Trust That God Is In Charge

Job 37:1-7 KJV; God is in charge of the wind and rain. He is in charge of the snow. We do not control them. He does. Trust him in and through all storms of life for he loves you and does all things for the good of those who love him.

Good Works Come From Faith

1 Peter 1:17-25 KJV; 2nd Sunday after Easter; Good works come from faith that God loves us without respect of persons and because He does, we love Him and desire to do His will here on earth even as it is done in heaven.

Be Sober; Be Vigilant

1 Peter 5:6-11 KJV; Be sober; be vigilant for your adversary the devil seeks to devour you. Have faith that the Lord will give you strength and lift you up!

Peace In Christ

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 KJV)

Christ has overcome the world. There is nothing to fear. Yes, we meet challenges every day. We run into problems. But, the Christ abides in you is with you always; therefore, we can be certain that no matter what happens everything will come out for the good... in God's time... according to His will. Sometimes, even often, His will is not our will. That may even upset us for awhile. But, we can be assured that even in times of tribulation He has a good plan, the best plan, for those who love Him.

Rejoice; be of good cheer! The one who has overcome the world loves you and is with you always.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Live In The Light Of Christ

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12 KJV)

The men had been about to stone a woman they accused of being an adulteress; but, Jesus stopped them. He told them that the one without sin should cast the first stone. No stones were thrown. Not a one of them could condemn her. He gives relief to the woman saying that neither does he condemn her.  She is free to go and sin no more. She is free from her sins to live in the light of Christ.  

It would behoove us all to welcome this freedom from sin; this absolution, and to live in the light of Christ. As humans we tend to strive to keep our sins hidden and so we end up living in the darkness. The darkness is a nothing more than a prison. It keeps us enslaved. But by living in the light of Christ we are free to live an abundant life now and in the age to come.

Live life! Follow the light of life who is Jesus the Christ the one who loves you and died that you might be absolved of all of your sins so that you can truly live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Praise God!

Psalm 149 KJV

Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

+++

Praise ye the Lord for He is an almighty God. He lifts up His children. He takes pleasure in them. Let all of the saints joyfully give thanks to God and give Him all glory for all that He has done and will do.

Trust that His promises are and have been fulfilled. He loves you now and will love you always. Rejoice in His glory!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Two-edged Sword

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb 4:12 KJV)

The word of God is like a two-edged sword. It can pierce your spirit and soul. It can bring quickly great sorrow to your heart and mind. The good news is that it can also bring great joy in the knowing that even in our sins God loves us. He loves us enough to send his only begotten Son to die for our sins that we might be reconciled to Him now and forever.

That two-edged sword is a mighty sword bringing both death and life to our souls and spirits.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Loves Us

Galatians 2:20

Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!

Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.                                              (Psalm 144:3-4 KJV)

We are most blessed! Why, indeed, would the Lord care for us? We strut about like we are the center of the universe and nothing and no one else matters.

Yet, we matter to the Lord. His love and concern for us is so great that he was willing to die for us.

We fail to recognize that our lives are like fleeting shadows upon the earth. We are here one day and gone the next. Only the most prominent of men will be remembered centuries from now. In the end; by ourselves, we are of little consequence to the world. But, in Christ and with Christ we have hope for ourselves and for others.

Our lives in this world might be like fleeting shadows; but, all who abide in Christ receive eternal life with him. We are most blessed! The Lord, indeed, cares for us. He loves us enough to die that we might live.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Whom Will You Serve

And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the Lord; for he is our God. 

                                                                                                   (Josh 24:1-2, 14-18 KJV)

The journey is over. The Israelites have been promised the land for generations. They have been led through some hard times. They have been blessed by the LORD. Joshua's days are almost over. He reminds the people of all that the LORD has done for them and tells them:

"...choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Josh 24:15)

Who indeed will you serve? Which gods? Will you revere the LORD in sincerity and in faithfulness? As Joshua encouraged the Israelites to recall their history with the LORD God, I encourage you to do the same. Who brought you out of bondage? Did any of your false gods really help you? You cannot serve two gods. Choose ye this day, whom you will you serve. And, whichever one you choose know that they will each desire faithfulness from you. Will you choose the One who first chose you, who is faithful, and has always been faithful to you? Will you choose the one who loves you so much that He was willing to die for you? Or will you choose a lesser god, a god that does not love you, one that will only take from you, a god that will take your very joy and leave you alone and helpless? Choose ye this day... And, do not be deceived there is only one God that loves you. Put away all those false gods, for you cannot serve them all and live.

God's promise to you is a for an abundant life in His Kingdom - in His very presence. Do not choose to receive a lesser gift than this. Do not turn your back on the LORD who gives you life.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

His Mercy Is Great

PSALM 136:1-9 KJV

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

+++

We give thanks to the one and only almighty God who loves us so much that he has shown us mercy by giving his only begotten Son to suffer and die for us.

We do not deserve his mercy. We have turned our backs on him time after time; day after day. Yet, he still continues to love us and shower us with his mercy. Thanks be to God for his mercy is great!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

His Beloved

"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." 

                                                                                            (Zeph 3:17 KJV)

He has saved us. With the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus, we have been spared. 

No matter what is going on in our lives here on earth we can know that He is with us and loves us. He loves us more than is possible for any human being to love. Rejoice in Him as He rejoices in you. 

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." 

                                                                                         (1 John 3:1-2)

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  You are His beloved child!

God's Peace - Pr. J.  

Irritated By The Risen Christ?

"And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand." 

                                                                                 (Acts 4:1-4 KJV)

For sure! People were irritated then and they may be irritated now if and when you share with them the Good News that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. They may be irritated; but, many will also hear and believe unto their salvation. 

Jesus commanded us to go and tell people everywhere about him and what he has done for us.   

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." 

                                                                                 (Matt 28:19-20 KJV)

So, do you? As a professed Christian do you share the Good News that Jesus lives and he lives for all people? No matter who you are or what you may have done, Jesus loves you enough to die for you and because he did all who believe will be saved and live in his gracious and loving presence forever.

If we love Jesus as he loves us; if we desire to love others as Jesus loves them, we will share the Good News of salvation through faith alone (not by our good works) in Christ alone. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Praise Ye The Lord

Psalm 116:12-19 KJV

What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

+++

What, indeed, shall we render to the Lord for of his benefits toward us? 

Because he loves us so much that in spite of our sinful natures he has saved us we give him thanks and praise. We do not worship him in order to be saved. We worship him and give him thanks and praise because he has already done this marvelous thing. 

"Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 106:1)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Bear Their Pain

"O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." 

                                                                             (Psalm 139:1-10 KJV)

I was looking at all of the homes and other buildings as we were driving down the road last night and it occurred to me that God knows and loves each and every one of the people inside of those places. He created them. He knows them. He knows every word they say; every thought they think; every emotion that they feel. He knows all of this and yet he cares deeply for them all. 

Only God is capable of this and just maybe that is why humans tend to be so clannish. To know what God knows about us would be overwhelming. To know the joys and sorrows, the pains and the suffering of every single individual in the world would be overwhelming for us mere mortals.  It is difficult to watch the people around us suffer. But, to know, to really know, what everyone in the whole world is going through; to feel their suffering is way beyond our ability. We would crumble under that kind of emotion. 

How amazing it is that our Lord loves us so much that he can know and completely understand what we are going through. He is there for us. He is right there with us through thick and thin; through every second of the day. He can understand and no matter who we are or what we may have done he still love us. He can bear all things for us. He can handle the joys of the world and he can handle the suffering of the world. He did in fact take all of our sins upon himself. 

I cannot imagine bearing the weight of all things for all people. But, on the cross our Lord Jesus bore the sins of the world. 

"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." 

                                                                                        (1 Pet 2:21-24)

As humans we may find that there are times that we tend to isolate ourselves to protect ourselves from experiencing the pain and suffering of others. To know and feel the pain of so many might be overbearing. But, to follow in the steps of Christ means to love. It means putting yourself out there to know and understand not just the joys; but, the sorrows of others as well.

If Jesus loves each and every person so much that he was willing to give his life for us and if we really desire to follow in his footsteps we ought to at least try to love others no matter who they are. 

God's peace be with you all - Pr. J.

Speak With Integrity

"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost..." (Rom 9:1 KJV)

In his letter to the Romans, Paul assures them that he is speaking the truth in Christ - that he is not lying. This verse never fails to bring a smile to my face. It reminds me of children when they are trying to create a defense when being confronted by a parent or other person in authority. 

We also swear to tell the truth when we have to be in a court of law before we are able to testify from the stand.

It is good when we can say with Paul I am speaking the truth, my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit. But, sadly that is not always the case. It is difficult to know when someone is truly speaking the truth and so we must depend upon the Holy Spirit within us to help us discern the truth.

Paul's truth in Christ, is not always pleasing to hear. Sometimes it is a word of correction out of love. Sometimes it is a word of pure love and grace that is most pleasing to hear. 

God grant that we should we always speak with integrity for the good of those whom He loves.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Saints and Sinners

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."

                                                                            (1 John 3:1-5 KJV)

Each and everyone of us transgresses the law. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) Yet, God loves us sinners enough to send his only begotten Son to die on the cross for us. He died to take away our sins.

We, who are sinners, are also saints by virtue of the blood that was shed on the cross for us. Even though the sinner in us is way more apparent at times than the saint in us; God still calls us his children. We are brothers and sisters with and in Christ. We are one in the family of God. 

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.." (Heb 2:9-11)

"...Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." (Rom 4:7)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

God So Loved The World

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 KJV)

The good news for today and every day is found in John 3:16. This news is so good that we should be shouting it from the rooftops. We should at the least be sharing it with those around us. There is no need to fear death. There is no need to fear life in this world, either. In Christ we have eternal life!

In Christ we have a love beyond comparison. Live life in the one who loves you so much that he was willing to die that you might live. Live life in Christ! 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Lord, Have Mercy!

Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. (Pslam 40:11 KJV)

There are days when about the only prayer that can come out of my lips is "Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!"

There are days when there are so many things to deal with that the brain is not able to slow down enough to pray much else than to beg for God's mercy and help. Dealing with government entities usually brings this state of lack of enlightenment on. But, we have a helper; a protector. We have one who knows the troubles and trials of our hearts and minds and answers our prayers whether we know what to pray or not. Trust Him!

He truly loves us and with us in every circumstance. He hears your prayers for mercy and answers.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Children of a Heavenly Father

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

                                                                                        (Gal 4:4-6 KJV)

Children are an awesome blessing. They can be a lot of work, though. Our attempts to bring them up in the way they should be going doesn't always work the way that we planned.

We have a Father in heaven. We have been adopted as His own children; redeemed by His only begotten Son to be His children. I have often wondered what God, my Father, thought when I really did stuff that were not in His plans. Does he get as frustrated as I do when the children I care about are straying? I am sure that He is not all that pleased when we do things to the detriment of others; when we do not love as He loves us. As children of God we try to please Him even as our own children try to please us. We all fall short. We don't always do what we ought to be doing. We don't and our children don't. But, we keep on loving even as our heavenly Father loves us.

All who believe in His Son, Jesus the Christ, are the children of God. May He help us to follow in His Way.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love As The Good Shepherd Loves

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:14-15 KJV)

What greater love can there possibly be than to willingly lay down your life for another? That is exactly what Jesus did. He died that all who believe in him would have eternal life.

The very sad thing is that this kind of love seems to be unfathomable to so many today. They do not know Jesus nor do they have his kind of love even for their family; even for their own children. Vengeance seems to be the norm for even the slightest infractions even among people who pretend to love one another. This narcissistic kind of attitude and behavior just drives everyone involved deeper into darkness. 

There is a way out of the darkness. Follow the good shepherd on a better path. Turn aside from the anger that envelopes you and do what is right; do the loving thing.

Take care that you do not persecute anyone for our Father in heaven loves them and watches over them. 

"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt 18:6)

Love one another as the good shepherd loves you!

God's Peace - Pr. J