Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord!

Psalm 122 KJV; Let us go into the house of the Lord where there is peace of heart and mind. 

Prosper In Love

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

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What does it mean to be blessed.  I don't know about all of you; but, I have found that living in relationship with God is to be blessed. 

There are many who preach that you will have every material thing that you desire if you follow God's law. But, to prosper has more meaning than the materialistic meaning that the word has taken on.   

Prosperity for the Christian is to grow rich in the love of God and to be fruitful by sharing his love with others.  When we share his love we don't have to worry about following every law because when we love God we automatically worship and put him before all others.  When we love others we will do them no harm. We will not sin against them. 

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." 

                                                                          (Rom 13:8-10)

Blessed are those who love the Lord and who love one another for they will be fruitful in edifying the church. They will live lives abundant with  the peace of heart and mind in the presence of God that faith alone in Christ alone can bring. 

There is a prosperity that is not just about money and things. It is better to be prosperous; enriched with these things:  "faith, hope, love," for they will last an eternity while our things will not.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Help Us To Help

PSALM 14 KJV

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.

There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.

Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

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Is there any understanding of the good will of God for all people? The Psalmist doesn't seem to think so. Indeed, we are all sinners. We look out for our own welfare while eating up our neighbors (next door and around the world). We desert those in need for our own welfare and prosperity. What a shameful world it can be!

May God grant us all eyes to see; ears to hear; and open hearts so that we might come to the aid of others according to the good will of our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Rejoice And Give Thanks

Psalm 118:19-29 KJV

Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:

This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.

I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.

God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

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

Grace, mercy, peace: the world is not filled with an over abundance of any of these three. But, God is. His Kingdom is filled with His grace, His mercy, and His peace. He is our salvation. He has opened the gates of righteousness for us by sending His only begotten Son to be the sacrifice that atones for ours sins. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross has cleansed us from our sins so that all who believe in him might enter into the Kingdom of God.

Rejoice and give thanks for His mercy endures forever!  

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Best To Leave God's People Alone

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."                                                                                       (Isaiah 54:14-17 KJV)

What a heritage! Our God is a Mighty God. I have relied on these passages, quite a few times, to keep me from seeking vengeance. I trust the Lord to provide justice when justice is due. This justice may not come about in the way that we expect it to; but, it will come in God's time and in His way. 

This does not mean that we should not stand up and defend ourselves or others; but, that we should not seek revenge just for the sake of revenge. We should not stoop down to the level of those who would attack others for personal agendas.

It is not a good idea to attempt to oppress the children of God. So, the next time anyone would consider plotting against a child of God or against the church  for their own personal welfare or prosperity, it would be a very good idea if they would first consider both the possible short-term and the eternal consequences.

"The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence." (2 Sam 22:3)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Pray For Peace That We Might Live In Peace

Psalm 122

(NIV)

I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

Our feet are standing

in your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city

that is closely compacted together.

That is where the tribes go up—

the tribes of the Lord—

to praise the name of the Lord

according to the statute given to Israel.

There stand the thrones for judgment,

the thrones of the house of David

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you be secure.

May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels.”

For the sake of my family and friends,

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your prosperity.

For the sake of family, friends, community, world, the Church; let us pray for peace. Let us pray for peace that their might be rejoicing instead of sorrow. Let us pray for others to know peace that in their knowing and living in peace; we also will live in peace. Let us pray for peace that we might be reconciled to one another. Let us pray for peace so that together we might praise the name of the Lord!

Let us pray: May the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ( Philippians 4:7 NIV)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Live In Peace and Harmony!

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. (Rom 12:9-13 NIV)

Just, be nice and do what is right, already! That's it! Quit playing games! Quit doing what is unlawful! Quit doing things just to disrupt the peace. Be devoted to one another. Do what is good for all people and think a whole lot less about what it is that you want.

Paul admonishes the Romans to love one and another and treat one another with respect so that we might live in harmony with one another and in peace. Stealing from your neighbor; arguing with them in minor disputes; disrespecting them; selling alcohol or drugs to their children disrupts the harmony and peace in any community. Do what is right for you neighbor and the whole community.

May God open the eyes and hearts of those who would divide our communities by doing what is harmful. May all of our children and their children live in health, wholeness and prosperity. May we all live in peace and harmony.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Prosper The Work Of Our Hands

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and prosper for us the work of our hands—
    O prosper the work of our hands!

Psalm 90:17

 

The word prosper is often misunderstood. It does not always mean rich in material assets all of the time. To prosper also means to be successful at whatever endeavor one might undertake. We can prosper spiritually or emotionally or intellectually. To prosper means to be fruitful. As a transitive verb it means to be strong and to thrive.

 

The work of our hands is not just for our prosperity; but, in accordance with the will of God to help others, as well. For a homeless person or someone who has lost their home to a natural or man-made disaster things such as food baskets or hand-make quilts or even a tent to give them some shelter, can make one feel like they are not alone in the world; that someone does care; and that they are loved.

 

May God bless the work of our hands that we might be fruitful in all that we do according to His will. 

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Prosperity Gospel Full Of Greed

   Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
   “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone." 
                                                                                                         (Luke 11:39-42 NIV)

Having fallen asleep with the television on, I woke up this morning to hear one of those "prosperity gospel" preachers. He reminded me of many of our politicians; with no clue as to what poverty really means. They have no clue as to how many people in this country and around the world are living without the very basics needed to sustain healthy lives. This early morning preacher was encouraging people to "sow a seed" of $1000.00 and God would reward 1000 of those givers of $1000.00 seeds with 100 consecutive days of miracles to prosper them. God would bless these 1000 poor people. 

Now, a whole lot of you might think that someone who only has a thousand dollars to sow is poor. But, the reality is that if you have a thousand dollars to give away you are not the poorest of the lot in this country. If you can afford to give a thousand dollars away in the hopes for more money (i.e. gamble the money away) then you are far richer in this world than multitudes who live pay day to pay day and get further and further behind in providing even the bare necessities of life to their families. When Christians give we are not to be giving to gain anything; to help ourselves in this world or the next nor can we buy our salvation. We give because we want to help others to live. The kind of giving that this prosperity preacher is advocating is the greed and wickedness that we hear our Lord warn us about in the Gospel of Luke (11:39-42).

Giving is a good thing. It is even a necessary thing. But, we do not give to honor ourselves or to gain anything for ourselves. We give out of love for God and for others, even as Jesus was willing to give his whole life for us.

May God grant to us generous hearts as we give to the poor; doing justice; and, loving God.   

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord Is God; There Is No Other

I am the Lord, and there is no other;    apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
    though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

Isaiah 45:5-7

Enough said? When will God's people understand? He is God. There is no other. He not only creates light and darkness; but, He gives life and He can take it away. Live the life that He has given you. Truly live it and do not fritter it away on the false gods that cannot bring you peace or joy or eternal life or any of the other precious gifts that the one true God wishes for you to receive.

There is only One God. May God help us to worship and honor Him in all that we say and think and do.

God's Peace - Pr. J

There Is Only One God!

I am the Lord, and there is no other;    apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
    though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

Isaiah 45:5-7 NIV

There is only one God. I am not God. You are not God. Stop the idol worship and worship the Lord your God, the only one who is in charge of all things. Worship and honor Him alone above all things.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Prosperity Gospel, Oy!

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!" Galatians 1:3-8

Oy! Oy! Oy! Such blasphemy coming out of a preacher's mouth! I woke up early this morning to spend some time alone with God. My husband had fallen asleep with the television on. I woke up to a pastor proclaiming that faith did not build the church he was ministering to, money did! Of course, he was encouraging everyone to plant a seed with his ministry so that the giver would become rich in this world. Again, I say, "Oy!" Oh, yes... although, he claimed the validity of hell, he claimed that Jesus did not save us from it. Say... what!?

The proclamation we are called and sent to share with all the world has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with the Kingdom of God for us, by faith in Jesus who shed his blood on the cross for us. We are to preach no other Gospel than the Christ crucified.

May God help us to see and receive the most priceless treasure we could ask for: reconciliation with God, in His Kingdom, through faith in Jesus Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J