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 Good Shepherd Saves The Sheep

John 10:11; Watching over the sheep can be a lonely job as he seeks to protect and save the sheep.

A Way To Escape

1 Corinthians 10:13; verses from Romans 7 and 8; We are sinners; but, Paul tells us that all who are in Christ Jesus are forgiven their sins.

Patiently Waiting

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

                                                                                       (2 Peter 3:8-9 KJV)

I consider myself to have a lot of patience. I have been waiting for answers to a few of my prayers pretty much my whole life. There are days when I think well... that's enough. It is time to quit praying for...... But, then I consider how many years from the beginning of creation that it took God to send Jesus to save us from our own sinful selves.  Quite a lengthy time that took!

Here in this season of Advent we wait and watch as we do every Advent and every year. We wait and watch for the Lord to return in full glory. We wait with patience and at times most impatiently. It may seem like the wait goes on forever; but, a thousand years to humankind is as one day to the Lord. 

We wait knowing that the Lord does not desire that for any to perish, but that all should come to repentance. God continues to wait for the lost to believe. May God help us to have the patience and the compassion to wait with love for our fellowman to hear and believe in our salvation through our Lord, Jesus the Christ. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Seeks The Lost

He Seeks The Lost

For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 

                                                                                    (Ezekiel 34:11-12 KJV)

The Lord God seeks his sheep to bring them into his fold. The truth is that he know where you are and what you are doing. He knows all who have been busy trying to hide from him; trying to run from him. Just maybe it's time to quit hiding and thank the Lord God that he desires to make you his own. Maybe it is time to listen to his voice and follow him to where he would have you go.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Came For The Lost

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)

Jesus was confronted about going to that tax collector Zacchaeus' house for dinner. How could he associate with such a sinner! 

The reality is that Jesus came to save all sinners; all who were lost in sin. Tax collectors and prostitutes,  were not outside of God's plan for salvation. No one is outside of God's plan for salvation. Everyone is welcome to be in a relationship with Jesus. 

How often do we look past or through those who we deem to be greater sinners than ourselves? Do we stop to talk to them or do we pretend that they are not there and keep on going? Are the only people that we count as worthy those who think like us; act like us; live like us? Are we there for the disenfranchised of the world as Jesus was and is there for the disenfranchised?

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. (John 3:16)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Pray For Your Enemy

Those who surround me lift up their heads;
   let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
Let burning coals fall on them!
   Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!
Do not let the slanderer be established in the land;
   let evil speedily hunt down the violent!
                                                  Psalm 140:9-11 NRSV

We find the author of Psalms a little more than upset this morning. He wants the persecution against him stopped. He wants vengeance in a big way!

My memory tells me that I have indeed prayed this way myself. But, I know that there is a more excellent way. According to Jesus, we are to "...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt 5:43-45)

It is undeniable that there are many who persecute the children of God. The arrogant lay out snares for the innocent seeking to damage or utterly destroy them. But, anger and vengeance only propagates the enmity. Pray for peace; pray for protection; pray for mercy; pray that the LORD will be your strong deliverer; but, also pray for your enemy. Pray that those who hate and persecute you will repent. Pray that they will come to know the LORD and then you will have lost an enemy and gained a brother or sister in Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Take Up Your Cross And Follow In His Way

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

                                                                                                                                Matt 16:23-25

We encounter many stumbling blocks in life. Often, like Peter, we do not even realize that we, ourselves, might be stumbling blocks to others. Our desire to fix things like we want things to be fixed; our desire to have things our way, sometimes gets in the way of our being able to see clearly God's will for us and for all humankind. We might think we are following in the footsteps of Jesus when we are really going in the direction we have chosen for ourselves. That direction may well be the wrong way. The direction we choose for ourselves may get us lost forever.

God grant that we should not be stumbling blocks to others or to ourselves; but, help us to see the way in which He would have us go, following in the footsteps of Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr.

You Have Eternal Life!

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13

There are times when we all might feel unworthy. We become downcast as we wonder what will become of our lives. St. John reminds us of the promise that all who believe in Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, will not perish; but, have eternal life. That eternal life is in the presence of the one true God; the God who loves you so much that he was willing to die for you.

All is not lost! Rejoice, for the Kingdom of God is for all who believe! And, then even as St. John shared the good news, we are to go and share it with others that their hope may be restored, as well.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Deeds Of Darkness Exposed

"Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."  Eph 5:10-11

You're in a bind, again?! We all get in binds sometimes. We can step right into traps without even considering where we're placing our feet. Sometimes we step into those dark places on purpose thinking that we are smart enough to be able to avoid getting lost or trapped. 

Here's a suggestion from St Paul. "Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord." Quit working so hard at trying to please or be like the rest of the world. You will just find yourself in darkness. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Seek out what will be pleasing to the Lord and you just might find yourself walking in the light and participating in His life; real life.

May God guide you in His light.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Listening To Advice

The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

Prov 12:15 NIV

Not all advice is good advice. Just because it feels good doesn't mean it is good. It is painful to watch someone whom we care about following the advice of those who are lost and hitting bottom themselves. It is difficult to witness anyone intentionally following those who are going down a path that leads to destruction.

The truth is that there is very little that we can do about it. We cannot make them change directions. We can give them advice as to way the Lord would have them go; but, often, they will not listen until they learn in a very hard way what it means to truly be lost and alone when one has chosen to follow in the ways of the world and have turned their backs on God.

The one thing that we can do is to pray for them; pray without ceasing and may the Lord, our God open their hearts and minds that they might listen to Him and follow in The Way.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jesus Is The One We Proclaim

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Col 1:28 NIV

Is he? Is Jesus the one we proclaim as the Christ? We cannot have any other gods. We cannot lift up anyone or anything else above him. As a church; as members of the Body of Christ, we can proclaim only Jesus as our savior. No one and nothing else can save us from ourselves or from any other power that comes to deceive and destroy us. Without the Messiah, we are lost.

It is only in Christ that we have real life. May God help us to teach and to learn with all due diligence and wisdom so that together we may fully mature in Christ.

Put away your teachings of false gods so that everyone may grow into the fullness of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J