First Fruits

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 KJV; The Israelites offered up their first fruits to God for saving them.  Let us give thanks for God offered up His first fruit, Jesus the Christ, to save us all.

Offer Unto God Thanksgiving

Psalm 50:1-15 KJV; All that we have belongs to God. We can give Him nothing other than to offer Him thanksgiving and to glorify His Holy Name!

Forgiven And Forgotten

Praise Ye The Lord Psalm 96

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNWxSQAlcr4

The One Sacrifice Of Love

Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

                                                                  (Heb 10:5-10 KJV)

Yes, of course, we strive to do God's will. We strive not because it will save us but because we love him who was willing to sacrifice his only begotten Son to save us from the consequences of our sins. That is the only sacrifice that is needed for the cleansing of our sins.

In Christ we have been made whole. In Christ we have been forgiven.  

God's Peace - Pr. J.

One Sacrifice

One sacrifice for sins for ever!

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 

                                                                (Heb 10:11-14 KJV)

That one offering was the life of Jesus the Christ. The offerings of sheep or goats or birds no matter how unblemished they appeared to be could never atone for all of our sins. Those sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. But, the sacrifice of the life of the only begotten Son of God could and it did. Jesus willingly sacrificed himself that we might be forgiven our sins and reconciled to our Father. The promise of the Lord as revealed to Isaiah has been fulfilled in the Christ. Our sins are wiped away by faith in his loving sacrifice for us.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa 1:18)

It is good to consider ones sins and to repent of them. But, all too often the devil and the world around us will remind us of our pasts. The devil will cause us to wonder if we have been truly forgiven. Do not let him cause you to doubt what Christ has done for you. 

In Christ you are forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Sing To The Lord

Christ Lutheran Cantata 2017

O sing to the Lord a new song;
   sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
   tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
   he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
   but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him;
   strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
   ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
   bring an offering, and come into his courts.

                                                    Psalm 88:1-6 NRSV

This afternoon, Christ Lutheran, will hold their Christmas Cantata. It will be an hour of Advent and Christmas music.  "Music," it is said, "soothes the savage beast." Indeed, it can calm a uneasy spirit if the right music is being listened to. It can also stir up in our inmost being anxiety, anger, fear.  Good or bad, music helps to embed ideas and ideals into our minds. It often glorifies the escapades of humankind. 

Christian music can be a teaching tool, as well. It tells the story of what God has done for us. Christian music glorifies God. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Not With Silver Or Gold

"You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish." 1 Peter 1:18-19

All too often; way too many people, have this mistaken idea that just because they have brought their tithes before the altar that they have "paid their dues" and will receive their places in the heavenly home.

Know this: your debt has been paid in full; but, not by you. You cannot earn or buy your place in the kingdom of God. There is only one offering that does that. That is the offering that Jesus made for us when he hung on that cross as a ransom for all.

Thanks be to God for the offering that was given for us in Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J