Lost In The Fog

Pentecost Sunday; Psalm 25:1-15 KJV; Lost in a fog? Turn to the Lord and follow in the way that He has shown us. 

The Blessings Of God

Matthew 5:1-12 KJV; 4th Sunday after Epiphany; When we are down and out our hope lies in the blessings that God has promised through Jesus.

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.

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Thanks be to God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon us.  

Blessed is his Holy Name!

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Psalm 72:18-19

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

Faith; Believe On Him

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

                                                                                 (John 6:26-29 KJV)

Not by the works of our hands do we inherit eternal life. It is a gift from God received in faith in the one who lived and died and lives for us, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Not of works, lest any man should boast."

                                                                                              (Eph 2:8-9)  

God's Peace - Pr. J.     

The Meek Shall Praise Him

 PSALM 22:22-30 KJV

I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.

All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

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Did our Lord Jesus not tell us in his sermon on the mountain that those who are poor in spirit are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is theirs? Did he not say that the meek shall be blessed for they shall inherit the earth?  (Matt 5:3,5)

When things are looking down then rejoice and praise the Lord for God has a good plan for all who love Him. (Rom 8:28)  The Lord of heaven and earth is with you always with a plan for your good; with a plan for peace and not for evil. (Jer 29:11)

The persecution and crucifixion of Jesus was not the end of him. He was raised from the dead and lives and reigns at the right hand of God the Father. If by the hand of God the dead can be raised then trust that it is but a little thing for Him to be able  to raise up the one who has fallen down!

Look to the good and not for the bad. Keep your head up. Keep your chin up and praise the Lord for all that he has done and continues to do!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Quit Whining And Rejoice In Christ Our Savior!

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.

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Quit whining! Rejoice! Thank God that you live! Hopefully, prayerfully, you live for him! I know that life can be very tough at times. Many are persecuted for what they believe. Some are persecuted for what they don't believe. But, Jesus reminds us that those who are persecuted for his sake will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

When I look back at the history of the world, I am reminded how fortunate we are today. Yes, there are still injustices. But, no one gets their hand chopped off for stealing a piece of fruit from a vender to feed their child. There are most often consequences for theft; but, not so drastic as they were in years gone by. No one is getting egregiously accused of being a witch and being burned at the stake. We actually have running water and can stave off illnesses caused by poor or no appropriate hygiene. We have a lot to be thankful for!

Consider how Christ died for us even while we were yet sinners. Consider the love he has for us. Is not the fact that we are saved and heirs of the kingdom of heaven through the sacrifice that he made for us a blessing!? Rejoice in that blessing! 

Things can be hurtful today. There is no doubt about that. Regardless, sometimes we need to stand up and speak the truth no matter what might happen afterwards. At other times, maybe we just need to quit whining about what we don't have and thank God for what we do have. Sometimes we just need to do what that old cliche "Count your blessings" tells us to do. Sometimes, we just need to recognize that those things we count as times of suffering maybe actually be blessings. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:3)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Death Is Not The End

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.                                                                    

                                                                                        (1 Peter 1:4-5 KJV)

We will all die. Unless the Lord comes before that time and takes us bodily to himself, we will all die. Death of the flesh is inevitable. But, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ this is not the end. Despite that some (including some clergy) say that death is the end, according to the word of the Lord, it is not the end! 

In St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he wrote:

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

                                                                                 (1 Cor 15:50-55)

Christ has destroyed the power of death with his death. If we do not have to fear even death than why do we so often fret over the little obstacles in this world. Jesus, himself, tells us that we should not be worried; but to believe in him; to trust that he will take us to be with him.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

                                                                                (John 14:1-3)

Do not be afraid. Trust in the word of the Lord and live in peace no matter what would attack you; no matter what obstacles you might have to face. Just as the grass withers and the flowers fade so must our flesh. But, the word of the Lord stands forever. That word is the gospel, is the good news, of the eternal kingdom of God is at hand and is for you through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Do not fear. Trust in the word of the Lord that brings you such good news!

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

                                                                                 (John 14:17)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

No Law

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

                                                                             (Gal 5:18 - 23 KJV

There is no law against being nice. There is no law against caring for others. But, there are both God given laws and man-made laws about doing otherwise. 

Some not so joyful or peaceful consequences often follow breaking these laws. 

It is just so much easier to be nice and do what is right; do what is good for you and for others and we will all experience a whole lot less turmoil and drama in our lives for it.

May God help us all not to spitefully use or abuse others in any way. And, may His love, joy, and peace be with us always!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

We Have Eternal Life

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

                                                                                     (John 3:14-17 KJV)

A friend and one of my internship mentors died yesterday. Glenda was a faithful woman. She served her community with much love even as she knew that she was loved by God and by so many people around her.

It is a very sad day for all who love her. Yet, we are not without hope because we know of Glenda's great love for God and for all of us. She will be missed. Our hope is that we will join her in the eternal presence of God on our last day for we know that God loves each of us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son that we might inherit eternal life.  

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Eph 2:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

First Priority: Loving The Lord

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

                                                                        (Luke 10:39-42 KJV)

Every Christian knows that we are called to love and serve one another or at least I hope we know that. But, this story about Jesus visiting Mary and Martha reminds us that there is more to it than that. Just prior to the story about Mary and Martha, a lawyer asks Jesus what we must do to inherit eternal life. 

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. (Luke 10:27)

That is exactly what Mary was doing: loving the Lord while Martha was busy about doing good things. Don't get me wrong! Good things are good! But, living in the presence of God and loving Him is most necessary.

Sometimes, our busyness can get in the way of experiencing the joy of living in God's presence and of living in His love. Our good works can interfere with our worship of God when we spend so much time doing good works that there is no time left to experience real life with and in Christ.

Good works are good; but loving God is the first priority. Trust God; love Him and good works will follow that love. 

That lawyer didn't especially care for Jesus' answer so he wanted to know who his neighbor actually was. Jesus tells a parable about  a Samaritan who helped a man who had been beaten, robbed, and left the man who died on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite had come by before the Samaritan and had ignored the man lying there. Of course, the one who helped was the good neighbor. Out of compassion, he was willing to help.

We must be careful that our good works are truly helpful and not just busyness (excuses) that will keep us from the loving relationship that the Lord desires to have with us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Fruit Of The Spirit

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. (Gal 5:22-23 NRSV)

There is no law against being nice. There is no law against being good. Wouldn't it be great if we got to truly enjoy the fruits of the spirit instead of being so focused on the works of the flesh which are according to St. Paul: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these? St. Paul warns us that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)

Life can be pretty rough. But, it doesn't have to be. We cause a lot of strife and damage to our own lives by not living according to the fruit of the Spirit which is a gift from God. Do we not consider that once we set aside our petty (and many are truly petty) differences and personal preferences the fruits of the Spirit would be much more evident in our lives and in the world around us? Once our ego dies and we become more concerned about the welfare of our neighbors we will rise with wings like an eagle and truly live life!

We are free, in Christ, to live fruitful, Spirit filled lives. There is no law against that. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love, Joy, Peace

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

                                                                                                                        Galatians 5:16-23 NIV

Love - a fruit of the Spirit of God! There are days that I just shake my head in wonder at the lack of love that I witness around me. People using people to get what they want. I believe that everyone wants love but they have no clue that gratifying the desires of the flesh isn't going to get it. Sexual immorality, anger (temper tantrums and tirades), idolatry, etc. isn't going to get you love. Love is of the Spirit, not of the flesh. Love is not self-seeking. Love seeks unity with one's neighbor. Love seeks good for others and not harm.

According to St. Paul: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." He warns us that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

On the other hand, those who live by the Spirit of God, will have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. They will produce fruit of the Spirit. "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." 

May God help us to love others, even as He loves us. May His Kingdom come; His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Will Lift You Up

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10 NIV

As I read the fourth chapter of James this morning, it reminded by of this Sundays' Gospel lesson, which is the Sermon on the Mount preached by Jesus.

“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 be shown 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 because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:3-11)

It is promised that those who are brought down will be lifted up. Those who mourn will be comforted. It is the meek, not the self-empowered or self-glorified who will inherit the earth. Blessings are promised to those who are last as Jesus also promised that "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." (Matt 19:30)

So let us not then exalt ourselves; but, trust in the Lord that we may be lifted up not for earthly glory but that we might see the glory of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J