The Sign

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 

                                                                       (Isa 7:13-15 KJV)

The king of Judah refused to weary God by tempting Him to ask for a sign for a sign indeed would be given. The sign pointing to our salvation was the conception and the virgin birth of Jesus. Although the people of Judah and we ourselves would weary God by our evil ways, Jesus would not ever succumb to sinning against our Father in heaven. He would do His will by living to glorify God. He would do His will by sacrificing his life on a cross so that we could be forgiven our sins and reconciled to our Father in heaven.

The birth; the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus is the sign given to us by God. He is the reason for our hope. He is the reason for this season.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

We Are One

 

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

                                                                                  (Gal 3:26-28 KJV)

Dress down and go shopping in an exclusive store and you will find, in many  cases, eyes watching you as you wander around the shop. The way that we dress and carry ourselves often determines whether we will be targeted as a desirable or an undesirable.

Unfortunately, having served as a pastor for over twenty years, I have witnessed this occurring among some members within some congregations as well. Discrimination against brothers and sisters in Christ; discrimination against anyone is an ugly sinful attribute. 

God does not desire that we should pick and choose who is worthy. He cared enough for all of His creation to send His only begotten Son to die for all people. He loves humankind enough to sacrifice His Son that we might be reconciled to Him and to one another in the Body of Christ. 

May God help us to remember that by faith we are all children of God and are one in Christ Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Changes For The Glory Of God

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.  (Psalm 90:12 KJV)

It is never too late to change. Then again, it may be too late. We can never know when the number of our days runs out and there is no more time to live life; to enjoy life. 

When the number of our days comes to an end what will we have contributed to humankind? Will we have contributed to the well being of others or have we been a detriment to the life and growth of others.

Jesus did not live and die for himself. He lived and died and lives again for the sake of humankind. He did not think about himself before he willingly sacrificed himself for us. He sole purpose was to save us from ourselves; from our own sinful ways.

So what shall we do as Christians? Shall we live solely for ourselves and our own gratification or live life to the glory of God following in Jesus' footsteps to the cross?

It is the beginning of a new year, maybe it would be wise to take stock of how we have lived our lives and maybe make a few changes that we might live life more fully in the presence of God.

Let us all pray for the wisdom of God that we might live our lives to the glory of God in thankfulness for what Jesus' has done for us. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Greatest Treasure

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

                                                                               (Matt 6:20-21 KJV)

What is it that is the most valuable to you? And, what would you give to have it? There are treasures much more valuable than things that you purchase with money. Family and friends are among the most valuable. But, the greatest gift of all was given to us when God sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross so that we might be reconciled to Him and to one another in His Kingdom.

May you dwell in the Kingdom of God now and forever.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Riches

Treasure at the end of a rainbow?

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

                                                                                (Matt 13:44-46 NRSV)

It is has been said that one cannot reach the end of the rainbow. I beg to differ. Years ago, I was driving along U.S. 45 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and to my great surprise and delight witnessed the end  of a rainbow resting in a farmer's field. My heart was filled with joy at the sight of this occurrence which I had heard was impossible. 

Of course, being a wee bit Irish, I immediately thought of the mythical leprechauns who bury their pots of gold at the ends of rainbows and I smiled. But, what brought real joy to my heart was the gift of seeing this rainbow that God had promised up so close. It was a reminder to me of a treasure much greater than any silver or gold. It was a reminder that God is with us now and always. It was a reminder that, through the blood of Jesus, I and all who believe are heirs of the kingdom of heaven; a treasure much greater than anything that can be found here on earth.

Why seek riches in this world when we are already heirs of even greater riches? "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." (Col 3:1)  Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness... (Matt 6:33)

The kingdom of heaven is the treasure to be sought after. Yet, there is nothing that we can or have to do to receive it. There is nothing to dig up. There is no good work that we can do to gain this treasure. It rightfully belongs to all who believe that our beloved Lord sacrificed, himself on the cross, for us, that we might live in the kingdom of our God for all of eternity.

Rejoice then for the greatest treasure is ours; purchased through the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J