Taxes

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. (Luke 2:1, 4-5 KJV)

Thanks be to God that we don't have to travel far distances to be taxed! Taxes are an inevitable part of life. There are property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes and all sorts of other sundry taxes. They cause can stress and worry for  people.

Income tax season is fast approaching. Along with the season comes the concern whether you are going to have enough money to be able to pay the income tax on April 15th when the income taxes come due. Then, there is always the question as to whether they were done accurately and if you might end up talking to the tax collectors. 

Taxes are as inevitable as life and death to this world. However, thanks be to God for all who believe death has no power of us. In Christ Jesus we have eternal life. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Storms Will Come; Prepare

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matt 7:24-27 KJV)

Open your eyes and see. See what you have built your house upon. Is your spiritual house built upon the rock who is Jesus the Christ? Or is it built upon the sand that will eventually crumble and leave you without shelter or comfort? What condition is your house in? Do you say you believe; but, do you do nothing that keeps that house intact? Are you straying from that solid foundation, which is the word of God? 

Open your eyes and see. See where you have put your treasures. You may have acquired lots of "stuff." But, what condition is it in? Have you taken the time to maintain it? Or, are you sitting back and watching it fall apart because you are  too busy doing other things that are more pleasurable at the moment? What good is it to work to have lots of "stuff" if we are only going to let it rot away or get blown away in a storm. 

Open your eyes and see. Look around you and see where your responsibilities lie. When storms come; whether they are physical or spiritual, you cannot blame God for the storms because you have not taken the time to prepare for the storms. He has given us eyes to see what needs done. He has given us minds to know how to prepare. He has given us hands to do the work. If we want to hang on to the things that God has given us, we need to own the responsibility to take care of them.

Storms will come. They are inevitable. Prepare wisely. Open your eyes and see what needs shoring up before chaos comes. 

God grant us open eyes to see and the desire and energy to care for all that He has given us. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

From Dust To...

"By the sweat of your face

    you shall eat bread
until you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken;
you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.”

                        (Gen 3:19 NRSV)

Once a year we mindfully return to the beginning. We remember who is actually in charge. It is God. He who formed us from the dust of the earth has the ability to return us to that place. As children of Adam and Eve, we remember, that like our parents we also have rejected the will of God for us and are subject to death.

Fortunately, we can look at all of this with hindsight. We can look back and know that even as the first man, Adam, chose to do his thing and not God's will; the second man who is from heaven, did accomplish God's will on earth for us. This man, Jesus the Christ, came so that; although we must return to the dust, all who believe in him will be raised from the dust, even as he was raised from the dead. That is the Good News on this day of sorrow and repentance.  

Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Cor 15:45-49)

It is always an emotional time for me to make the ashy sign of the cross on the foreheads of people that I care about; knowing that we must all return to the dust that we have come from. That reminder that we must die can be very heart-shaking. For those few seconds death overshadows the hope of life. But, in the grand scheme of things, I know that all who believe that Jesus died for our sins, will be raised imperishable. Therein lies the hope within this perishable, sinful life.

Death is inevitable. For all who believe, so is life eternal in the presence of God. God's creation; His children, will walk in paradise once again.

God's Peace - Pr. J