He Provides Us With Water

Psalm 65:9-13 KJV; 7th Sunday after Pentecost. He provides us with water that gives life to the earth and to us. He provides us with Living Water who is Jesus the Christ through whom we have eternal life.

Trust God And Know Peace

Proverbs 3:1-12 KJV

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:

For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

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There is a path that leads to peace. Our Lord has shown us the way if we would only listen to Him. I have fallen off that path more than a few times. Thanks be to God for loving me enough to lead me back to the path that He has set before us! 

I have learned over the years and after being corrected by God more times than I can count that the way to live a peaceful life is to live trusting that the Lord will provide for us and by  honoring Him for all that He is and for all that He does. 

I have found that it is best to listen to Him rather than my own desires. The Lord provides all things including a peace that surpasses all understanding. (Phil 4:4-8)  As a young married couple so many decades ago my husband and I often struggled trying to make ends meet. We struggled and didn't get most of the things we desired. We did not get any extra conveniences. But, we were never without our daily needs being provided for.

It is a wise move to listen to the Lord and trust Him. Follow in the way that He has shown you and live in peace.

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

Follow In The Way

Psalm 25:1-11 KJV

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

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Forgive us our sins and teach us your ways! So often we desire for the Lord to help us out of a fix that we've gotten ourselves into. Yet, we fail to acknowledge that we have gotten ourselves into the trouble we find ourselves in because we have not listened to him and followed in the way that he would have us go.

Of course, that is not the only reason we find ourselves with trials. But, it is one and one that we can avoid by listening to God; repenting of our sins; and following in the way that He would have us go loving and serving him and the people around us. 

God grant that we trust in you; that we should trust in your word and listen to it with our whole hearts and souls.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Leads Me

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
  they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
 my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
  all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
 my whole life long.

Psalm 23 NRSV

 

May your day be richly blessed with God's peace.  Pr. J

 

Crooked Ways Are Found Out

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
   but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

                                          (Prov 10:9 NIV)

I have spent a bit of time attempting to teach teen-age felons what it means to have integrity through cognitive behavior therapy. After I left the correctional facility and once again began serving in the church, I often thought how much easier it was to teach felons than Christians. 

Yes, that sounds horribly judgmental. But, it is the truth. Felons have been convicted. They have already been found guilty. You can present the case as to how badly they have damaged their and their loved one's lives without too much denial. But, way too often, Christians can be caught in the most obvious lies or other damaging words or deeds and still deny that they have been taking a crooked path. Christians are never as bad as the felons, or at least so many think. Sadly my experience has been that most of us who are not felons probably are not simply because we've never been caught. We are sinful human beings and it is really most helpful to one's life to repent; that is to acknowledge our sins and turn around to follow Christ on the straight and narrow path.

But, take my word for it. You can lie all you want. You can sneak around and do things that are most damaging to you, your loved ones, even your church. But, there are those whose eyes are wide open and they know the truth. You can deny it. But, you are only lying to yourself. Your attempts to stagger down the crooked path are found out. You cannot hide from God and you cannot hide from humankind forever. But, do not worry. You will most likely be allowed to go on deceiving yourself by thinking that no one knows. Christians, to a large degree, do not like confrontation and most will let you continue on the crooked path to your own demise.

I do not like confrontation. But, neither am I afraid of it. I do get tired of it, though. I get very tired of watching and listening to those who have no integrity. 

May God have mercy.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Wisdom Is Trusting The Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.
Proverbs 3:5-8 NRSV

I hear many a person confess their faith in the Lord. They say that they believe in him; they trust him and depend upon him. But, then I see and hear otherwise. We confess our faith in the Lord and then we turn around and trust in the wisdom or rather the lack of wisdom of humankind. We say that we are faithful to him; but, then our actions prove that we do not listen to the wisdom of God. We listen to the wisdom of the world; to our own demise.

May God help us to be more faithful to him and to follow our Lord in the way that he (not we) would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Wisdom and Knowledge

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Rom 11:33 NIV)

Knowledge and wisdom are certainly worthy riches. It would be so nice to be able to have both without having to gain them the hard way. Unfortunately, as humans, we don't like to learn too much from the mistakes of others. We have to gain wisdom and knowledge with a lot of study, with a lot of work; and, with a lot of very hard lessons.

We really cannot have all the wisdom and knowledge of God. We cannot know everything. We are not God. But, He is willing to advise and lead and show us the way that He would have us go if we would only ask and listen to Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord Is My Shepherd And King

What's so good about a shepherd king? What's so good about having a king that knows how to lead the flock? Everything! The ability to lead others even through the darkest shadows of the valley of death is a very important trait for someone who would be king or maybe president. The ability to protect and comfort them when times are troubling is an awesome trait for a ruler.

David was a good shepherd and a great king. But, we have one who is even greater. He is the King of Kings. He looks after us as only a good shepherd can. He will reign over us forever.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

                                                                              Psalm 23

 

What's so good about a king who is also an experienced shepherd? Everything!

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Peace Like A River

This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches you what is best for you,
    who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands,
    your peace would have been like a river,
    your well-being like the waves of the sea.

                                    (Isaiah 48:17-18 NIV)

 

Indeed, the Lord does know what is best for us! But, we often think that we know better than God. We often choose the wrong paths and find ourselves in chaotic messes trying to figure out what went wrong and how in the world we are going to find some semblance of peace. What went wrong sometimes just happens to be is that we rejected the Word of the Lord; we have rejected those things that our Father in heaven has sought to teach us. We have rejected the good gifts that He desires us to have. We have chosen to follow in the ways of the world and we ultimately find ourselves wallowing in the depths of despair.

 

The world is a mess. We have helped to make it that way. But, no matter what kind of mess we find ourselves in we can know peace. We can know the peace that only God can give to us. In the midst of the storms, we can know peace that flows forever like a river. We can know peace as refreshing as the cool waters of a gently flowing river.

 

Do not fear! Do not despair! God is with you. Listen to Him and know the peace that only He can give. 

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

A Good Name

A good name is more desirable than great riches;
    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
                                                     Proverbs 22:1 NIV

If gaining wisdom and knowledge is the purpose of the Book of Proverbs then I am wondering how many people are actually reading this book. There was a time, a long, long, time ago, when a good name was something people worked at achieving and retaining. Retaining a good name was something that was valued. A good name was considered an asset. It did not matter how much money you had; what kind of home you lived in; or, where you lived. What mattered was your character. What counted was being there for others in need. What mattered was whether or not you lived in your integrity. In order to have a good name, we knew that one must respect the rights of others. It was important to respect and obey the laws of both God and humankind. We understood that once a good name is lost, it is pretty hard to ever gain it back.

Today the most well known names are serial killers, movie stars, other social idols, and politicians. Those who strive greatly for silver and gold and having a well-known name rather than a good name seems to be the goal for many today. There is a difference between a well-known name and a good name.  Which would you choose for yourself: a well known name because of your greed and avarice; because of your sins, or a good name because of your faithfulness to God and your love and devotion to others?

There is one name above all other names. (Phil 2:9-11) That name is Jesus the Christ. As Christians we bear the name of Christ. Let us always remember that name is far above all things in this world. It is to be esteemed better than silver or gold or anything that money can buy. Bear that name wisely and with love and integrity.

We each choose our own paths. But, in the end there is only one path; one way, to the Kingdom of God, where there is no end to peace. That way is our Lord, Jesus the Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Peace Like A River

This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches you what is best for you,
    who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands,
    your peace would have been like a river,
    your well-being like the waves of the sea.

                                    (Isaiah 48:17-18 NIV)

 

Indeed! The Lord does know what is best for us. But, we often think we know better than God. We often choose the wrong paths and find ourselves in chaotic messes trying to figure out what went wrong and how in the world we're going to find some semblance of peace. What went wrong usually happens to be that we have rejected the Word of the Lord; we have rejected those things that our Father in heaven has sought to teach us and the places He has desired to lead us. We have rejected the good gifts that He desires us to have and have chosen to follow in the ways of the world and we ultimately find ourselves wallowing in the depths of despair.

 

The world is a mess. We've helped to make it that way. But, no matter what kind of mess we may find ourselves in we can know peace. It is the peace that only God can give to us. In the midst of the storms, we can know peace that flows forever like a river. We can know peace as refreshing as the cool waters of a gently flowing river.

 

Do not fear! Do not despair! God is with you. Listen to Him and know the peace that only He can give. 

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Listen!

"And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them." (Ezekiel 6:10 NIV)

It is sometimes (no, most of the time) difficult to find any good news in the prophecies of old. The prophets warned the people over and over again to turn to the LORD and worship only Him. But, they did not listen and suffered greatly for it.

Sadly, we do not listen to God's word as we should; so, often we have to learn the hard way that when our feet follow paths we should not follow, destruction follows those footsteps. It is when destruction happens, when we are brought low, by the worship of our false gods, that we realize that we have to turn to the LORD for help. He is our help in every time and need.

"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Trust Him!

"For no word from God will ever fail." Luke 1:37

We do harm to ourselves when we do not believe the promises of God. We will find ourselves troubled and worried if we have any inclination that God cannot do all things. Place your trust in Him and His promises and He will see you through all things. He will provide for all of your needs.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov 3:5-6 

God grant us faith to trust in Him above all others.

God's Peace - Pr. J

His Light Leads Us

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them. 
                                                       Isaiah 42: 16

Through the trees we could see the lights exploding in the darkness. Last night most of our neighbors were celebrating Independence Day, a day early, with fireworks. The light put off by fireworks is sometimes very bright; but, it is also very momentary. They might give enough light for you to see to take a few more steps in the darkness. But, the light is not enduring. God's light never burns out. It is there always to lead you on unfamiliar paths; to lead you through dark valleys.

May God help us to walk in the way of his light that He has set before us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Have a joyful Independence Day!

He Is Your Shepherd

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
     He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
     he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

What a comfort this Psalm has been to me. It is not a prayer only for times when we lost a loved one. This prayer, I pray daily and not just for me; but, for all of you, as well. No matter what day it is we will meet challenges of some sort. Whether those challenges be enemies or temptations to stray from the path we can know that Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd, is with us always, leading us on right paths.

May God grant each of you comfort and peace in the knowledge of the Lord's presence with you today and always.

Pr. J