Making Excuses For Our Sins

Genesis 3:1-21 KJV; 1 Sunday in Lent; Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin; but, the attempt only exposed them. We too way too often try to hide our sins from God, from others, even ourselves.

Reconciled To God

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 KJV Reconciled by the blood of Jesus the Christ.

Bless The Work Of Our Hands

Backyard in Aura, MI

Psalm 90:12-17 KJV

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

+++

Traveling no longer makes me glad in my days. Although, the land that God has given us is beautiful and I enjoy the scenery.  I do not enjoy the traffic.

We are back home in Florida with prayers that our home in Michigan is sold quickly.  There are things to do here; fruitful things things to do. For the next couple of days I will be unpacking, sorting things out, putting them away and doing a lot of cleaning. I am hoping that in the near future I will be able to plant a garden or two now that I am not having to rush things between our seasons of moving between two states.  

May God bless the work of our hands that He might be glorified.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

How Does The Kingdom Grow?

How Does The Garden Grow?

And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. 

                                                                                     (Mark 4:26-28 KJV)

One can never tell how one little seed of truth that they share with others will grow the kingdom by one more brother or sister in Christ. We can spread the seed; but, it is God himself who gives the growth. 

It is not by our power or wit or humor or anything else that the Kingdom grows. It is by the word of God alone by the power of the Holy Spirit that it is fruitful.

So plant those seeds until the day the harvest is come!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

It Is Their Fault

 "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."

                                                                            (Gen 3:8-13 KJV)

It started way back then; this attempting to justify our sins by blaming others when we can no longer keep our sins in the dark so that no one will find out the truth. 

As the story goes Adam was naked in the garden. After eating the fruit that God told him not to eat Adam was fully aware of his guilt. He knew that the fig leaves he wore were not going to cover up the fact that he disobeyed God so he tried to hide from him. 

The reality is that we all stand naked before God. We cannot hide from God. He knows exactly who we are and what we have done. There is no covering anything up so that God does not see. In spite of our guilt; God loves us still....  He loves us enough that he would send his Son, Jesus, to be the cover for our sins. Those measly figs leaves that we have fabricated to hide behind are ripped off and we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 

When confronted by God about disobeying him  Adam did what so many if not all people have done since that day. We attempt to cover up our sins; to disavow them, by pointing the finger at someone else's guilt in the matter. On more than one occasion when hearing attempts to justify ones actions I have had to remind them that they can only confess their own sins and not the sins of others. 

Years ago while attending worship with a congregation that had the tradition of sharing testimonies; prayer requests; praise reports; and sometimes confessions at the beginning of the service. The woman I attended with stood up and confessed that she was sorry for the way she treated her sister-in-law who was also at this worship service. She asked forgiveness from this woman as she proceeded to let everyone know that she would not have treated her so badly if her sister-in-law hadn't treated her so badly in the first place. Not so unlike Adam and Eve she confessed: I sinned; but, it's really not my fault. She made me do it. 

As we go through life we will sin... even daily, hourly...  We get to own our own sins. No one else is to blame. It is on us to choose to do right or wrong. It is on us to confess that we are sinners and not lay the blame on everyone else. We have a loving God who forgives our sins. 

Let us us confess our sins and not try to hide them by confessing the sins of another. St. John wrote: 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

He will indeed, out of his great love for us, forgive our sins. St. John wrote:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

                                                                                         (Eph 2:4-8)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood..." (Rev 1:5)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Alone Brings Forth All Things

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. 

                                                                                        (Isa 61:10-11 KJV)

It is God alone who created the plants of the earth. The garden grow. The flowers bloom. It is He alone who causes them to bring forth the fruit of their seed. So it is He who will cause us to rejoice as righteousness not just survives but thrives for the world to see. 

Rejoice in the Lord who gives us all good things. Praise Him who saves us!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Dressing The Garden

  

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Gen 2:15 KJV)

There are all kinds of gardens. Being on vacation, I've been able to work a little bit in the garden I've been attempting to create for the young girl who lives next door.  In order to put their home on the land, a lot of trees had to be cut and consequently there were a lot of stumps! Many of the stumps were removed; but, it's not an easy chore getting rid of them so I decided to do something with a few of them. There are a few mushrooms in the garden made out of stumps and round bottom bowls. There are also a few fairies and gnomes. We're getting to the flowers slowly but surely.

After school she usually takes a peek in the garden to see if anything new has appeared. She likes her garden. I enjoy working in it, as well. I cannot think of anything much more pleasant to do than to dress the garden for the little girl next door on my vacation . 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Plans for Future

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jer 29:11-13 NIV)

It is a relief to know that someone has plans for me. It is particularly good to know that it is our Father in heaven who does! Because; as of this moment, I do not have much of a plan for myself. 

Today, I will finish writing this and then get ready and go to Sunday School, Worship, and fellowship. After, that the list of possibilities is way too long to decide where to start and what to do. It is tax season and mine are sitting on my desk half done. I may need to go looking for a lost sheep today unless I hear from or about her. I could go visit family. I've been working on a butterfly garden for a young girl that I should get to work on. There is a house to clean and get ready to put on the market. There are just way too many options just for today. What about tomorrow and the next day? Should I retire completely? Where shall we live? Do we really need another home?

There are just way too many possibilities and I must confess it is troubling trying to figure out what the plan is. The only comfort in it all is that although I haven't got a clue; God does. He has a plan for my future and for all of you. It is a good plan; a plan to give us hope and a future.

Seek Him. Listen to Him! He is our hope and our future.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Tree of Life

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

                                                                     Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17 NIV

There you have it! God planted trees in the garden so that the first people would have food to eat that they might be nourished and live. In the middle of this garden he planted both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. One tree brings life and the other, the one that ensures knowledge of good and evil, brings death. He warned Adam and Eve not to eat from that latter or they would surely die. What would you do? Would you eat from the tree of life or from the tree that makes you like a god to know good from evil? Adam and Eve ate from the tree that they were told not to eat from; but, apparently neglected to eat from the tree of life which they were allowed to eat from.

After Adam and Eve ate from the tree that brings death, God kicked them out of Eden so that they could not eat from the tree that brings life. The gate to paradise was closed and fierce looking cherubim were set there to guard paradise. The good news, the awesome news, is that when Jesus died on the cross, the gates were flung wide open for all who would believe in him. We have access to the Kingdom of God! We have access to the tree of life! Will we eat the fruit of the tree that brings life? 

Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) He is life. He is our only way to eternal life. We can enter the Kingdom of God into our Father's eternal presence only through him.

Jesus also said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-58)

Jesus is our tree of life. Would we turn up our noses at the food that Jesus provides and partake of those things which will only bring us death? I pray not.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Do Not Fear The Storms

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
                                        Matt 8:23-26 NIV

Those of you who know me; know that I love the water and I love being on it. Bodies of water are reminders to me of my baptism into the family of God. They are also a reminder that God is with me through the strongest of storms. Following Jesus is not a walk in the park or the garden. Following Jesus will take us to places that we would rightfully fear to go if he was not leading.

When the disciples followed Jesus into the boat a storm arose. Jesus took a nap. Yet, there was no need to fear because he was with them. When we choose to follow Jesus we can be sure that we will encounter rough waters. You will encounter many storms that threaten to sink and drown you. Do not fear! God in Christ Jesus is with you. He is ruler even over the roughest storms.

Do not fear; but, sail in faith wherever God in Christ Jesus will lead you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

From Dust Or Ashes?

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. (Genesis 2:4-8 NIV)

From the dust you were created once. From the dust God can raise you from the dead. Whenever a death occurs I usually get to hear questions about cremation. There is a fear that if we are cremated that we cannot be risen from the dead. My response (with a smile) is usually something like: "What did God do after He pulled back the waters from the land? Did he not form us from the dust of the ground? If he could create us from dirt once; He can surely do it again whether it is from ashes or from the dust of the earth. No matter what; if it is His will we will rise from the dead. And... what about the faith-filled who have died in fires or other catastrophes where their earthly bodies no longer exist in human form? Do you suppose that He would not give them the eternal life that He has promised to all who believe?"

Do not fear; but, believe. All who believe, though they die will live. Jesus told Martha when she was grieving the death of her brother, Lazarus: "... I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25)

Do not fear; but, believe. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) That is the promise to you." 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ashes to Ashes and Life!

"By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
and to dust you shall return."

Gen 3:19

To the dust you shall return was the sentence. For eating of the tree of knowledge which God had forbidden, Adam's sentence was death. His sentence (and ultimately ours) was that he would return to the dust from which he was formed.

There in the middle of the garden was also the tree of life. Had he eaten of the free gift of the fruit from the tree of life, he would have lived. But, he did not. Adam and Eve neglected the food that was good for them; that God had desired for them to eat, and chose the thing that they were not to have. How often it is that we, too, neglect the free gift of life given to us through the sacrifice of His Son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ! How often we neglect to come to the table that He has prepared for us! There Jesus is! "Come and eat." He says. "This is my body given for you for the forgiveness of sins." Do not neglect this life-giving gift!

In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther wrote that the benefit of receiving the Lord's Sacrament of Holy Communion "...is shown us in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation."

That is the Good News. Today is Ash Wednesday. This evening we will remember with the imposition of ashes that from dust we have come and to dust our bodies shall return. But, we will also eat at the Lord's Table and remember that in Him there is life and salvation.

God's Peace - Pr. J

What To Wear?

“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.'”  (Matt 15:1-2 NRSV)

Over the years I have heard a whisper or two about how someone dresses "for church" or how a child misbehaves in the church. Tradition has taught us that there are certain ways we should dress and act in "church." These are traditions that have come down through the generations. I'm thinking Jesus probably did not change clothes to go to the temple or to preach as he was traveling from city to city. During the time Jesus ministered, here on earth, one of the big "no, no's" was to not wash before you eat. There were whole rituals set up to ensure that hands were washed; rituals that were not to be broken.

We have the religious and we have the faithful. The religious might also be faithful; but, there are also those religious persons who will remind us of the Pharisees and scribes who faithfully accused and persecuted Jesus. The man-made laws and traditions certainly set them apart from other people; but, did they set them apart because of their faith in God or because of the faithfulness to man-made traditions and laws?

I remember, years ago at one of the congregations I was serving, one of the members dropped off her child for Worship. I invited the adult to join us; but, she said she couldn't come in because she was wearing a pair of those pants that sort of look like pajamas. Consider this, who exactly are you dressing for? Who are you afraid of offending? Man or God? Do you not pray at home, in the shower, in your pajamas, in the garden, in your running clothes, at work? Do you change clothes before you go before God to speak with Him, in prayer, on all of these occasions? Personally, I don't think God cares what we're wearing. Although, I really appreciate it when the congregation dresses for worship not quite as casually as they normally would; I am not so sure that God cares. 

It does seem that He did care about what those who were serving at his altar wore though. The description of the clothing to be worn by those who were ministering at the altar can be found in Exodus, chapters 28 through 39. 

I must admit that I have not always dressed for worship as others might wish. During, the winter that I was a snow-mobile trail boss in the U.P. of Michigan, I often went to Worship Services in my snow-mobile suit, simply because I did not have time to change and had to get back out on the trails immediately after worship. It was either not change or not Worship. (I was not serving in any capacity at the altar) Which would you choose? Would God prefer I not gather to worship Him with the local community of saints until I have the time to change my attire?

Consider Adam and Eve in that garden, naked. They were in that garden, naked.  God didn't care that they were naked. (Please, don't show up to worship naked.) After they ate of the tree of knowledge, it was they who cared, not God. Since they were ashamed, God made them clothes to cover themselves with and then closed the garden off to them so that they might not eat of the tree of life and live forever.

I like tradition almost as much as the next person; however, let us be mindful that sometimes these traditions separate us from God rather than bring us (and others) closer to him. It is faith in the One who shed His blood for us and not what we wear that reconciles us to God, our Father, in His eternal kingdom.

"This people honors me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,

    teaching human precepts as doctrines." (Matt 15:8-9)

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Tree Of Life

To eat of the fruit of the tree of life is promised for all

who would believe.

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. (Gen 3:22-24 NIV)

In the beginning humankind had access to the tree of life. The book of Genesis tells us that rather than eat from this tree of life, they were tempted and decided to eat of the tree which God had said would guarantee their deaths; the tree that God told them not to eat from. As a consequence they were kicked out of the garden in which it grew so that they would no longer have the opportunity to eat the fruit from the tree of life.

Those first people made an awful decision when they chose to listen to the serpent rather than God. The world has not changed much. We long for eternal life; yet, our sinful natures continue to steer us toward the very things that will bring us death. We often listen to the world rather than God.

But; because God so loved us all, He sent His only begotten Son, to be that tree of life for us. All who believe in Jesus will walk in the presence of God for all eternity.

In the last chapter and book of the Holy Scriptures we once again see the tree of life. (Rev 22) Jesus says “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Rev 22:14-15) All who believe; all whose names are written in the book of life are granted access to the fruit of the tree of life in His Kingdom!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Tree of Life

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. (Rev 22:1-4 NIV)

 

In the beginning mankind walked in the garden in the very presence of God. In the beginning mankind had access to the tree of life in this garden. The book of Genesis tells us that rather than eat from this tree of life, these first people ate from the tree which would guarantee their deaths; the tree that God had told them not to eat from. As a consequence they were kicked out of the garden in which it grew so that they would no longer have the opportunity to eat the fruit from the tree of life. (Gen 3:22-24)

Those first people made an devastating decision when they chose to listen to the serpent rather than God. The world has not changed much. We long for eternal life; yet, our sinful natures continue to steer us toward the very things that will bring us death. We often listen to the world rather than God.

In this last chapter and book of the Holy Scriptures we once again see the tree of life. All who believe in Jesus Christ; all whose names are written in the book of life, are granted access to this fruit which will heal the nations. We have access to the tree of life who is Jesus the Christ for he, himself, has told us that he is the way and the truth and the life.

 

Eat from the tree of life and live!

 

God's Peace be with you all. Pr. J