Refining Fires

Zechariah 13:9; The refining fires are necessary. Standing in them cannot be avoided. Yet, God is with you in them.

Jezebel

 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

                            (1 Kings 1:1-2 KJV)

I have this real vivid picture of Jezebel in my head. Some things you picture you just can't forget. My Grandma Hill was a very strict Lutheran. Now, I have no clue what Jezebel actually looked like but my grandmother seriously portrayed her as a not nice lady of the night. I will never forget her comparing females who wore red lipstick to Jezebel. 

I have never been able to wear lipstick except maybe a little clear gloss one and then. Every time I've even thought about wearing some, I thought about my grandmother and how disappointed she would be and decided against it. Some things we learn never disappear. They are imprinted on our hearts and minds forever.

Other than really judging women who wore lipstick; she was a good, patient, and  a very loving woman. Although, she may seem a little strict by today's standards and even the standards of the sixties I learned a lot from her. She put up with a lot of stuff being thrown at her. Yet, she put up with it out of her great love for others. I witnessed how she cared for her family and her neighbors no matter what trouble they might be stirring up. It was also very evident how very much she loved the Lord.  She was a sinner as we all are. But, in Christ she was a saint!

My hope is that when I am gone from this earth I have lived a life that has been  an example of patient and loving service to others.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Our Exile

Loving and Supporting One Another 
Is Better Done At Close Range

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

                                                                            (1 Thes 5:14-15 KJV)

Warn those who are falling away; comfort those who need comforting; support those who need help of any kind; and do it all with patience. In other words, love one another. 

The powers that be have isolated us from one another to the best of their ability this past year. Humankind was not made to live in total isolation. No one can live life to even near its fullest without interaction with others. We need others to remind us when we are falling away. Written words are helpful even as Paul wrote to the many church. They are helpful. But, we need people in person to comfort us and support us. As Christians, we do not live for ourselves but for the whole Body of Christ. It is difficult for the Body of Christ to work as one when we steer so clear of one another. 

The vaccination is being widely administered quite rapidly. Whether or not it works is a question many people have. But, with faith in this vaccination  hopefully the fear of dying that so many people have will disappear to a large extent soon and we can get back to actually and actively doing doing good. Hopefully, we will get back to actually and actively loving one another. That is... if we haven't forgotten how.

Have we really been looking to God or politicians and government agencies to save us from this isolation; from this exile?  

In the end remember that no matter what happens in this world the only hope any of us truly have is hope in the promises of God through Jesus the Christ. That hope includes living reconciled to God and to one another in the Body of Christ, in the Kingdom of God. Whatever the world says do not neglect what we know to be good: to exhort one another; to support and and comfort one another, with much patience. 

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Rom 15:13)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Gifts to Edify

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

                                                                                   (Rom 12:1-13 KJV)

We are each given gifts. These gifts are not meant to hurt or to damage one another. They are to be used in an honorable and loving way that we may build up the whole body and not tear it down. 

In this time when so many people are struggling may God help us to find ways to use these gifts to reconcile us to one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love and Charity

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; (1 Cor 13:4-5 KJV)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Cor 13:4-5 NIV)

In the thirteenth chapter of Corinthians some translations use the word charity for love and in others the word love is used instead of charity. The two words are intricately connected. Love promotes charity. Unfettered charity is most usually a result of love. We give because we love. We love because Jesus loves us so much that he was willing to give his life that we might live.

It is unfathomable to me that anyone would put their personal pleasures before the needs; the safety; the well-being of someone that they claim to love. But, it happens. It happens a lot! Children are neglected and abused because the parent has priorities for themselves than truly loving their children. Elderly parents are neglected because children have better things to do. 

I am not sure how we've come to this place where narcissism is so prevalent. Maybe, it has always been there; but, we just never noticed because we too were stuck in that place where we thought that we have to love ourselves before we can love others. When we think like that we can get stuck in a place where there is no love or charity for others because we never quite to the place where we love ourselves unconditionally. What happens instead is that we keep striving to make ourselves happy; but, we keep failing because happiness and joy actually comes from being in relationships with God and with others which we have neglected in the pursuit of making ourselves happy.

St. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." (Phil 2:1-4)

Jesus gave us the commandment to love others as he loves us. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34-35)

May God grant us all a spirit of love and charity that we might live in joy and in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love Is Patient, Kind, And Honest!

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13:5-7 NRSV)

Jesus commanded his followers to love one another. Yet, how often does that happen today? How often do Christians actually put the love of self before the love of others? How often are we willing to speak the truth in love for the sake of others; for the sake of the whole community? 

This command to love others is often misconstrued to mean that if you are going to love others you must never correct anyone because it might hurt their egos. Sometimes egos have to be bruised a bit for the long term good of the whole community. It is not loving to encourage someone to continue to damage themselves or others. Being quiet about harmful actions or lifestyles not only harms the community; but, it keeps the one who is harming others and themselves from growing in the love of Christ.

Love does not say things that are mean or spiteful; but, sometimes love does mean speaking a truth that will not make others feel comfortably for their sake and for the sake of others in the Body of Christ. 

In Hans Christian Anderson's the short story "The Emperor's New Clothes" The reality was that there were no new clothes. Everyone perpetrated the lie that the emperor's new clothes were awesome just to be nice or maybe we could say they were trying to be politically correct. In the meantime, the emperor paraded around showing his backside. The loving thing is to not encourage our families, friends, or neighbors to walk around showing their backsides; but, to speak the truth in love. 

Love is patient and kind. But, love does not lie.

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Am Not Always Patient Or Gentle

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph 4:2 NIV)

I have to confess that I am not always gentle or patient. My patience flies out the window when I end up listening to someone explaining why they don't thnk what they did was a sin rather than just confess them. My gentleness disappears when I see or hear anyone using or abusing others to make themselves feel or look better. I am neither gentle or patient when the word of the Lord takes second place to one's own opinions; their egos; their personal goals. I am not very gentle when man's will becomes a priority over God's will within the church on earth.

I am often accused of not being Christ-like when I lose my patience or my gentleness. Paul reminds us in his letter to Ephesians that we need to be. I wonder though, was it a reminder to himself as well? He, too, could lose his patience. He also could come across as a bit unkind. He did not sit back and let people trample on the rights of others. He was not quiet when others were teaching falsehoods about Jesus.

Jesus, himself, did not take kindly to his Father's being used as a mean to get rich. He was not pleased when he entered the temple and witnessed the shysters making a profit, it appears that he lost his patience with them and was not very gentle. "Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, 'Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!' His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  (John 2:15-17)

I confess. I am not always patient or gentle. You can accuse me all that you want of not being Christ-like; but, I will stand up for those who are being used or abused. I will not placate anyone by saying a sin is not a sin. I will be quite blunt with those who would subvert the will of God and proclaim their will rather than the will of the One who sent His only begotten Son to die for us. 

May God fill us with zeal for Him and for the whole Body of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Is...

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13:5-7 NRSV)

These verses from Corinthians are a favorite among those who are about to be married. They are about relationships. However, they are not specific to marital relationships. They apply to us all.

The Youth Correctional Facility, that I previously worked at, used Cognitive Behavior Therapy to try to help these young men to live fuller lives after they were released. They were called on every arrogant and rude thing that came out of their mouths and every arrogant and rude act that they committed. The hope was that they would learn to have empathy for those who they would otherwise victimize.

One of the goals we worked with the teen-agers on was to not be attempting to justify their words or actions with more words or actions. Simply put, the "blame game" was often played. It was a ruse to make themselves look better than others. Words were used to try to explain why they were right in what they said or did because someone else was wrong. Of course, when someone employed the "blame game," they were not totally direct about it. They often insinuated things in hopes that they would not be called on trying to justify their own harmful words or actions.

Unfortunately, it is not only those who are incarcerated who attempt to justify their sinful actions. Many Christians also have a tendency to try to justify their words or actions by pointing their fingers at someone else. They sometimes try to manipulate people into believing that they are right and everyone else is wrong. Often, they are arrogant enough to think that everyone around them is buying their stories.

There is one who will never buy the lie. That is God. He knows our heart's intentions. He knows every one of our thoughts. We are very fortunate that He is a loving God and gives us many opportunities to turn around and follow in the Way that He would have us go. 

These verses in First Corinthians about love are about relationships. They remind us that we are to love God and one another even as He loves us. That means that we ought not be rude or arrogant to the people around us and we definitely should not be blaming others for our rudeness or our arrogance.

May God help each of us to love and respect one another and to not be attempting to justify our own sins. Jesus is our only justification. He bore the penalty for our sins so that we could live new lives in Him. Let us live those new lives!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love One Another

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13:34-36)

Some of you may remember the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love." Love, love, love... Is that all we need? No, it is not. But, when we love one another, we will strive to make sure that all of our neighbors needs for daily life will be met. We will not let them go hungry, or without shelter, or without warmth, or any of the necessities to support physical life.

Jesus had just humbly knelt to wash the feet of his beloved disciples; Judas had just left to betray the one who loved him; when Jesus gave the command to love others even as he loved them. Love, in this sense, is not just a noun. It is a verb. We are to humble ourselves and to actively love and show care and concern for the people around us; even for people around the whole world as Jesus went forth and died for the world.

This is his commandment: that we are to love one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Does No Evil

"...and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 

                                                                           (1 Corinth 13:2b-7 NIV)

Who can love as Paul encourages the Corinthians to love?  God can. Our Lord, Jesus, loves the world enough to die for it; to willingly be a sacrifice for us so that we might live in our loving Father's presence for all of eternity. Only God loves perfectly; but, that does not mean we should not follow the example of Jesus and try to love as He loves.

Many brides and grooms listen to these words from Paul's letter to the Corinthians at their wedding ceremonies. They are in love. Unfortunately, some are just in love with the idea of love. Their "loving" relationships do not last. One or both persons often end up neglected or used or abused in many ways. Their lives after the wedding often do not reflect the kind of self-less love that they committed to as they made their vows to one another. Way too often, one or both of them forgot that God has joined them together to be one and they go off pursuing their own good; their own pleasures, as they neglect or even abuse the one they vowed to love 'till death parts them. This is not love. Love may be blind as they say. But, love should never be blind to the hurts we cause the ones we claim to love. In a loving relationship both persons will strive to love and support the other. 

Whether it is spouse, a friend, or even just an acquaintance, we are to love one another with our whole hearts and minds. We do not put ourselves before others. We do not make them feel less them. We do not do anything that would make them to cause hope. We seek to support them because of our godly love for them.  

Genuine love is not self-seeking. Genuine love comes from God. Genuine love is love that is willing to put aside one's own selfish pursuits for the love of others. Love does not put self first. 

Oh, Lord, without love we are nothing. If only the world would only learn to love as you love. Help us to selflessly love one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph 4:1-3

There are times when my patience really wants to fly out the window. It can be a struggle to be patient with those who continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they are having such a hard time in life.

A friend of mine once warned me that I should be very careful what I asked God for because He answers our prayers and we may not like the way in which He answers them. She was warning me against asking God to give me patience. She had asked for patience in caring for her family and He had answered. He helped her to learn to be patient by refining. As things grew even more troubled in her family, she learned to be patient with others even as she continued to care for and love them. She also learned to trust God in all things.

My friend has gone through a lot of trials. Yet, she is patient and kind and has an uncanny gift for maintaining unity in the bond of peace.

May we all bear one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Standing Inside The Fire

Sassy Cassie standing inside the fire.

photo by Uncle "John Arthur Photography"

"And I will put this third into the fire,
    refine them as one refines silver,
    and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name,
    and I will answer them.
I will say, 'They are my people';
    and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'” Zech 13:9

When she was younger, I called her Sassy Cassie. She can still be a pretty sassy at times. She, as most of us do, has fought the refining process as well as she could. Thankfully, God is patient and loves all of his children continuing always to soften our hearts toward Him that we might live abundant lives in Him. The refining is not easy on the person that is being refined or on anyone around them. But, it is better to withstand the fiery ordeal of refining than to never step inside of those refining fires. It is better to withstand the refining process while young so that as we grow old, we can joyfully say, "The Lord is my God."

For most of her life, I have reminded Cassie to "live life." Life is much more pleasant when we get up and actually experience the awesome life and all the gifts that God has given us. Focus on truly living life in Christ and you will know joy and peace.

Garth Brooks reminds us in his song:
     Standing outside the fire 
     Standing outside the fire 
     Life is not tried it is merely survived 
     If you're standing outside the fire

Do not fear the refining fires. God is with you even in those fires. Live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

                                                       (Eph 4:1-3)

 We all go through various storms in life. For many people it seems that life is nothing but one big storm or a series of storms right after another. It can be a struggle for me to be patient with those who continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they are having to weather another of life's storms. 

A friend of mine once warned me that I should be very careful what I asked God for because He answers our prayers and we may not like the way in which He answers them. She had warned me against asking God to give me patience. She had asked for patience in caring for her family as many of them were going through some pretty rough storms in life due to very careless decisions. There was no way she could help them any longer when they kept making the same poor choices no matter what she did to try to save them. She had asked for patience and He had answered. He helped her to learn to be patient by refining. As things grew even more troubled in her family she learned to be patient with others even as she continued to love them. She also learned to trust God in all things and to wait patiently for His will to be done.

My friend has gone through a lot of trials. Yet, she is patient and kind and has an uncanny gift for maintaining unity in the bond of peace.

May we all bear one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Refining Fires

"And I will put this third into the fire,
    refine them as one refines silver,
    and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on my name,
    and I will answer them.
I will say, 'They are my people';
    and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'” Zech 13:9

When she was younger, I called her Sassy Cassie. She can still be a bit sassy. She, as most of us do, has fought the refining process as well as she could. Thankfully, God is patient and loves all of his children continuing always to soften our hearts toward Him that we might live abundant lives in Him. The refining is not easy on the person that is being refined or on anyone around them. But, it is better to withstand the fiery ordeal of refining then never to step inside the refining fires of God. It is better to withstand the refining process while young so that as we grow old, we can joyfully say, "The Lord is my God."

For most of her life, I have reminded Cassie to "live life" and most importantly to "live life in Christ." Life is much more pleasant when we get up and actually experience the awesome life and all the gifts that God has given us. Following in the way that he would have us go and focusing on truly living life in Christ and not so much in the ways of this world and you will know true joy and peace.

Garth Brooks reminds us in his song:
     Standing outside the fire 
     Standing outside the fire 
     Life is not tried it is merely survived 
     If you're standing outside the fire

Do not fear the refining fires of God. But, recognize that if you find yourself standing in them God is desiring for you to get through them and put them behind you so that you can live life in Christ. God is with you even in those fires. Live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Does Not Fail

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13:4-8a NIV)

One of the most often requested readings for weddings is found in 1 Corinthians 13. It is good advice for two people who are about to commit their whole earthly lives to one another. Love does not fail. However, due to our sinful natures we often fail to love. Marriages fall apart because we love ourselves or someone or something else more than the one we have committed to spend the rest of our lives with. Marriages are not the only relationships that fail due to a lack of love. Relationships with family, friends, community also fail and bring much sorrow because of a lack of love.

The greatest gifts, says St. Paul, is love. God has given us love in His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no greater love than a love that is willing die for others, as Jesus died for us. We respond to His love by sharing that love with others. The love from God does not fail. It can move mountains and crush molehills. The love of God inspires us to inspire others with His love.

Live life! Share His love!

God's Peace - Pr. J

In God's Time

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

I can become very impatient. There are times when I feel a sense of urgency. There are days when I think, "OK, Lord, isn't it about time to take all of your children home? Enough is enough!" But, apparently it is not time, yet. He apparently does not want anyone to perish so everyone gets another chance and another and another to turn to Him.

There are times when I consider that my time is really short here on earth and I just don't have enough time left to reach out to all who I would reach out to. But, then I have to remember that although my time may be short here on earth, God's is not. He is with all people at all times. He continues to call all people to Himself.

No matter what is going on around you; no matter how self-serving and chaotic life around you seems to be, remember:  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  (Rom 8:28) He has a good plan. We might desire that He hurry up with His plan. But, we're going to have to wait for Him to act in His own good time and His time is not our time.

We don't know His whole plan. But; be assured, He does have a plan and that plan encompasses much more than our personal life spans. After all, He has eternity in His hand.

God is patient with us. He is a loving God. May we all quit taking His patient love for granted and turn to Him for our salvation.

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Love One Another

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8 NIV

I just finished reading an article about crime in Chicago that saddens me greatly. Almost 3000 people have been shot so far in this year of 2016. That amounts to about one shooting every two hours. The number includes little children.

What can possibly motivate a society to be so unsympathetic and hateful toward one another that our crime rate is so terribly high? There are way too many motivations to count them all and no one but only God can know the real reasons why. We spend much time pointing the finger and blaming others, the past, our environment, the schools, parents, and the list goes on. Instead of trying to fix blame on the past events; how about if we try to change the future?

How about if we listen to the admonition of St. Paul?
   Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
   Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
   Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 12:9-21

We can always point the finger at others; but, as the saying goes: "If you are not a part of the solution; you are a part of the problem." Or, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Love is not self-serving; rather, it is about serving others. In other words love is not all about me. That word "love" gets thrown around a lot. There are many kinds of love. We love our friends in one way. We love our spouses in another way. We even love our enemies and pray for them. Whomever it is that we love, we ought to understand that genuine love calls for a commitment. Genuine love will make sacrifices for those whom we claim to love even as God sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross because of His great love for us.

Love is not just a word. Love is action. It calls us to put the welfare of others before us. It calls us to take up our cross and follow Jesus for the sake of others that God who loves us so deeply might be glorified.

Love the Lord your God. Love others in the Spirit of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J