Lift Us Up

 

"The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." 

(Hab 3:19 KJV)

On some days life can be pretty rough. Troubles and obstacles can bring us down. On those days we pray that the Lord will lift us up and lead us through the tough times.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Help our feet to walk in your high places. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Spare The People, O Lord

"Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen" 

                                                                                  (Joel 1:12-19 KJV)

"Spare the people, O Lord."  I have and a lot of people that I know have been praying for help for the people around them and for the whole country especially during this past year.  It seems very true that hardship will soften the hearts of many. When we sink so low in the muck and mire there is only one place to go to for help and that is the Lord God, creator of heaven and earth.

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of Lent. This season is when we follow Jesus to the cross; recognizing the life he lived for us; the hardships he endured for us; the death he suffered for us. It is a rough journey to the cross as we recognize our sinful selves. Yet, we have hope because we know, evidenced by his resurrection, that because he lives we shall live also. 

Lent is a time to examine ourselves; to recognize our sinful selves and to repent of our own parts in the hardships that humankind suffers. How will you observe Lent? Will you take just a little more time to understand what Jesus actually did for you? That he loves all of humankind enough to die for us?

Lent is also a time when Christians have traditionally given up something for the season. Some fast from certain foods or habits. Others might give up a bit more of their time to study God's word or to worship.  Others might give up a bit more of their time to volunteer in some worthwhile project that will help others. Jesus' sacrifice was a blessing for us? Will you be a blessing to others this season?

There are many ways to fast. What will you be fasting this season? The little that we give up can in no way compare to what Jesus gave for us. So put a smile on your face and serve the Lord and his children with joy and gladness.

May God grant that we should all turn to the Lord with our whole hearts, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Open our hearts that we might turn to you Heavenly Father for you are both merciful and kind.  

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Peace In Rough Times

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

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

                                                                                       (Col 3:15-16 KJV)

Some days it can be a whole lot harder to let the peace of God rule our hearts than others. Let go and let God can be a whole lot easier said than done. When troubles attack you or the people that you love so that you can think of nothing else, what can be done?

Immerse yourself in the word of Christ: turn on a YouTube sermon or just put the scriptures playing on YouTube; play some Christian music to remind you of God's grace and love; read your Bibles; but, above all pray. You can speak to God. But, remember to be still and listen for His response.

Life is not always easy. In fact, it can be pretty tough a lot of the time. When the world threatens to push the peace of God out of your hearts, remember that He loves you and is with you always. 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)

God's Peace - Pr. J

A Good Plan

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jer 29:11 KJV)

Life can be pretty rough. We all go through hard times. But, for some people it seems as though the rough times never end and nothing good will ever come to them. But, the Lord has better plans for you than you can even begin to imagine. It begins with His love for you. It continues with your faith that His promises are true.

Trust Him. Listen to Him. Follow in the way that He has shown you through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Serve God! Enjoy Life!

Howard - Photo by John Arthur Photography

"What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live..." Eccl 3:9-12

Live life!  I can't even begin to count how many times I have told people to live life; enjoy life! 

Well, working on yet another move. Howard has been retired for a few years. It is my turn and the time is getting close. There is only a couple of more weeks before I install the new pastor and leave my present congregation. We closed on the sale of our home in Flagler Beach yesterday and have almost completed the move into the RV which will be our winter home.  It is being accomplished so quickly thanks to family and some really awesome neighbors at Bulow Village.

Just because I am retiring from the position of pastor does not in any way mean that I will stop working. I will be finished at Christ Lutheran. But, as a pastor I am well aware that it does not mean I am finished serving the Lord. Service to God never ends. The call to serve is a life-style and not a job. Serving the Lord should be and is a joy. Through rough times and good times, it is a joy to know that I get to serve him because of the blood of Christ that was shed for me and not just for me; but, for all people. If it were not for Jesus, I would not qualify.

I look forward to this new phase in life. I will hopefully get to spend more time in private conversation with the Lord and more time serving according to his will.

What makes me happy? Serving the Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Reason For Joy

O come, let us sing to the Lord;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

(Psalm 95:1-2 NRSV)

In five weeks it will be Christmas Day. We will make a joyful noise on Christmas Eve as we gather for Candlelight services. Hopefully, that joy will be present on Christmas day in households around the world, as well. Many churches no longer have Christmas Day Worship. Families are too busy with secular things to worry about the celebrating the birth of Christ on that day.

There will, of course, be joyful noises as children open their presents on Christmas morning. But, there will also be children with no presents, no home, no food, with very little, if any reason to be joyful. There will also be those children who do not make joyful noises because they don't get the exact presents that they wanted. Oh, you got a used car for Christmas instead of a new one? That is rough!

Christmas is not about things. It is about the greatest gift that we could ever consider receiving. For unto us a Savior has been born, that through him we would be forgiven our sins. We would be washed clean and reconciled to God our Father, becoming heirs of the Kingdom of God. That should bring more joy to our hearts than anything else.

It should bring us joy not just on Christmas Eve; but, every day of our lives. Let their be joy in the world our Lord has come!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Persevere

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36

Believe me, there are days when I'd like nothing better than to just throw in the towel. But, I don't. I wake up the next morning and ask God, once again, to carry me through the day and to be with, guiding and protecting, those whom I love. Life can be rough for all of us. Intentional sin can make it rough not just for ourselves; but, for everyone who loves us, for everyone around us. There are consequences to sin. There are consequences to breaking the law and they are usually not nice consequences. But; even then, if we turn back to God, He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Reluctantly, I read the news online this morning. Again, mass murders! What in the world is wrong with humanity? I guess, I may have just answered my own question. We have a tendency to follow in the ways of the world, turning away from God.

Without the gift of being able to be in God's presence, trusting in Him, I would have no hope for the world. But, He gives me the confidence to keep on praying for the people I love, for people that I don't know, even for the whole world trusting that He has a good plan and knowing that in the end His will will be done.

Help us, Lord, to keep from throwing in the towel and to trust that your good will will be done for all whom we love.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord, My Helper, Is With Me

"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?"
Hebrews 13:6 NIV

Lately, it seems that an unusual amount of people are asking me if I am okay. Not, "how are you?" but, "are you okay?" That, I assume, is a form of greeting that I am not accustomed to. However, when I've replied, "I'm fine," that first question is followed up by another: "Are you sure?" (LOL) Of course, I am sure. I am a child of God. There is nothing that gets better than that. But, I'm beginning to wonder a bit about that follow up question. Are they just super concerned about my well-being or do they know something I don't know? Do I look sick? Am I acting depressed? Is there an enemy lurking about; yet, unseen by me?

It doesn't really matter. I know that my whole life is in God's hands. He has taken care of me my entire life. Nothing happens to me without Him knowing. There have been some really rough times; but, those rough times just helped me to learn to trust in God even more. There is no reason to be afraid of sickness, turmoil, friends, enemies, life, or death. He is my helper. I have eternal life in Christ.

Do not be afraid of anything the world may throw at you. The Lord is with you and for you. All who believe have already entered into the Kingdom, where Jesus reigns!

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. I do appreciate all of the concern. It is good to know that people care. I really am okay. God is with me and always will be.