Not I, But Christ Who Lives In Me

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20 KJV)

I have not listened to much music over the last few years. I am not big on noise. I thoroughly enjoy quiet. Recently, though, I have come across a couple of different groups that I do enjoy listening to. I woke up this morning to my Youtube channel on Casting Crowns singing "Nobody."

The lyrics include:

"Cause I'm just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus"

This song is a good reminder to me during this Lenten season that we are nothing without Christ. We can accomplish nothing good without Jesus for it is not we but Christ who abides in us who can and does all things. It is Christ alone who strengthens us to do our Father's will.

One of the greatest congregation killers that I've witnessed is ego. When one or a handful of people begin to credit themselves for church growth or keeping the budget intact; when the focus of committees and councils is all about numbers whether its counting people or money, you can expect at least a few members to start church hunting. They will fall away because most people (not all) actually attend worship to hear about the one who rescued them. They want to hear about the one who can and has saved us. They are there to hear about Jesus. They are there to celebrate what the Lord has done for us.

I remember one particular congregation I was a member of. I was a pretty young Christian at the time. The pastor preached the word faithfully. My heart was stirred when I heard his sermons. Yes, there were times I felt convicted; but, it was always filled with joy for the love that Jesus Christ has for us when I heard what he had done for us. At fellowship afterwards I would want to hear more and talk about what I had heard. But, the conversations never really went there. They seemed to be a lot of talk about football or fishing. I often wondered why nobody was talking about Jesus. If he is our first love why aren't we telling everybody about him?

I was nourished with those sermons. But, I heard no words about anyone's love for Jesus or his love for us once we left the sanctuary and gathered together in fellowship. 

As he abides in us he will speak through us. He reaches out to the world through those who love him. He is the one we proclaim. He is the one we praise. So why are our voices so often silent? Is the world; are our own egos and our agendas crowding out Jesus?

We have a song to sing. Let us sing to the world that Jesus the Christ is Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Praise Ye The Lord!

Psalm 150 KJV

Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

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There is nothing that our God cannot do. Give thanks and praise to Him for all that He has done and will do! Our God is a great God! Praise ye the Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Sea Saw And Fled

Huron River at Million Dollar Bridge, Arvon Township, MI

When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

                                                                                    (Psalm 119 KJV)

I cannot help but wonder why humankind does not have enough sense to tremble at the presence of the Lord. The earth did. When Israel came out of Egypt the sea saw and fled, the river Jordan turned back, but humankind has not the foresight to know that God is God. At the hand of God, water can spring forth from a rock, but people, refuse the water. People refuse the Word that can bring eternal life; that brings real and abundant life.

It just makes no sense to me that anyone would follow after false gods. Sadly, there is nothing I can do to change that. Only God can change people. Only God can lead people out of bondage to their false gods. But, He has given you free-will. Choose ye this day, whom you will serve: the one who keeps you in bondage or the One and only One who can free you.

There is something, though, that I can do, that I am called to do. It is what the LORD calls all of His disciples to do; that is to proclaim the Good News of His Kingdom open to all people through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, no, even if the message offends you, I will not stop proclaiming. Just as you deem it your right to proclaim a false gospel, a path that leads to destruction; I will proclaim the truth of the Kingdom of God. There is only one way to that Kingdom. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by him. (John 14:6)

God has shaken the mountains. He has dominion over the sea. He has dominion over all things. If the earth will bow down and worship Him, then why is it so difficult for humankind to see that God is Supereme. Does a rock or a river have more sense than we?

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Praise God for the Rain

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 

To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

                                                                                     Psalm 63:1-3 KJV

The land may be dry and thirsty as many of our desires are larger than our abilities to fulfill those desires. However, it is raining outside and the land around me is thriving. We are home in Florida. The temperatures are wonderful and I have been outside under the canopy drinking my morning coffee, praying, and listening to the rain. 

It is good to be back in Florida. I have a lot of unpacking and reorganizing to do. Over the last few years we have been working on down-sizing. We live in what many would call a tiny house here and I love it! But, it is a little trick to find a place for everything that we still do have. I get restless inside of buildings. It is hard for me to sit still. But, when I am outdoors I can relax as I am reminded of not what man has made; but, what God himself has created.

To see the beauty of what He has created brings me peace and a greater knowledge of His presence.

May all God's children praise the Lord for the abundance He has given us!

God's Peace - Pr. J

By Word and Deed Glorify God

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (1 Col 3:17 NRSV)

Working in a youth correctional facility as a substance abuse counselor, I heard a lot of stories from the young men in group. One of the stories included a fight that started in a church. It happened that a few members of two different gangs went to worship the same morning with their mothers. One of the teens represented his gang by wearing their colors. That did not go over well with the other gang. It was not too long after leaving the sanctuary that he was attacked. 

Representing anything or anyone, other than the Lord, at Worship is just not right. That goes not only for the sanctuary; but, wherever we happen to be. The whole world is the Lord's. As Christians we represent our Lord. In everything that we say or do or no matter where we are, Christians represent the Lord. 

All honor and glory belong to the Lord not to what group or anyone or anything else we might belong to in this world. 

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Condition Of Our Hearts

Jeremiah 17 NIV

The priest, Jeremiah, had a lot to say about the condition of the hearts of humankind. The hearts of the people have sin engraved on them. They trust in things of this world. They lust after and trust in wealth. They will do anything to get it, depriving the poor, spending their very life and breath in the pursuit of wealth and happiness.

The sooner we learn that the pursuit of money does not equate with happiness, the better off we will be. In the end we will lose any and all ill-gotten gain.

We all desire some joy and happiness in our lives. But, the truth is that these things do not come from wealth. They do not come from having "stuff." Real joy comes from being in relationship with others, with God. I have always appreciated that Thomas Jefferson changed John Locke's pursuit of life, liberty, and property, in the U.S. Constitution to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Property does not necessarily equate with happiness. Just think about the upkeep that goes with more property.. and, the taxes! Think about what happens when greed pervades society! All kinds of sin accompanies greed. Yet, multitudes have hearts so hardened like stone that greed and envy are engraved deeply into them. And... they are miserable! They desire more, but they do not know what that more is. 

   

Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay

    are those who gain riches by unjust means.

When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,

    and in the end they will prove to be fools.

A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,

    is the place of our sanctuary.

Lord, you are the hope of Israel;

    all who forsake you will be put to shame.

Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust

    because they have forsaken the Lord,

    the spring of living water." (Jer 17:11-13 NIV)

But, there is good news. In Ezekiel 36:25-27, God promises that He will remove our hearts of stone so that sin will no longer be engraved on them. "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jer 17:7-8)

There is an answer to our loneliness and sorrow; to our lack of joy. The answer is Jesus Christ, our LORD, who loves us so much that He was willing to die for us, is with us. In that knowledge lies true happiness. May God bless us with hearts filled with His love for Him and for one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Whitewashed Tombs And Dead Bones

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." (Matt: 23:27-28 NIV)

One of the highlights of my visit to Ireland was going to be a visit to the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. But, I did not find it so! It is a museum. Certain areas of the church are quite beautiful; but, if you step back for the bigger picture, it is quite cluttered with artifacts, statues, and unused chairs as well as other "stuff" being stored in open areas quite visible from the sanctuary. I was told that only one or two dozen worship in that sanctuary on any given Sunday. That huge sanctuary and it is empty!

Just because something or someone may look beautiful at first glance does not mean that they are truly beautiful or useful. Churches around the globe have become like museums; beautiful on the surface; but, on closer examination they have become very much like museums; devoid of life.

Not only have the buildings which we call churches become like tombs, devoid of life; so too are many who call themselves children of God. They do not find life in Christ. They seek life in this world. Alas, so many who would call themselves by the name of Christ have become like empty tombs because they prefer museums than living their lives in real relationship with God and one another. How the church looks; whether we "look" righteous, whether we "look" clean, with all the right furniture and all the right people have become the all important factors that go into building up the visible church. Beautiful hymns have all become like funeral dirges of long ago. Rather than the lifting up of what God has done for us in joyous or triumphant song; they have become devoid of hope. They are devoid of life.

Alas, the visible church on earth is full of bones of the dead and everything unclean! Turn to the Lord and worship Him and may God give life to all the dead bones.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Old Tents, Young Spirits

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." 2 Corinth 4:16

As time passes in this world, life around us changes; life within us changes. As we grow older these old tents that we dwell within waste away. But, the spirit within continues to be renewed day be day.

I have reached the big 6 - 0. On most days it seems that the days are not long enough. I no longer can accomplish as much as I could a decade or so ago in the same amount of time. I am a bit slower than I once was. On some days my eyes are so weak that I cannot see who is at the back of the sanctuary. I wake each morning, with various parts of my body aching, just another reminder that the body is wearing out. Yet, as an elder once told me, "As long as I don't look in the mirror, I still feel young."

Indeed, we, who believe that Jesus died so that we might live in our Father's house, are very young no matter how many years we live in this world. The body may wear out and die; but, the children of God have eternal life. So what is a mere 60 years in all of eternity? Nothing! We are but babes wandering through the wilderness, day by day, with our faces directed toward the promised land.

Thanks be to God; for His mercy is great! He will lead us home. 

God's Peace - Pr. J