Love Fulfills The Law

Romans 13:8-10 KJV; Love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Good Shepherd Gives His Life For His Sheep

John 10:11-18 KJV; The false shepherds run when wolves approach; but, the Good Shepherd stays and protects the sheep. He even lays down his own life for them.

Our Father Not Just My Father!

Reading from Luke 11:1-4 KJV We pray daily as Jesus taught us to pray to glorify our Father in heaven and for all people.

Love Does No Harm

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

                                                                       (1 Cor 13:1-7 KJV)

The New International Version and the New King James Version of the Bible both translate charity as love.  Love is charitable because it puts the other's needs before our own desires. It will reconcile us when things might otherwise divide us. Real love does no harm to others as it considers not just what the consequences for oneself might be; but, what the consequences of our words or actions might be upon others. Love and charity care about others. 

When Jesus hung on that cross for us he did it out of love for us. He knowingly and willingly suffered and died so that we might live in the presence of God for all of eternity. He bore our sins on that cross for us and the consequence of that loving act for us is that we are forgiven our sins and reconciled to God our Father. We, who have sinned against God and one another so many times that we cannot count them are forgiven by faith alone in Jesus' life giving sacrifice.

"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19) We love others because he loves us all so much!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Social Justice Vs. Justice

Repent and be Baptized for the Forgiveness of Sins

And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

                                                                   (Luke 1:3-14 KJV)

John the Baptist, the one who came to announce to the world that Jesus was the Christ, came calling people to change their ways and to be baptized. They came by the hoards to hear and to be baptized. 

And... they came. They heard the message about what they needed to do in regards to repentance. They heard that they were to do God's will by doing good; by doing no harm against their neighbors. 

Sadly, we (at least I) have been witnessing an uptick these last few years in not so much global animosity; but, crimes against our neighbors. Much of it seems to be out of jealousy; of not getting what we want right now. These store owners are rich so we can take their livelihood by breaking in and looting or burn their buildings to the ground. It is called, by some, social justice.  But, is there justice if a local business loses that business they have built from the ground with much hard work and long hours? Is it justice when the employees lose their livelihood?  Is it justice when a person has no vehicle and has to walk much farther to get to the grocery store or pharmacy or to get to another job? And... just because it may be a big name store that doesn't mean that it's not franchised by a neighbor at a very high cost or that the damage that's done to the business costs their employees their livelihoods as well. Is it justice when an angry person goes out and terrorizes and kills people who they may not even know? Is it justice that those who do harm to others are quickly released just to turn around and do more harm to others?

There seems to be a difference today between social justice and actual justice. The social justice of today isn't always concerned with how innocent people are caught up in the harm that is being done. Harming innocent people in any way is not justice. Real justice does no harm in word or deed.

Unfortunately, some of the harm being done has to do with the media and our government officials just stirring up animosity for ratings or political gain.  

It is past time to hear John the Baptist's call to repent and receive forgiveness for our sins. It is time to turn around and do the will of God; doing no harm. Let us give thanks that through Christ Jesus we can indeed turn around and live life in a new way helping and supporting others rather than destroying them.

God help us all to repent and be baptized into the Body of Christ that we might follow in his way by the power of the Spirit of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Of God Not The World

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom 12:2 KJV)

The world seems to be in a bit of a mess. There are food shortages and inflation appears that it will be hitting a ceiling and beyond very soon. Gas prices are so high that it takes a good chunk out of the paychecks just to get to work to feed ones family and keep a roof over their heads.

The elite worry so much about how we are destroying our planet and recommend that the average person do things to reduce the harm that are simply out of our financial range. It is not only recommended; but,  governments often legislate it. Yet, the carbon footprint that gets left behind by the elite using private aircraft or taking trips into what is barely outer space is pretty unbelievable. If global warming is in fact getting worse then why are these things allowed? Instead of banning truckers from using older trucks as California does to protect the world maybe these leisurely trips of the rich and elite should be banned.

The ways of the world don't make much sense to me. What is good for some is not good for others?

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Matt 7:12)

Once, I'm on the subject of what is good for some and not for others: how about the years it takes for politicians and other elite to be investigated for crimes including felonies? It takes years because they can afford great lawyers and that is only necessary if the authorities don't bury the case someplace in some hole in the back room.  Sometimes, it is as simple as who they know. But, the low or middle income person does not receive such assistance. The innocent too often end up imprisoned because they cannot afford the legal fees to fight in their own defense. 

However, we do not have to be conformed to the ways of the world. We know that God is with us even in times of persecution. The way of God for the one who trusts in Him is to do good to all people. In Christ there is no one better or more privileged than another. 

In Christ we live to do no harm! We do not harm others to benefit ourselves. May we all be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we might treat each other as we would wish to be treated and thereby live in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love Fulfills The Law

"Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the Lord.

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

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 19:15-18 KJV)

What has scripture to say about treating some people in your community; in your congregation, better or worse than others?    

The law reminds us that we are not to base the way that we treat others on their status in this world; whether they have money or if they have none. Do not gossip about them to bring about their demise.  Rebuke your brother or sister in Christ out of love for them not wishing them harm and definitely not causing them harm.

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

                                                                                       (Matt 22:35-40)

The law reminds us that we are to love God and to love one another. Jesus fulfilled the law in that he loved us so much that he was willing to die for a world full of sinners that we might be reconciled to one another.  His loving sacrifice was given that we might live in peace in the presence of God our Father for all of eternity. 

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Rom 13:10)

Let us love one another that we might be reconciled to God and to one another; that we might live in peace. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Careful What You Say

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 

                                                                                      (James 3:4-8 KJV)

For good or for bad the tongue can set the course of our futures.

James compares the tongue to a ship's rudder.

Although, small in comparison to the rest of the ship the rudder steers the ship. Likewise what proceeds from our mouths can have a great effect on our futures as well as the futures of those around us.

James also compares our tongues to fire. The humongous fires out west and north of us have had some serious effects on the people around the country. The air we breathe has become difficult to breathe at times especially for those who have asthma or allergies or other like diseases. Who even know why these fires start? Some start from lightning strikes. Some are accidental. Others are started by arsonists. The fires spread out. The smoke moves through the air directly affecting people even a thousand miles away. The smoke dissipates and travel around the globe. Fires affect more than just the people who are in their immediate vicinity.

Likewise our tongues can start some major fires. The evil; the lies, that we speak can spread like wildfire harming not just the people that we intend to harm; but, can have a lasting negative effect on people all around us and sometimes world-wide depending on who is spreading the evil. If it is the national media then the wildfire can spread pretty far and fast.

The words that we speak can have a positive or negative effect on the community. May God help us to control our tongues so that we do not steer the ship in the wrong direction or purposely start any wildfires in order to harm others.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Created For Good Works

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10 KJV)

"God don't make no junk." I heard that phrase a lot a few years ago; but, not so much lately. Indeed, he doesn't. He has created all things with a purpose. He has created all people for a good purpose. That purpose is not to do harm. Yet, here we are doing harm to the people; the world, around us.

Years ago I was in a Bible Study that was studying the ten commandments. One of the women related that she didn't worry about all of the "shall nots." She found that if she just focused on loving the people and world around her she didn't fall into quite so many traps of doing harm to others. If you love your neighbor you will not steal from them. If you love your spouse you will not commit adultery. If you love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind false idols will not be rising up to center stage in your life. We would probably all be better off if we worried a whole lot less about what we can't do and spend that time on focusing on the good that God has created and called us to do.

In Christ we have been freed from the bondage of sin. In Christ we have been set free to love and serve God and one another. In Christ we have been given new hearts; hearts not made of cold stone; hearts that desire to do good; to do no harm. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezek 36:26)

Let us pray: 

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." 

                                                                                    (Psalm 51:10-12)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Remain In His Love

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

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 15:9 -12 KJV)

Love each other. Love fulfills the law. It is as simple as that. If we have love; then we will do all that we can in order to not do anything to hurt the people around us. If we have love; we don't need to know and memorize every minute detail of every law; because the law is written upon our hearts. (Psalm 37:31, Jer 31:33, Heb 8:10, Heb 10:15)

In giving his life for us, Jesus showed us how much he truly loves each of us. If we remain in his love we will love even as he loves. Love isn't going to worry about who is going to make it in first at anything. Love tells us it is not only good to be the last in line; the last to receive; sometimes, it is way more preferable for all of our sakes.

Be a friend. Be a good neighbor. Do nothing that might cause any harm or danger to come to others. Do no harm. Do all things for the good of others that God might be glorified. Love each other. This is the command of Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Make A Joyful Noise

PSALM 98 KJV

O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

+++

Make a joyful noise! There is always a reason to rejoice. No matter what we might be going through we can rejoice because we have seen the salvation of our God! He has done marvelous things! By the blood of Jesus the Christ we have been saved. Rejoice!

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.

Greatest Commandments

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."

                                                                              (Exodus 20:12-17 KJV)

When I have asked confirmands which sin is the worst sin they inevitably respond murder. But, in reality any breaking of the law can destroy others. If it does not end in a physical death, it can still break a persons spirit.  How, I've been asked is committing adultery as deadly as killing someone. Again, it can certainly kill a person's will to go on living. From adulterous relationships have also come many suicides and murders. Consider the damage that breaking the commandments regarding your relationships with others can truly cause. Consider how you would react if these things were done to you. Would you not be hurt? Would you not be harmed by the actions of others against you?

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (Luke 6:31)

Jesus tells us the Ten Commandments are all about loving God as well as all of our neighbors. We are to do no harm to others in any way.  Rather, than harm we are to help and support others. 

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 

                                                                               (Matt 22:36-40)

Do no harm. Love your neighbors. "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. (2 Cor 13:11)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Vengeance Is Not Justice

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

                                                                               (Rom 12:14-21 KJV)

Avenge not yourselves! I have heard a lot about justice; particularly social justice, this past year. There were multitudes of people rioting for the sake of social justice. But, is it justice to destroy whole communities because you want justice? Is it justice to destroy whole communities that most probably need justice done for them in the first place? 

When we seek justice, we need to ask ourselves if the justice that we seek really justice for the people in need of justice or is it merely to going to feed our own egos; to accomplish our own self-centered and hate filled goals?  

Is it justice to falsely produce evidence or exaggerate claims against someone because you have decided that they are an evil person and they need to be taken down. Vengeance is not justice!

Justice does not happen when we destroy or take anything that belongs to someone else without having earned it. Justice happens when we freely give a drink of water to the thirsty; when we freely feed the hungry. 

Micah prophesied: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Mic 6:8)

Before we step out to do justice let us consider if what we plan is going to actually do justice or will it do more harm to others who are not even involved. There can be a lot of collateral damage in avenging ourselves. Consider this is what you are about to do going to cause others to take vengeance on you? We ought to humble ourselves when we consider whether what we desire to do will actually bring about justice or will it cause more harm. 

May God help us to do real justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with him.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Freedom To Serve

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. (1 Cor 10:23 KJV)

Just because something is lawful or maybe we can just get away with it does not mean it's a good thing for us or anyone else. Protests are lawful; but, when they get out of hand destroying the property of lives of others they definitely do not edify anything. They do not help us grow as a community or country. They only divide us and bring more problems.

As Christians, we know that we are free in Christ; but, we also know that by his ultimate sacrifice we have been freed to serve God and one another. As Christians, we ought to consider if our actions; although, they may serve and please us, do they help anyone else in any way or do they harm the people around us?

When Jesus died on the cross he died for us. He gave the ultimate gift of his life so that we might live life and not destroy one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Listen To Him!

Stormy day on Huron Bay, U.P.

And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 

                                                                                (Acts 27:18-24 KJV)

The sailors had not listened to Paul when he warned them that it was to dangerous to set sail. Now, in the midst of the raging storm that he'd warned them about, they are ready to listen. They ran their ship aground and ultimately their lives are spared. God is with them. He has plans for Paul. He wants Paul to stand trial before Caesar in order for him to testify about Jesus.

When we find ourselves in the midst of storms because we failed to heed the warnings about the direction that we were heading. It is not too late. Listen to God. Listen to where He would have you go and what He would have do. God has plans for you! He will do all to ensure that His plans are carried out. But, listen to Him!

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

Which Direction?

 

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NRSV)

The word of the Lord through Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon was for them to seek the welfare of the city that they have been exiled to. They were to build homes; to have families; to live life in Babylon. He gave them direction according to His plans for them.

Lately, I've been waking up each morning wondering what direction the Lord would have me go. I am at an age where I could retire. But, is that what I am supposed to do? There are a lot of possibilities for the future. At this point, I have no clue in which direction the Lord would have me go. I would like to retire and be able to be a little more spontaneous in every day life. Unfortunately, I am a bit of a workaholic and I am not sure what I would do if I was not working. I get bored and restless even now during the hours that I am not working. 

I have heard from many in the past who simply wanted a straight forward answer from God regarding the direction that they should go. I can empathize with that. I know that the Lord has a good plan for me. (Rom 8:28) But, I have a feeling that I have been so anxious about what it is that He would have me do, that I haven't taken the time to be still and listen to Him. 

May God help us all to trust that He will lead us in the direction He would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Free To Serve

For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. (1 Peter 2:15-16 NRSV)

Just because we are free does not mean that we are free to do anything we want if it will harm others or ourselves. We belong to God. We are to care for all of his creation. We are to do what is right so that others may not use our actions to justify their own harmful actions or lifestyles. 

Over twenty years ago, I decided to quit drinking. It did me no good. My drinking also did not do anyone around me any good. The day I decided to quit was the day that I heard a loved one, who drank daily beginning at noon, say:  "Nothing wrong with a few drinks. Even Judy drinks." That floored me. I rarely drank. I do not believe that it is a sin to have an occasional drink or two. But, here was someone, that I loved, who used the few drinks that I did have every now and then as justification for them to live every day of their life inebriated. Bogus, for sure. But, I wasn't going to be someone else's excuse for destroying their lives. I quit. They, sadly, did not.

St. Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians:

 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (1 Cor 6:12)

and

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. (1 Cor 10:23-24)

If what you do, even though it is lawful, will harm others and you are aware that it will hurt others then, please, just stop. We are free. We are free to seek not only those things that will be to our own advantage; but, free to seek the advantage for others, as well. We are not to use that freedom as a pretext for evil; as a pretext to harm others or ourselves.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Live In Peace With One Another

      

         Live In Peace With One Another!

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”
Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
(Psalm 10 NIV)

Today is a day of national mourning as we grieve the tragedy of September 11, 2001. We continue to suffer and grieve as we continue to struggle to comprehend the inhumanity of humankind. It is difficult, if not impossible, to understand how or why anyone would kill so many people in the name of God.

But, 9-11 was not the first time nor the last. History is replete with religious fanatics; religious wars. The Christian church on earth is not without its own guilt. As there are Muslim extremists so there are and have been Christian extremists who destroy the lives of others for what their egos tell them is the thing to do. I often consider the damage that Christian have done even to Christians over the centuries; particularly, as the hierarchies have striven for political power. Those are some serious "shake my head" moments as I wonder how humanity can be so inhumane.

It is not just religious fanatics who strive for power to gratify their own egos, either. Consider how many people die daily because of being terrorized not just by strangers; but, often by friends and even family. It seriously grieves me when I consider Chicago's crime rate alone and Chicago is just one of example among many; albeit one of the worst. How much more inhumane can humanity become than to put one's own desire for power above the lives of others? 

Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; encourage them, and listen to their cry, defend the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.

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