Put Not Your Trust In Princes

Psalm 146:1-10 KJV; Put not your trust in leaders who claim to want to help the world; yet, only help themselves. Put your trust in the Lord and know that many who say that they are oppressed have actually become the oppressor and in the end the Lord will turn their ways upside down.

Pray For All People

1 Timothy 2:1-6; 15th Sunday after Pentecost; pray for all people even our enemies that we might live peaceful and quiet lives.

The Greatest Among You

For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

                                                                    (Mark 9:31-35 KJV)

Wow! So much to cover in these five verses! 

Now, the disciples were a bit embarrassed to admit to Jesus that they had been busy debating who would be the greatest among them. But, Jesus knew. He knows everything that we say and think and do. He reminds them that the greatest among them would be the least among them. The greatest are those who humble themselves by serving others; by serving God. 

As we consider following in the footsteps of Jesus we remember that he is the King of Kings yet he was willing to humble himself to serve all people by suffering and dying on the cross for our sins. The disciples did not understand any of that; at least, not until after he was crucified and rose from the grave.   

God help us to love and serve others. Help our earthly rulers to also understand that they who would consider themselves above others are not above others but have debased themselves by their selfishness and greed for riches and power over others. Help us all to understand that the greatest among us are those who serve others. God grant us leaders who love you and the people they serve. 

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Put Not Your Trust In Princes

Psalm 146 KJV

Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.

While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:

Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:

Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:

The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:

The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.

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Put not your trust in princes! What a reminder these last few weeks have been of that! Our rulers too often do what they think will get them elected or reelected or keep their prestigious appointments with no mind paid toward those who will suffer because of their decisions.

May God be with and have mercy on all who have been left behind because of the decisions of our leaders! May God have mercy on all of us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

We Have A King!

Psalm 2 KJV

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

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One of my beliefs that has been reinforced this year is that we should:  "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Psalm 146:3-4)

There is only one leader, one Lord, that is faithful to the people and he is the King of Creation; the same king that so many of our earthly leaders would abolish. His name is Jesus!

Be strong in the Lord! 

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

                                           

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." 

                                                                                         (Eph 6:10-13)

Let the heathens rage. In the end it will do them no good for a bit over 2000 years our king was born into this world. In him we trust for our salvation!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

                                                                                          (Isa 9:6-7)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Pray For Kings And Live In Peace

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (Tim 2:1-2 KJV)

Those of us who live in the United States really are privileged to live in such a great country. But, there are those who bring a lot of disharmony to the people. Rather than pray for our leaders that they might first know and have a desire for peace; violence is incited against anyone they disagree with and way too many of our elected leaders actually support the violence. Slander and malice abound. Rather than listen to and pray for one another, even our leaders spew hateful rhetoric at and about each other. 

Maybe it is God's will that this country be torn apart. Maybe it is His will that the greed; the slander; the lies, the extortions; the sacrificing of His children both young and old; the false gods; the egos all be brought to end. I do not know. But, I know this: God wants us to pray for our leaders and not destroy them. He wants us to worship Him in Spirit and truth. 

Let there be peace. Let us pray for all in authority!

God's peace - Pr. J

The Votes Are In

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. (1 Tim 2:1-2 NRSV)

The ballots have been cast and the results are in. Just about everyone who voted has a reason to be happy and they also probably have a reason to be not so happy. Happiness is not what elections are about. Electing leaders is what elections are about. The only thing then that is left for us to do is to pray then that our elected leaders will do what is best for the people; for the country as a whole.

Regardless; whether we appreciate the results or not, we do have some new leadership in our country. Let us pray and support our elected leaders. If we disagree with any of them or all of them, let us disagree peaceably, without false accusations or threats. Spreading gossip, lies, or making false accusations about our elected officials does not help the state of the union. Working together will.

May God grant that we should live in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Who Is The Antichrist?

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 

                                                                           1 John 2:22-23 NKJV

So, exactly who is the antichrist? According to St. John the antichrist is anyone who would deny that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Son also denies the Father. Whoever denies either is a liar and the antichrist.

Next question: How does one deny that Jesus is the Christ? Response: By trusting in our own good works for our salvation. When we trust the world, ourselves, anything or anyone before Jesus the Christ we are denying him; we are denying his power and authority to save us.

The antichrist is not some mythical being. Generations have looked for the antichrist and pointed their fingers at various political or religious leaders saying, "he is the antichrist; these are the last days." Pointing the finger at one person only distracts us from looking within ourselves to see who it is that actually abides in us. Is it Jesus the Christ or the antichrist?

May the Word of God abide in us and we in him. May God help us to trust him above all others.

God's Peace - Pr. J