Devil And Earthly Lusts Depart

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." 

                                                              (Gal 5:13-17 KJV)

Desires of the world infiltrate our lives. But, they do no have to take over our lives.  Jesus said:

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt 6:24)

The lusts of our flesh and the Spirit within fight against one another as the devil is always in conflict with the Spirit of God. It can be a major battle especially for those with addiction problems. The Good News is that the Spirit of Christ will help us to flee from the temptations of the devil and overcome any worldly lusts that we may have. The Spirit of Christ will teach us how to put behind us our own earthly desires so that we might live empowered by the Spirit loving one another.

Jesus is the ultimate example of how to love one another as he gave his whole life for you. Focus on him and walk in the Spirit commanding that the evil spirits, that would lead you to a self-centered way neglecting to love and care for others, would flee in the name of Jesus.  

Love one another and live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Promise; Our Inheritance

 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 

                                                                            (Eph 1:7-14 KJV)

Forgiven and redeemed by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus the Christ; for what? According to St. Paul is it so that we might be gathered together as one in Christ and not just we but all things in heaven on earth. The inheritance; the purpose, is that we might be reconciled to one another; that we might be reconciled to God.

Thanks be to God through Jesus the Christ we have been redeemed to live united in peace. That is the promise. Although that promise has not yet fully come. Our hope is that in the dispensation of the fulness of time we will fully realize that unity; that peace. That hope gives us the ability to endure all things even today.

God grant us the hope to believe the promise of unity in Christ and to live as though that promise has already been fulfilled.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love Is Fulfillment Of The Law

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. (Rom 13:8 KJV)

This should be very easy for us to understand. If we love one another we would do or say nothing to harm others. Unfortunately, we are sinners through and through and it is impossible for us to never do any harm to others. The commandments that God handed down to us through Moses are broken every day. For this reason God sent his only  begotten Son to be the fulfillment of the law for us. 

It is only in Christ that we can even begin to truly love one another. May God grant us His Holy Spirit; His Spirit of love in Christ Jesus that we might do no harm.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Repent; The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.                                                                                                              (Mark 1:14-15 KJV)

The good news, the gospel, is this: "The kingdom of God has come near." It has come near for you. It is at hand. It is not some far away place. It is at hand! Into this dark and dreary world the kingdom has indeed come. 

We pray as Jesus taught us to pray: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10) What does this actually mean for us?  By the grace of God the Kingdom of God has broken into this dark and dreary world. 

The Kingdom of God is at hand and it can be realized as we reach out, with the love of God, in the will of God, to love and serve our neighbors. Notice that immediately after Jesus is baptized and is then tempted by Satan, he begins his ministry proclaiming this good news of the Kingdom. Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and then he proceeded to show us God's will for our lives in that kingdom as he reached out to make whole the people he encountered; so that they might live life on earth even as it is lived in heaven; loving and serving God and one another..

May you live life in the Kingdom of God, even today. May His will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Does Not End

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. (Rom 13:8 NIV)

We can pay our bills; we can pay our taxes and they are put behind us forever or for another month or year depending on how frequently the bill must be paid. They are behind us and we no longer have to dwell on them. But, one thing we can never put behind us is the love of God and the love for others. 

We can never love God or our neighbors enough. Loving God; loving and caring for our neighbors is and always be a primary responsibility and privilege of the Christian. For in the days of old, God loved His people so much that he turned them around over and over again. They loved Him and others so very little that they sinned against Him. In love, He rebuked them. They turned back to Him. They sinned again and again by putting their own wills before Him. He turned them around again and again and still... they did not love Him or their neighbors with their whole hearts.

Finally, God did the ultimate. Out of love for all people; He gave His only begotten Son to suffer and die for our sins that the law might be fulfilled. He bore sins that were born out of our stubbornness to not love God; to not love our neighbors as ourselves. Out of love, Jesus paid the ultimate debt for our sins; his very life.

Love conquers all. Let us never consider that our debt to love God and others is ever repaid. May God help us to love even as He loves.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Use Those Gifts!

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:3-8 NIV

Evangelism seems to be a hot topic in the church on earth in this generation. It is a much talked about topic. (Emphasis on talked about!) Everyone wants to know how to do evangelism; what the best program might be. Here it is! The best program is not a program; rather, it is that every member of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, use the God given gifts for the good of the whole Body.

That being said, I admit that I do actually have an evangelism strategy. I call it the "3 P's," for Prayer, Praise and Proclamation. Pray for God's will to be done; for His Kingdom to come, on earth as it is in heaven. Praying involves listening, as well. Listen to God's direction on how best to use the gifts He has given you to do His will, to further His Kingdom.  Praise God often and not just in your head. Praise Him aloud so that others might know of how God has been blessing your life. Last of all and certainly not least: Proclaim His Word! Tell others what He has done for you and for them. Tell others of His promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Use those gifts that God has given you for His glory!

God's Peace - Pr. J