Do Good Even To Your Enemies

Romans 12:9-21 KJV; 14th Sunday after Pentecost; Do good to all people as much as is possible that we might all live peaceable lives.

Fasting

Isaiah 58:3-9a KJV; 5th Sunday after Epiphany; Exactly what kind of fasting does God call us to?

No Room For Others?

Luke 2:6-7 KJV; Imagine spending Christmas or any day homeless. The governments apparently have no fix; too many other things to spend taxpayer's money on. Jesus told Peter and us if you love me; feed my sheep.

Thanksgiving Day; Eat Of The Bread Of Life!

John 6:25-35 KJV; There is more to life than the physical bread; the physical things that we strive after. Eat of the bread of life, who is Jesus the Christ, and live life!

Praise The Lord; Psalm 146

Psalm 146; Praise Him for all that He has done for us.

No More Tears May 7 2022 Revelation 7

The Flesh Dies

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

                                                                                (John 6:32-35 KJV)

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

                                                                                (John 6:63 KJV)

The flesh is but a tent within which we live life. It is the spirit that gives life. The words that Jesus has given us are filled with the Spirit and with life.

The material things of this world matter very little. Of course, we need some of them for the fleshly tent to continue housing the spirit. But, too often we worry about the feeding the flesh and totally neglect the spirit within with the end result being that life becomes very wearisome and we become quarrelsome. Like the grass the withers and the flowers that fall the flesh too will pass away. (1 Peter 1:24-25) It will wither and die. What then shall become of your spirit; of your life if it has not been fed with the bread of life?

The spirit must be rejuvenated in order for us to live. It must be fed. Care for your spirit by feeding it with the truth, with the true bread from heaven, with the Word of God, who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Bread of Life

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 

                                                                                          (John 6:32-35 KJV)

We can eat the most sumptuous meals and still be hungry. We can have everything that we have ever desired and still feel empty. But, if we have Jesus  we will be filled. He promised that if we went to him, believing in him we would never hunger or thirst again.

Jesus is the bread that gives us life. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Blessed Are They...

Matthew 5:1-12 KJV

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

+++

Blessed are the merciful! Blessed are the peacemakers!

May God's grace, mercy, and peace be with you all in these tumultuous times!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Vengeance Does Not Save

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.                                                                                                                                                                                 (Psalm 18:1-3 KJV)

Most of us have enemies; people who would do us harm. Turning to vengeance ourselves is not real helpful. The Lord will take care of you.

Spending time and energy to avenge ourselves can be like a boomerang. It could very well fly back and hit us in the face. Vengeance can cause all sorts of legal ramifications for us. And, living in anger will take away our peace. It can make us ill: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Leave the vengeance to the Lord. Trust Him for He is your rock, your fortress, deliverer, and strength. 

According to St. Paul: "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. (Rom 12:18-20)

Vengeance is God's. Trust Him and live life in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

 

Blessed

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

                                                                     (Matthew 5:1-12 NRSV)

The Sermon on the Mountain begins with what we know as the Beatitudes. These words of Jesus are a comfort to many in need of emotional or spiritual support. They are genuinely good news and for many reason to rejoice! But, what about those who are not poor in spirit; rejoice rather than mourn when disasters assault other around them? What about those who would do harm to others for their own profit or to lift themselves up rather than hunger after righteousness?  What about those who show no empathy or mercy? What about those who are without remorse as they persecute others so that they might have their own way? 

What about that? How blessed are they? Will they receive empathy? Will they receive mercy when the hour has come to give accountability to God? The hour will come for all of us. No one can know when that day will be. 

The best news is that God our Father has indeed blessed the world by sending His only begotten Son to die as a sacrifice for our sins. That sacrifice has been made so that all who believe in him will be blessed with eternal life in the Kingdom of God now and for all of eternity. 

May God open our ears and our eyes and our hearts to a greater understanding of His Word and His Will for all people so that we might do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J