Patience

                                                                        1 John 1:8

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 

                               (James :7-9 KJV)

Holding grudges against others does no one any good including ourselves. There can be no peace within ourselves when anger fills our hearts. If living reconciled to others is actually our desire then we will forgive and not harbor judges in our hearts.

If there is a desire to live harmoniously with others then it starts within ourselves. Called to repentance we must each look within ourselves not to remember the harm that others may have in reality or in our perception harmed us but how we may have harmed others. Change will begin when we can recognize our own short-comings. Change does not come by oppression or bullying others in any way. Change comes with repentance for the things that we have done that has harmed others; when we can recognize how our egos and our false gods have been directing our lives. To repent means to turn around; to change our ways.

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord. (Lev 19:18)

Peace would be nice. Harmony would be nice.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

War or Peace?

Whoever of you loves life
   and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
   and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;

   seek peace and pursue it. 

                      (Psalm 34:12-14 NIV)

I have been seeing and hearing a lot of fear and war mongering again coming through the various media outlets. Some of it makes me so ill I must either shut it off or block it. I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people desire to stir up strife rather than make peace. There are those who seem to strive to enter into war much more than they strive for peace and they absolutely will not support those who do desire peace. At least it appears so. Maybe they don't understand how damaging their disrespect toward others can actually be for the whole world. Maybe they don't care and that is their goal.

The Lord desires that we live reconciled to him and one another. Reconciled means living in peace. Yet, there are so many who prefer to bully and disrespect those who seek peace and pursue it. This is done with so much disrespect that it can do nothing but make more enemies. Do we really want to live the rest of our days at war with our neighbors; at war with other countries? 

This country, I have heard is the land of second chances. Well; if it is, then maybe we ought to quit digging up skeletons from the past unless maybe the purpose to dig them up is to forgive and move on. Holding these long held grudges does no one any good; not those we wish to disrespect and bring down and surely not ourselves.

It is time to forgive and be reconciled to God and our neighbors remembering that our neighbors are not just the people who live next door; but, all around the world. It would really be nice if everyone would support the efforts of those who are advancing peace and not war.

God's Peace - Pr. J