His Way Is Perfect

Psalm 18:30-38 KJV: No matter how good or bad life may feel at any given moment know that God is with you and His good and perfect will is done.

Rejoice In The Lord Always!

Philippians 4:4-9; Rejoice in the Lord always especially when you're feeling down.

What Kind Of Seeds Will We Sow?

Gal 6:7; Gal 5:17,19-23; Gal 2:20. Will we sow seeds of harmony or discord?

LIve Life; Love One Another

A reading from Galatians 5:1,13-25 KJV for the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost. Walk in the Spirit and love one another.

Rejoice in Lent Mar 4 2022

How Will They Know We Are Christians?

"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 KJV)

I was listening to a Christian speaker on YouTube the other night. His topic was "how can we tell if someone is a Christian other than just by them saying they are?" The first thing that came to my mind was the song "They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love." But, that was not what he was directly getting to. His response was the verse from Galatians that reminds us that if the Spirit of God dwells in us we will produce the fruit of the Spirit which does indeed include love. 

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us that we can know whether a prophet is true or not. He said, You will know them by their fruits. "Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." (Matt 7:16-20)

Yes, in faith and in faithfulness Christians will produce good fruit. They will love. They will be joyful. They will suffer much, showing gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance in order that all might live in peace. 

What fruits do we bear as we profess to be Christians? Can anyone tell that we are truly followers of Christ by the fruits that we bear?

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Fruit Of The Spirit

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

                                                                         (Gal 6:7 KJV)

If we plant and tend a flower seed a flower will grow. If we plant and tend a thistle bush as thistle bush will grow. Inevitably we all plant something. We can plant seeds of harmony or seeds of discord. We can plants seeds of love or seeds of hate. We can seeds of truth or the seeds of lies. Whatever we plant is what we will harvest. Discord or peace; which is it that the world actually desires?

There is a war going on inside our very beings. The one side looks after ourselves. It looks after our own gratification no matter whom we might hurt in pursuing our personal desires. The other side hopes for peace and desires to sow the seeds of peace. 

In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul warns us against sowing the seeds that gratify the flesh. He extols the fruit that comes from fruit of the Spirit.

"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.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

                                                                            (Gal 5:17,19-23)

We live in the flesh and that same flesh tells us to get what we want no matter who we hurt by it. But, the better way is to live by Spirit whom God has given us. The better way is not to trust what our flesh tells us we should have; but, to sow seeds that will produce fruit of the Spirit for not just ourselves but for those around us. Yet, it is not we who have the ability to do this; but, according to St. Paul: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Gal 2:20)

May God help us to produce good fruit by the power of the Spirit of Christ that we  all might live life in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Free To Not Devour Others

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

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.      
                                                                                      (Gal 5:1, 13-15 KJV)

We are free to love; to stand up for one another; to defend and help those who need defending and help. Jesus did not die so that we can attack others to get an edge up over others. He came that we might be reconciled to our Father and to one another. Snarling at others; biting and attempting to devour each other has nothing to do with our Father's good will for humankind. 

I watched about two minutes of the Democratic Presidential debate last night and had to shut it off. Maybe it was the worst two minutes of the debate. But, oh my! How rude they were to each other in those two minutes. That seems to be indicative of all political debates no matter who is involved and that will not reconcile anyone to one another. The same goes for each of us in our daily lives. Reconciliation does not come by spitting at each other. 

The sacrifice made by Christ for all humankind has made us free to love and serve one another. Fighting and attempting to degrade those one might actually agree with for personal power or recognition is not freedom; but, bondage to worldly desires. Christ has set us free to love not to destroy our neighbor.

St. Paul wrote to the Galatians: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (Gal 5:22-26)

It would be nice if when we disagree with others we could all learn not to belittle and degrade them.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Fruit Of The Spirit

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. (Gal 5:22-23 NRSV)

There is no law against being nice. There is no law against being good. Wouldn't it be great if we got to truly enjoy the fruits of the spirit instead of being so focused on the works of the flesh which are according to St. Paul: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these? St. Paul warns us that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)

Life can be pretty rough. But, it doesn't have to be. We cause a lot of strife and damage to our own lives by not living according to the fruit of the Spirit which is a gift from God. Do we not consider that once we set aside our petty (and many are truly petty) differences and personal preferences the fruits of the Spirit would be much more evident in our lives and in the world around us? Once our ego dies and we become more concerned about the welfare of our neighbors we will rise with wings like an eagle and truly live life!

We are free, in Christ, to live fruitful, Spirit filled lives. There is no law against that. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Am Not Always Patient Or Gentle

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph 4:2 NIV)

I have to confess that I am not always gentle or patient. My patience flies out the window when I end up listening to someone explaining why they don't thnk what they did was a sin rather than just confess them. My gentleness disappears when I see or hear anyone using or abusing others to make themselves feel or look better. I am neither gentle or patient when the word of the Lord takes second place to one's own opinions; their egos; their personal goals. I am not very gentle when man's will becomes a priority over God's will within the church on earth.

I am often accused of not being Christ-like when I lose my patience or my gentleness. Paul reminds us in his letter to Ephesians that we need to be. I wonder though, was it a reminder to himself as well? He, too, could lose his patience. He also could come across as a bit unkind. He did not sit back and let people trample on the rights of others. He was not quiet when others were teaching falsehoods about Jesus.

Jesus, himself, did not take kindly to his Father's being used as a mean to get rich. He was not pleased when he entered the temple and witnessed the shysters making a profit, it appears that he lost his patience with them and was not very gentle. "Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, 'Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!' His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  (John 2:15-17)

I confess. I am not always patient or gentle. You can accuse me all that you want of not being Christ-like; but, I will stand up for those who are being used or abused. I will not placate anyone by saying a sin is not a sin. I will be quite blunt with those who would subvert the will of God and proclaim their will rather than the will of the One who sent His only begotten Son to die for us. 

May God fill us with zeal for Him and for the whole Body of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Live In Peace And Rejoice

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

                                                                               (Phil 4:4-9 NIV)

When it gets really hard at times to rejoice and to gentle in my interaction with others, I find that it is best if I just find a place to be alone with God. It helps me to read or listen to his word. My attitude gets an adjustment when I speak with him and listen to him. 

Any anxieties or frustrations I may have been harboring slip away when I purposefully enter into God's presence and I can then reenter the world and interact with others in a much more gentle and pleasant manner. Yes, I can be pretty ugly when I find myself in a place where there is a lot of inappropriate language or activities going on. When I find myself getting frustrated it is time to step back before I react inappropriately. 

Sometimes, we need to step back and think on all that God has done for us and all that he is for us so that we can serve him and others with joyful spirits. Remembering that Jesus died for us helps set the matter in a better perspective. Rejoice in the Lord always for he has done marvelous things!

May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Careful What You Teach

 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1 NIV)

I listen to a lot of other preachers; mostly on the internet before I go to sleep at night. Some of them have been serious reminders that we need to make sure that what we are teaching and preaching can be supported by scripture and I don't mean by cherry-picking which verses we will use because and which ones we're going to ignore.

It is way too easy to wrap our own agendas up with our favorite scriptures that support our own agendas. For instance, love your neighbor as yourself does not mean that we should ignore sin and thereby promote it. Love for your neighbor will call you to share the truth, with gentleness and patience, so that they might repent; turn to God, and be saved. 

There are also those preachers and teachers who are not unlike many of our politicians. They say whatever it is that will profit themselves the most. Begone with the truth if it will make you a buck or buy you a mansion or a new airplane! 

The truth is that we will be held accountable for what we teach and preach. Be careful to diligently study the word so that you might know the truth and not be swayed by the falsehoods of those who pretend to know the word; of those who pretend to love you as their neighbor; but, look only after themselves. 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17) 

Scripture is God-breathed. Listen to it! Teach it!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph 4:1-3


Here is Paul, in prison, begging the Ephesians to lead lives with humility, gentleness, and patience bearing with one another in love. Paul met his imprisonment not just with patience; but with joy that the Lord had opened many doors in that prison so that he could proclaim the Good News to those who would not otherwise hear.


Some of the things that we lose patience with are pretty trivial compared to the troubles others suffer in the world. It would be best to ignore these minor obstacles and just move on past or over them. Don't let them interfere with what God has called you to do. Some of these minor inconveniences can make big breaks in our relationship with God and with one another when we allow them to. Rather, we ought to take advantage of what might seem to be a hindrance; because, it just might be a door opening for you. Those hindrance just might be a blessing rather than a curse. Live life!


May God help us to wait patiently, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.


God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

                                                       (Eph 4:1-3)

 We all go through various storms in life. For many people it seems that life is nothing but one big storm or a series of storms right after another. It can be a struggle for me to be patient with those who continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they are having to weather another of life's storms. 

A friend of mine once warned me that I should be very careful what I asked God for because He answers our prayers and we may not like the way in which He answers them. She had warned me against asking God to give me patience. She had asked for patience in caring for her family as many of them were going through some pretty rough storms in life due to very careless decisions. There was no way she could help them any longer when they kept making the same poor choices no matter what she did to try to save them. She had asked for patience and He had answered. He helped her to learn to be patient by refining. As things grew even more troubled in her family she learned to be patient with others even as she continued to love them. She also learned to trust God in all things and to wait patiently for His will to be done.

My friend has gone through a lot of trials. Yet, she is patient and kind and has an uncanny gift for maintaining unity in the bond of peace.

May we all bear one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J