Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The Lord

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalm 33:12 KJV)

Today many of us celebrate the independence of our nation from Great Britain. We celebrate that we live in a country where we are free to do so many things people of other countries do not have the privilege or right to do. Others are not so celebratory. They appear to be attempting to tear down, whether intentionally or unintentionally, all that has been built up by others over the years. It has taken over two hundred years to get us where we are today. We have come a long way and there is still much change that is needed. But, tearing down what has been built upon the blood, sweat and tears of others does not guarantee that the changes will be a good change. Forced changes will only bring about more animosity; more division. 

There is chaos in many cities; in many states; as well as in many churches. We, as Christians, often forget that we are a people of God. We forget that Christ died for all people. We forget that God's will is a good will for us. We do not worship or serve Him as we ought. We too often serve our own imaginations and have created the chaos in the darkness of our own hearts and minds.

Christ did not just die for a few. He died for all people; that all who would believe in him might be saved. Riots and the destruction of others and the property of others will not change anything for the good. As has been seen with the riots of late, no one has been saved; but, many have been harmed; too many have died as a result.

When the Pharisees accused Jesus of serving the devil his response was: "...Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." (Matt 12:25) We might want to consider those words when we consider in what direction our country is going. We are a divided people. Will we continue to stand? Will we continue to grow? And, if that is our desire what will accomplish that? The answer can be found in the word of the Lord to Solomon.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chron 7:14)

From what we've been experiencing, especially in this year 2020, our land is in serious need of healing. Let us begin by humbling ourselves and praying for our beloved country and indeed the whole world.

The Lord bless us, and keep us:

The Lord make his face shine upon us, and be gracious unto us:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace.

                                                                 (from Numbers 6:24-26)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

For The Glory of God

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. 

                                                                                    (1 Cor 10:31-33 KJV)

Yup! We do have the right to do anything; but, according to St. Paul, not everything is beneficial. We who are of the body of Christ, should think first of what is good for others and not so much for ourselves. If what we eat or drink; what we do, would be damaging to others then we ought not be doing it. It is as simple as that.

I know that the world teaches us that we have rights. But, so does everyone else around us. As we're busy thinking about our own rights to do whatever we please; let us all consider how we might be trampling on the rights and the lives of others.

We have the right to do just about anything that we want; but, is that anything that we choose to do building up others; building up the body of Christ, glorifying God?

Whatever we eat or drink or do, do for the glory of God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Kind

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.." 

                                                                                         (Col 3:12-15 KJV)

We are not to be doormats. We are to stand firmly on the truth, which is the Word of God. Jesus, and in the end his disciples, did not back down from the truth. They stood firmly on God's Word and on His promises.

But, neither are we to be bullies asserting our rights over the rights of others. Paul encourages the Colossians to treat one another with compassion and kindness. We are to try to have empathy for others; to, as the saying goes: "walk a mile in the shoes of others." We are to listen to all sides with humility; humbling ourselves so that we do not put our desires over the needs of others, and with empathy so that we can act with compassion and kindness to those who are suffering.

May God reconcile us to Himself and to one another, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J

Allow Others Their Freedoms; Please!

Do not call what is sin, no sin.

The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

   but the tent of the upright will flourish.

There is a way that appears to be right,

   but in the end it leads to death.                                                 

                                  (Prov 14:11-12 NIV)

As I watch the news; I watch those who proclaim to be righteous attacking those whom they claim are unrighteous! Everything is upside down and backwards. Please, please, please, don't claim to be Christian if you have no qualms about threatening the children of those whom you do not agree with. Please, please, please, allow others to be able to enjoy some time with their families and friends without being threatened or attacked. 

Jesus did, indeed, die for the unrighteous. We are all unrighteous. We are declared righteous only by being washed by his blood. But, for those especially who claim to be God's children; please, please, please, for the sake of the whole world, stop calling righteous what is unrighteous. Stop calling what is a sin, not a sin. Stop deluding yourselves into thinking that you are doing God's will when you are really doing your own will. Our own wills lead only to death; our deaths and the deaths of others.

It is the eve of Independence Day. If we are not careful; if we continue to disrespect the rights of others, we will destroy this country from the inside out. 

May God help us all to learn to respect the freedoms and the rights of others that we might live in at least a little more peace even here in this world. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Take Away Our Disgrace!

In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, "We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!" (Isaiah 4:1 NIV)

Isaiah prophesied that Jerusalem and Judah would lose so many men by the sword in the judgement that was to come that women would be willing to share their men just to have a man's name to bear.

That was a different time. We have no shortage of men today. And, women in the United States have long fought the battle to be able to care for themselves. Since, it appears to me, that many may have forgotten, let me remind you that the battle has been won. The only thing that will keep women down now, is women themselves, who believe the lie that they are less than and will not stand up for themselves...  It is discouraging to me to see that so many women have climbed the so-called ladders of success by allowing men to use and abuse them. This has hurt not only themselves; but, society as a whole. Stand up to the injustice for the sake of all people! The generation of the women's suffrage (do our young women even know what that is) made a giant step forward and for a couple of generations there continued to be progress. But, sadly I see many (not all) women of this younger generation taking two steps backwards. There is no disgrace in being a woman alone. That stigma was from generations ago and I had thought it died. But, no. It is still alive and well.

Running after and subjugating oneself to men, after so many women, fought and suffered that they might have the same rights and responsibilities as men is quite disheartening.  That is the disgrace. But, women must also remember that along with the equality of rights; also comes the equality of responsibility. Maybe, that is the problem for some. There are a few who want the rights; but, not the responsibility and make it hard for those who are willing to take on the responsibilities, as well.

Unfortunately, although women often accept sex discrimination as a matter of fact, men also play in hand as they are usually (not always) the perpetrators. I have been truly amazed since I moved southward how much sex discrimination there actually is. I've only been living here for a year and a half and I can't even count how many times I've heard (from both men and women) that something is a man's job or a man's responsibility and women can't handle it. Say, what! I have held so many positions that many would consider a "man's job" that it is unbelievable to me that there is still discrimination. I truly thought it had all but disappeared. I, of course, have encountered it myself. But, it did not stop me from pursuing what I set out to accomplish and I did not belittle myself to do it.  Sadly today, many women do indeed still get paid less in many instances for doing the same job as men. 

Despite the lie that many men and women believe that women need a man to get on in this world, women do not. Men do not need women to survive for that matter, either. What we need is for men and women to come together and to support one another, working along side one another. 

There is no need for women to run after men because they think that they cannot survive without one. Women, too, are created in the image of God. No one ought to do anything to debase that image. Women were created to be help-mates to men; not slaves.

I apologize if this sounds like a tirade. It is. Women running after men just to have a man and allowing themselves to be used and abused by men; and men willing to use and abuse women really is a sore point with me. Another day, I will consider how men are used and abused by women for that truly is a tragedy of today's world, as well. We really need to learn to treat each other with more respect.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Live In Peace

"Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy." Prov 12:20 NIV

Very, very tired this morning after reading the national news. It is draining to see so much animosity toward those who do not believe the way some might think everyone should believe.

There is way too much evil in the world. There is way too much bullying of those who do not think or act like some think everyone ought to think or act. Apparently, it has once again gone way past bullying; but, has advanced to actually destroying other people's property. The bullying has advanced to interfering with the rights and freedom of others.

Jesus, himself, did not get involved in the politics of the world. He got involved in the world, for sure. He forgave the sinner. He fed the hungry. He healed the sick. He did not promote violence against those who would not accept his ways. In fact, he loved all people so much that he was willing to die for us. He died that we might live in the peace that only God can give as we are reconciled to God through the shedding of his blood on the cross for us. He died for those who denied him. He died for those who crucified him. He died for you and me. This is the epitome of love; of unconditional love.

Jesus said, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." (John 15:12-14)

This is true love; that we should give our all for others whether we agree with them or not. Unconditional love calls for sacrifice. It calls for peace and reconciliation; not plotting evil against those who disagree with us.

May God help us to respect and love our neighbor no matter who we might think they are; no matter whether we agree with their politics or not, because we are all children of God. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Choose Ye This Day

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Anyone who has listened to me preach on a regular basis has heard this verse from Joshua from my lips on more than one occasion. The false gods of alcohol, money, sex, expensive homes, expensive cars, expensive toys, leisure, celebrities, self, and the list goes on... have taken a predominant place in the American household and that includes a enormous number of Christian households. Ultimately, we worship ourselves as we put our worldly desires before the Kingdom of God. We worship false gods and then wonder why our lives are a mess.

I woke up this morning thinking about how those who worshipped false gods sacrificed their children in hopes of being blessed themselves. In Leviticus (20:2-3) the Lord instructs Moses to: “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him."

Those who sacrificed their children to Molek did so that they, themselves, would benefit. They put their own desires before their children's lives. As much as what I am going to say may upset you, I am going to say it anyway. Abortion (all the way through the third trimester) is often committed for the same reasons as these pagan sacrifices were. It is all too often done in order that the mother and in some cases both parents may live a more prosperous life without the burden of raising a child. In this country a mother has been given rights. But, is it right to sacrifice a child on the altar of a false god, in the hope that your life will be more blessed without the child?

The only one who can truly bless anyone is the Lord our God who was willing to sacrifice His own Son, that our children and we, ourselves, will not die; but, have eternal life. The sacrifice of our own children will get us nowhere. The only sacrifice that benefits us is the sacrifice of the perfect lamb of God who gave himself for us.

Choose ye this day...

God's Peace - Pr. J