Let Not The Sun Go Down On Your Wrath

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Neither give place to the devil.

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

                                                                                            (Eph 4:26-32 KJV)

Every time I hear or read George Floyd's name mentioned in conjunction with the ongoing unrest or riots, I cringe. That, in itself, is an injustice to his memory. George Floyd was a victim. By reports of friends and family members he was an active Christian. He did not incite any violence against his neighbors or this country. Yet, his name is being used to incite and condone it.

We all should be upset and even angry about his death. But, we should not be involved in anything that would condone the destruction and theft of property that belongs to others. We should not in any way condone actions that cause bodily harm or death to others.

Be kind to one another and live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Be Kind

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.." 

                                                                                         (Col 3:12-15 KJV)

We are not to be doormats. We are to stand firmly on the truth, which is the Word of God. Jesus, and in the end his disciples, did not back down from the truth. They stood firmly on God's Word and on His promises.

But, neither are we to be bullies asserting our rights over the rights of others. Paul encourages the Colossians to treat one another with compassion and kindness. We are to try to have empathy for others; to, as the saying goes: "walk a mile in the shoes of others." We are to listen to all sides with humility; humbling ourselves so that we do not put our desires over the needs of others, and with empathy so that we can act with compassion and kindness to those who are suffering.

May God reconcile us to Himself and to one another, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Kind

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Eph 4:32 KJV)

It really doesn't take that much to be kind and to help ease the burden of others. Or, we can be unkind and add to their burdens. 

We have no clue what other people may be going through; what challenges they face each day. If we find that our attitudes are such that we cannot be kind; then walk away; stay home. Do whatever you must; but, how we treat others is on us.

There is sp much to be thankful for. Do a mental or a written list of all the things you have to be thankful for when you find that you feel the urge to snap at others. Life can be hard for everyone. It's not up to us to make it worse for others. It is up to us to be there for them to ease their burdens. And, if we can't due to our sinful natures then we should stay away until we can.

Every now and then some preacher or teacher will ask the congregation or class to share what they are thankful for. To tell you the truth, when I am asked that question, I usually don't respond. That's not because I don't find anything to be thankful for; but, because the list of things that I am thankful for each day is so overwhelming I do not know where to begin.

But, first and foremost, we thank God for the love that he has for us.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 

                                                                      (Rom 5:8-11)

Because he first loved us, we love him and ought to love; we ought to be kind to one another, as well.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:34)

God's Peace - Pr. J