My Help Comes From The Eternal One

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 

                              (Psalm 121:1-3 KJV)

There are very few hills here in Florida to look up to. But, there is the sky. My  morning prayers usually takes place while out walking as the sun begins to rise. I often look up towards the heavens and am reminded of how eternal God is. He is everywhere and He is in every time. He has no beginning either in time or space. He does not sleep; but, watches over us at all times and in all places. We may make missteps and fall; but, He is there to pick us back up and put us on the right path again if we will let Him. He does not force Himself upon us. We can reject His help. But, who does that!? Who would reject the hand of one who would pick us up out of the dirt? Sadly, many do.

As for me, I trust the Lord, who created the heaven and the earth to pick me up and keep me on the right path whenever I trip up and fall.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

My Foot Slips

When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. 

                                                (Psalm 94:18 KJV)

My foot slipped and I fell off of a ladder a couple of weeks ago. An absolute miracle happened. I landed feet first and then on my knees. I did not get hurt. I did not even end up a little bit bruised. I was most fortunate! I was very surprised.

My feet slip often. But, more often than not my falls are not physical falls. I seem to be a whole lot more unsteady on my feet as each year passes. I am a whole lot more aware of the possibility of falling and at least attempt to be more careful. 

As each year passes it seems that I am also more aware of when I slip and fall spiritually. I am aware of sins that I would not have even realized were sins a decade ago. I try to prevent these falls when I realize they are about to or are happening. But, my efforts are not always successful. 

I know that we all fall. We are sinful human beings. I do not appreciate my own falls. I am quite taken aback that I could possibly foolish enough to fall again. But, I am assured by the Word that the Lord in His mercy will pick me up again and again. This knowledge that He will continue to pick us up is a most humbling experience for even when we are lost, He will pick us up and show us the way to go. 

I thank God for when I do fall, He is there to lift me back up. It is by His grace and mercy that we are saved from falls. We cannot save ourselves. Trust in the Lord for His mercy endures forever. 

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:10)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Salty

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. (Matt 5:13 NRSV)

I am a salt eater. I like seasoning in my food. My husband tries to avoid salt for health reasons. But, I do not. Often, when cooking, I will sneak a pinch in. I would rather have it absorbed into the food and not tossed on top of it. Tossed on top, the food becomes way too salty and the flavor of the food itself is lost.

I, like the food I eat, can be a bit "salty" at times. Sometimes, I have to apologize for seasoning my attitude just a little too much. But, I do not intentionally add salty language or attitude for the sake of effect. When I exhibit "saltiness" it is a part of who I am. It is mixed in with the rest of my personality or being.

My saltiness is particularly exhibited when I encounter Christians who claim to be Christians; yet, their lack of saltiness for the Lord and their false gods are clearly visible. Yes, I get a bit defensive and a little offensive when false gods rear their ugly heads in the world and "Christians" around me.

Long ago, I figured out that God did not intend for his people to be door-mats to be stepped upon like the salt that has been thrown out in Jesus' parable. He expects us to stand up and do the right thing. He expects us to worship Him and to follow in the footsteps of the one who died that we might live with Him.

I do not anticipate losing my saltiness. Sometimes, we have to be a bit salty so that the Word and will of God is known by others. We're not of much use if we sit around and let the Word of God be ignored or disrespected. If anything should be trampled under foot, it should be the false gods that we have a tendency to gravitate towards.

May your life be filled with the salt of life. May the Lord, the One God, fill you with His Word, with His truth, and with His life.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Morning Sun

The Path of the Righteous is Like the Morning Sun

Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
I instruct you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.

Proverbs 4:10-19

The narcissist says to themselves: I am the only one that counts. There is no God. In fact, they usually consider themselves somewhat of a god.

If someone gets in the way of the narcissist trying to make themselves look much better than they are; they will not rest until that person has been persecuted to the degree that the narcissist thinks they need to be punished and then a little beyond. They cannot rest unless they are making trouble for others. This they do while smiling and thinking that everyone else loves and support their evil ways. In fact, they think that they are so crafty that no one notices the darkness that surrounds them. But their wickedness; their darkness is known to God and to all who live in his light.

The narcissist can only bring trouble to those around them. But, the way of those who would follow in the path of Jesus is like the morning sun, bringing light to the world and the people around them.

But, you dear child of God, live in the light and let your light so shine!

God's Peace - Pr. J     

A Little Self-Control Please

If you find honey, eat just enough—
   too much of it, and you will vomit.
Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—
   too much of you, and they will hate you.
"Like a city whose walls are broken through
   is a person who lacks self-control. 
                                      (Prov 25:16-17,28 NIV)

Most of us probably lose "it" from time to time. From time to time, most of us, probably over indulge. For some it may be eating; for some sleeping too much; or watching television when they have chores or other work to do. Some may lose self-control and not know when to hold their tongue when talking about others or themselves. Some "lose it" in the area of anger management. We don't always do what we ought to be doing. For whatever reason, we feed our habits, by over-indulging. Most of the time, we can excuse ourselves, saying it doesn't hurt anyone but me. But, when we use that excuse we are usually lying not only to others; but, to ourselves. Whatever we do does affect the people around us.

Losing self-control opens us up to attacks; attacks that we cannot fully protect ourselves from. It's kind of like getting drunk, passing out, and having a robber come into your home to take what is yours. Or, if your mouth runs too much you set yourself up for blackmail or lawsuits. Or... you could simply be setting yourself up to look like a fool and any opportunities for your future may be lost.

The Proverbs of Solomon remind us to maintain self-control by observing the rule of moderation. "If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit. Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—too much of you, and they will hate you." 

When I was very young we lived in military housing. My husband worked mostly days while I worked an evening shift. Some of the neighbors took to visiting me every morning for coffee. I enjoyed having the company, at first, since I was so far from home. But, after awhile the visits got longer and longer. Consequently, I would run out of time to get the household chores done. I didn't know how to tell them that they should stop this habit. Frankly, they had worn out their welcome. Finally, my husband came home for lunch one day and they were still there. He handed out cleaning supplies to the women and asked them to help get things done there if they were going to be sitting around all day. They got the hint. Coffee time was reduced to once or twice a week and only for one cup of coffee...

There is a time and place for everything. Give everything its time and place. Self-control will help greatly in achieving all that you must or desire to do.

Think about it... What if Jesus did not have self-control? Would he have been able to wait in the Garden of Gethsemane that night knowing that he would be taken to trial and crucified the next day? His disciples, his friends, asleep, while He waited to be bound and taken to his execution. Where would you and I be today? In whom or what would our hope lie, if Jesus had run away? 

We are not Jesus. Most of us probably "lose it" from time to time. It is not an easy thing to maintain self-control all of the time. But, losing it is not a good thing. Like a city whose walls have been broken through, those who cannot or will not exhibit self-control will be overcome. 

But, the Spirit of Christ who abides in you, has the power to overcome all evil. Stand firmly then, trusting in the abiding Christ, to overcome all temptation to over-indulge in those things which will be harmful to you and others.

God's Peace - Pr. J

God's Love Sustains Us

Baptism in Huron River, Baraga County, MI

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:18-19

At times, I find myself a bit anxious. I think that we all do. I am not alone in that. I find the world a bit tedious. I also find it a bit reassuring that anxiety came even to the psalmist now and then.

Life can be a lot of work over things that really have no significance; over the small stuff. The book written by Richard Carlson, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... And It's All Small Stuff reminds us not to be stressing over the minor details of the day. There is just too much life to live to spend our days anxious about small stuff. 

May God help us all to stay focused on what is truly important and that which sustains us: the unfailing love of God for all people through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J