personal fame or notoriety or personal power. And, the Good News is not about what we can do for God! It is about what God has already done for us!

Thanks be to God! It is finished! It was finished on the cross. There is no good work that we can add to the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us that will save us from ourselves! Jesus did it all on the cross. But, this message about the cross of Christ will continue to be foolishness to those who look only to themselves. 

Consider the cross of Christ. Through Christ alone you have been saved. There is nothing more that you can do to earn your place in the Kingdom.

One more thing to consider. If you hear a sermon and never hear the name of Jesus in that sermon then it's probably time to find another preacher to listen to really quick.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Message of the Cross

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

                   “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

                   the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

                                                                              (1 Corinth 1:18-19 NIV)

For those who do not know Christ it is impossible to believe that through death on the cross eternal life is available to all people. It is impossible to believe that in order to live we must die. But, that is exactly what has happened. Christ was put to death to atone for our sins and yet he lives and because he lives, we live. This is foolishness to those who put their hope in the knowledge of the world. Yet, it is most certainly true.

I have not found the wisdom of the world to bring much comfort or peace. The ways of the world cannot save us no matter how wise we might think we are. Only Jesus can save us. Hear the message of the cross: the Good News that Jesus was crucified on the cross that we might live and live life abundantly in the presence of Almighty God for all of eternity. Foolishness? The world may say it is. But; I prefer to live, so I will trust in the message that we are saved by faith in Jesus and his life giving sacrifice for you and for me.

God's Peace - Pr. J