Give; Share the Good News Of Jesus

Praise God!

Psalm 149 KJV

Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

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Praise ye the Lord for He is an almighty God. He lifts up His children. He takes pleasure in them. Let all of the saints joyfully give thanks to God and give Him all glory for all that He has done and will do.

Trust that His promises are and have been fulfilled. He loves you now and will love you always. Rejoice in His glory!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Do Good; Live In Peace

Psalm 37:1-11

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

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Do not fret! Do not be angry or jealous of those who appear to have more or be happier than you are! The Lord will provide for you. Those who live life focusing on the good gifts of God will delight in an abundance of peace.

So much time is spent feeling sorry for oneself; for lamenting their perceived trials and troubles. There are real troubles in this world and then there are also those that are contrived in one's head. That is not to say that we should not strive to help those in real trouble. But, sometimes it might be good to recognize that others have much more serious problems than our own.

When Jesus died he gave it all for us. He gave his life for us and then he rose from the dead to reign in the Kingdom that we hope for. That old addage that says it is better to give than to receive is not wrong. He gave it all! What would we be willing to give? 

It does not do any good to complain about our lives. Take a look at the world around you and consider what you might do, following in the footsteps of Jesus, to do good for others. If and when you do this you will find that your own perceived troubles will begin to disappear. You will not have time to fret about your life. Those things that once bothered you will mean very little to you.

Do not fret! Trust in the Lord! He will provide for you.

God's Peace - Judy

Give Their Lives For Others

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

                                                                         (John 15:12-13 KJV)

Veteran's Day is set aside to remember the many who have fallen in support of this country and for the freedom of others around the world. 

Last summer my husband and I visited the Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington is such a quiet and peaceful place unlike it's neighbor next door, Washington, DC. It was a time of reflection as well as awe at the reminder of how many have been willing to give their lives for the sake of others.

As I remember the fallen, I am pained also by the knowledge of why so many died to protect others; why so many wars were fought in the first place. If it had not been for so many greedy and power hungry rulers and people; who were willing to persecute; to destroy people who did not agree with them or follow and worship them there would have been no reason to have to defend others by giving their lives. In other words if there were no sin; there would be no wars.

This past year due to Covid-19 I have watched a lot of television. Most of the shows were either documentaries or fictional stories based on history. It has been gut-wrenching at times to recognize the atrocities that humankind would inflict upon one another. I have had to walk out of the room many times to avoid watching or hearing about the most grievous atrocities. It grieves me to know that so much, if not most, of the violence was brought on by either political or religious beliefs or both. Over the years I have been questioned by some as as to why I believe so strongly in separation of church and state. It is because history tells me that when they get together really bad things happen to people who don't agree with the decision makers and rulers. Wars happen! Persecution and even murder continue to happen all over the world even today as countries decide one religion must dictate the law or when the governments say that there can be no religion at all.

The loss of lives over the centuries; from the beginning of time, due to wars is astronomical. We grieve those losses. We remember today and are most grateful for those who were willing and continue to be willing to give their lives in the hope of giving others better lives.

It is way past time to stop persecuting others for either their political or their religious beliefs. I am not saying stop evangelizing. We can continue evangelizing with peaceful and loving hearts. I am saying stop destroying people just because they don't believe what you believe. Don't persecute them. Pray for them.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" (Matt 5:44)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Give Thanks!

Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

                                                                                  1 Chronicles 16:8 KJV

Thanksgiving isn't a religious holiday! I hear that every year from certain family and friends. My reply always is something to the effect of then who are are we giving thanks to on Thanksgiving if not to God. God has given us all things. To Him we give thanks and praise for that He has done for us. Count your blessings this and every day and give thanks to the Lord for them.

May you all have a blessed day of giving thanks to the Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Give Thanks To God Our Father

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Col 3:17 KJV)

Now, isn't that just a novel idea! That is: doing everything in the name of Jesus and giving thanks to God our Father! Living with thankful hearts and minds is a  much more peaceful way to live than being angry and frustrated that you can't have or do what you want all of the time. 

It may sound cliche'; but, just maybe it's time to look around you and give thanks for what you do have and for the people in your life who actually care about you. So often, so many people gravitate towards those who feed their egos. But, when their own egos are no longer being fed by being in relationship with you, they will turn on you in the blink of an eye.

Do everything with the loving heart of Jesus and give thanks to God your Father in heaven then you will know the true joy of living! 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Let Us Live For Him

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor 5:15 NIV)

In so many ways I hear people say that they have to do what makes them happy. They are not always straight forward about it. But, if you listen to them closely, you will hear the self-centeredness. However, these same people don't appear to be too happy most of the time. There is a saying that we hear often, mostly around the Christmas season. "It is better to give than to receive."

The reality for most people is that genuine happiness does come from giving. It comes from sharing. It comes when we know that we have helped to bring joy to someone else; to help lift a burden that they might be struggling under.

For those of us who strive to follow Jesus; we find joy, we find peace in striving to live as he lived: for the sake of others.

May God help us to always remember that it is not always about us. True joy comes from living for Christ and by being there for others even as he is there for us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

His Blessings; His Peace

There are a lot of people hurting in this world. So much so that many are so lost in their own pain that they do not even consider that their neighbors; their loved ones might also be hurting.

What can we do to help? How do we reach out to others? How do we reach them? How do we get others to understand that the Lord desires that all people would receive his blessings and live in his peace? We cannot do a thing for anyone without the Lord's help. But, with him all things are possible.

Let us begin by asking God's blessings on others. Let us begin with prayer for and with others. Let us pray...

"The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace." Num 6:24-26

God's Peace - Pr. J

Give Generously and Joyfully

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

                                                                                                     2 Corinthians 8:1-7 NIV

Churches around the world are dying; particularly in North America and in Europe even while Christianity is spreading by leaps and bounds in many other countries. The question is why. During this month when we focus on stewardship, I cannot help but consider that it is because congregations that are growing may be growing because they are busy generously and joyfully reaching out to others with both the richness of the Gospel as well as helping to meet the physical needs of others in their communities. 

The early church grew by leaps and bounds and if we take a good look at that church they were not focused on themselves. They were focused on doing the mission that Jesus had left us with; going into all the world. A church that has turned inward and is only concerned about it's own needs is no longer a church of God. 

Imagine for a moment that the first followers of Jesus decided to worry only about their own well being; play it safe and stay within their little spaces or upper rooms. There would be no church today. Christianity would have died with the Apostles. Not a one of us would be saved. Not a one of us would be children of the Most High God!

St. Paul encourages the church to not only share the riches of the Good News of the Kingdom; but, to give generously out of love to advance that Kingdom. It is for the sake of the gospel that we give - that all people might know the love of God through Jesus Christ. Our mission is; after all, to proclaim the gospel to all people and that is not a small job. There have been times over the years when I've heard excuses for withholding offerings like "The church needs  a new (you name it) or we just don't have enough to give or until the council or the pastor gets their priorities straight, I'm not giving any more." The truth of the matter is that congregations do not exist to serve themselves. They exist to serve Jesus. They exist to reach out with the good news of his love for all people whether that is in word or deed. If they are hungry; whether it be, for spiritual or physical food; feed them. Just as Christ fed the multitudes with the word and with loaves and fish; he continues to feed them through the church; through you. Do not withhold your offerings because of self-serving thoughts that we ought to serve ourselves before our neighbor. Nothing that Jesus did was for love of Himself. All that He did was for the love of all people. His first followers selflessly gave of their time, what finances they had, the various gifts that God had given to them. They did not withhold anything; except for maybe Ananias and Sapphira who met with a very unhappy ending for withholding their offerings and lying about it (Acts 5:1-11)  If we expect the church to grow as it did in those first years maybe it would not hurt us to try to follow in The Way that they went.  

If Jesus was willing to give his all for us; if those first followers were willing to share all that they had so that the Kingdom of God could be advanced; why wouldn't we? May God help us to give joyfully and generously so that all might see the love of God in Christ Jesus through us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

In The Morning When I Rise

Sunrise at Flagler Beach, FL

"In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly."  (Ps 5:3 NIV).

One of my favorite hymns is, "Give me Jesus."  The words are a prayer to God, "In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus.  You can have all this world, just give me Jesus."

  

Each morning, I wake up praying.  Sometimes, no often, those prayers are prayers for help; help to get me and others through another day; to meet the challenges of another day.  When I wake up each morning, I know that the one thing that I need to get through the day is Jesus.  After I rise, I generally read the news online and any prayer requests I've gotten through Facebook or my email; read some in the Bible; and write this blog.  Then, it is time to go back into conversation with God, in prayer. 

David prayed: "Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me." (Ps 5:8)  It is very easy when we are caught up in the daily struggles for us to head off in a direction that is not on the straight path the LORD has provided for us.  Sin, the world, the devil, many things can pull us off this path that the LORD has set before us.  We have to be very cautious lest we get pulled into believe that the enemies lies are the truth.  Sometimes, it may seem easier to just go along with the old clique rather than to stand on and stand up for the Word.  It may seem easier, but it is not!  There is only one way to eternal life in the presence of God, in His kingdom. That way is, in and through and with, Jesus the Christ.  He is the way!  Give me Jesus!

Life in this world is full of tough times and struggles and so we lay our requests before God and wait, with faith, expectantly, asking the LORD to spread His protection over us (Give me Jesus), each day, that we may rejoice in Him. (Ps 5:11)

What better way to wake up in the morning than praying and laying this request before the LORD: "Give me Jesus!"

God's Peace - Pr. J

Give Thanks

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5 NIV

Well, I woke up this morning feeling a sense of loss. It is the eve of our national holiday Thanksgiving. Yes, Thanksgiving is the day that our government set aside many years ago for the citizens of this country to give thanks to God for all the bounty that He has blessed us with.

This evening will be the first time in decades that I have not led a Thanksgiving Worship Service. Yet, I will give thanks as I do every day for I do not know and do not want to know what I would be without the Lord's blessings. The greatest blessing of all being that He gave His only begotten Son; that through Jesus, I have been reconciled to God, our Father. Not, just I; but, all who would believe in Jesus and his life-giving sacrifice for you.

Wherever you are and whomever you are with; please remember to thank Him for all His goodness to you and to this country. And, if you find yourself alone on the holiday, remember that you are not alone. God is with you always. He love endures forever; his faithfulness never ends.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff; Feed His Sheep

Bulow Campground, Flagler Beach, FL

Above is a photo of Bulow RV Park in Flagler Beach, FL after Matthew went through. They had more than a little damage there both to the property and to the RV's that some people live in permanently. Overall, Haiti got hit much worse.

It was amazing to see people come together to help each other out. It was amazing to hear the stories that were shared at worship. So where are we today. The clean-up is underway, at least here in this country. Will those who got left homeless be forgotten once the many service agencies head home? Will the hungry be left to beg or steal? What will you be busy with tomorrow? Some minor thing that for some reason has become a big deal? Or will you be out proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom in both word and deed? Will you be serving the Lord and His children in unity with others or disunity as you strive to serve yourself?

Just asking...  Just wondering...

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matt 10:5-8

And... please don't forget how many thousands Jesus had his disciples feed with very few loaves and fish.

Don't sweat the small stuff. It's all small stuff. There will always be someone in greater need than we are. Just go and feed his sheep in both word and deed and before long you will forget that you had any problems. The 1960's were wrong. Focusing on ourselves only makes false idols unto ourselves. We get more and more into ourselves and more intent on serving ourselves. But, when we focus on doing what is best for others and the world around us; then, we are serving the one true God.

Feed His Sheep in Word and Deed!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rejoice And Give Thanks For Answered Prayers

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

It is said that we ought to be careful what we ask for when we pray to God because God does deliver the answer to the prayers of the faithful. Sometimes God's answer is a bit different than what we had intended. But, all of the time, no matter what the answer is, it is for the good of His children.

On my way home from worship yesterday, I suddenly burst out laughing as I realized that God was answering one of my prayers. It was hard to recognize it at first because He's not answering the prayer request in the way that I had intended. But, He is answering it in His way and it will be a very good thing when it comes to fruition. I have not yet seen the end result; but, I do believe that I have received the request of my lips for His children here in this community.

During the last couple of weeks, I have witnessed one answered prayer after another and each and every time another prayer is answered, I cannot help but smile (more like laugh out loud) and give thanks to God for hearing me and answering in a way that will benefit those who love Him.

Let us give rejoice thanks to the Lord for answering the prayers of our hearts for all of His people; for the whole church on earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J