You Are Wonderfully Made

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psalm 139:14 KJV)

God does not create garbage. We are not garbage. We do; however, tend to create garbage ourselves. Many even attempt to make garbage out of themselves. This cannot; this should never happen. God did not create you that way. You do not have to live that way. Always remember that you are a marvelous creation of God and so are all of the people around you. You are a child of God; created in His image. (John 1:12; Genesis 1:27)

Remember that and know that God created you for a good purpose. He also gives you the gifts to fulfill that purpose. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jer 29:11)  Hear the word of the Lord and do not let anyone convince you otherwise!  

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph 1:10)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

There Is One God

And God spake all these words, saying,

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

                                                                       (Exodus 20:1-6 KJV)

You shall have no other gods! The giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses by God is the Old Testament reading for the third Sunday of Lent (Mar 7, 2021). Theses Commandments remind us how we are to love God and others.

They begin by reminding us that there is only one God and that He is to be first in our lives. It makes no sense to me that anyone would worship anything or anyone other than the creator of all things; the author of life. Why all the foolish incantations to things that are beneath even humankind? Why depend and trust celebrities or politicians that would give themselves authority when in reality they have no real authority? They cannot save you! In way too many instances they worship themselves and put their own agendas before God's. 

There is only one God who has authority over all things. There is only one God who was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son to save you.

Even as God spoke to Moses, He speaks to us through His word. Listen to Him! Love Him above all others! Worship Him alone and live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

How Great Is His Love

 

When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son.

But the more they were called,

the more they went away from me.

They sacrificed to the Baals 

and they burned incense to images.

(Hosea 11:1-2 NIV)

I'm thinking that there are a lot of parents (and grandparents) who can relate to this. Sometimes, the more you love a child, the more they pull away. It's as though they honestly don't want to be loved. I don't get it. But, sometimes, it seems, that is the way it is. They wander off seeking love from those who do not, cannot, or will not love them instead of living in the warmth and love that is being freely given to them.

God loves us and calls us to be His children. So what is so difficult about living in His love?

May God help each and everyone of us to realize the great love He has for us. Open our eyes, Lord! Open our hearts, LORD! Help us to receive the love you have given us through Jesus Christ, our LORD. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Give To God Your Whole Life

Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

                                                                      (Matthew 22:17-21 NIV)

Have you paid your taxes? There is only a couple of more days before the deadline for filing income taxes. I think most people probably get a little worried that they will make a mistake on their taxes and the IRS will be knocking on their door. That is why so many people hire tax accountants to do their taxes even if they are simple 1040 EZ's that they are filing. We worry about being charged with not giving to the government what is owed.

If we are so concerned about making no mistakes when it comes to paying our taxes to the governing authorities; why then are we so lax in giving God the thanks and praise that belongs to Him? 

The governing authorities use our tax money to build roads and support hospitals and schools and all kinds of things that we deem necessary for life. But, it is God who gives life to all. It is God who gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Do not hold back on paying your taxes to the governing authorities. Do not hold back from dedicating your whole life to God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Taxes

     Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
     But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
     “Caesar’s,” they replied.
     Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 
                                                          Matthew 22:17-21

The income tax season is almost over and I am just getting to it. Tax season spans about one third of the year. Then, there are those summer property taxes due as well and can't forget quarterly estimated taxes, either. It does not bother me all that much to pay taxes. I am just not thrilled with the filing of the income and estimated taxes. I do not like having to think so hard about money. I am prone to procrastination when it comes to getting them done.

Jesus was asked by the Pharisees if it was lawful to pay taxes to an emperor. This was a trick question. In reality, if he said yes, the Pharisees would probably construe it to mean that it was okay to pay homage to someone other than God. If he said no, he would be denying the authority of the emperor to rule in this world. They were confounding the two kingdoms. Jesus responded by asking who's face was on the coin that the they paid this tax with. They brought forth a coin with Caesar's face. Then pay to Caesar what is Caesar's he told them.

We may find discomfort in parting with our savings to pay the taxes the government requests or demands. But, do not worry. You are a child of the Kingdom of God. God will provide and because He provides so well for us, we remember to love and serve Him above all things. Honor him by doing what is right for this world and most of all so that He might be glorified in all that we say and think and do. Pay to Caesar what is Caesar's; but, do not neglect to give to God what is God's.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Kingdom where all debts have been paid for us by the blood of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Lift The Veil!

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 2 Cor 4:3-5 NIV

It is sad thing when loved ones cannot see the light of Jesus the Christ; when they cannot catch a glimpse of his glory. I am often asked, "why?" Why can they not hear? Why can they not see? If only they could know the joy that comes with knowing our Lord and Savior! We yearn for our loved ones to know the love of God through Jesus the Christ. Yet, it does not happen. The god of this age; the world, itself, seems to have blinded their minds and we hope and we pray that God would open their eyes, their ears, their hearts, and their minds.

Be persistent in prayer for those who live in darkness and proclaim the gospel that reveals the glory of Christ. I have heard way too many sermons that preach about the preacher's life. That is not to say we cannot talk about the journey that God has brought us on. But, our proclamation can never be about us. It must be about what God has done for us and for you. When we preach about our own works we hide the work of Christ with a veil so that others cannot see the true light who is Jesus the Christ. When we proclaim our own good works; others will see only our egos, which only enshrouds the truth with darkness.

We are not the light; although, the light (hopefully) shines through us as we are the servants of God. Jesus Christ is the light and it is him alone whom we are to proclaim. No one can go to the light if they do not see it. Pray for those who live in darkness and do not hesitate to proclaim the Kingdom of God through Jesus the Christ that the veil might be lifted and all might live in the light and the glory of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J