The Good Shepherd Seeks You Out

Ezekiel 34:11-16 KJV; Psalm 23: You cannot hide in the darkness from the Good Shepherd. He will seek you out and save you.

Do Unto Others!

Matthew 7:6-12; Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Help those in need.

His Thoughts Are Not Our Thoughts

Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV; His thoughts and ways are different than ours. We ought to seek his way. 

The Strait Gate

Luke 13:22-30; John 10:9 KJV; Do you know Jesus? Have you entered through Jesus into the Kingdom of God. He is the only gate by which you can enter.

Following Jesus Is Not Easy

Reading from Gospel of Luke 9:51-62 KJV. Seek first the Kingdom of God. Do not look back; rather follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

He Will Heal Our Land

My Soul Thirsts For The Lord

As a deer longs for flowing streams,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and behold

the face of God?

Psalm 42:1-2 NRSV

Life can get pretty hectic and confusing at times. Which way to go? What to do next? When I get like this, and I do at times, I remind myself to seek the Lord. There is only one way to go and that is to the Lord. I long to see His face more fully; to hear and understand His Word and His will more completely. I long to be more fully in His presence; to see Him face to face.

There is only one who can satisfy our thirsty souls. Seek the Lord and His Kingdom and He will show you the way to eternal peace in His presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Do Good; Seek Peace

Psalm 34:12-22 KJV

What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

+++

Depart from evil; do good and seek peace! What person would not want that? I suppose even a person whom we might consider does a lot of evil desires peace in their life. They may desire it; but, don't know how to go about pursuing it. Do they really know that the evil that they have been pursuing not only harms those they perceive as their enemies as well as themselves? Do they know the difference between what is good and what is bad; what is sin and what is not sin?

We are all sinners. That is a fact. However, those who trust in the Lord; those who listen to him; have contrite spirits and they seek peace with him. They not only seek it; they receive it for they are promised that those who trust in him are redeemed. The Lord delivers them. They shall not be desolate. Their lives shall be full. Their spirits will be at peace as they live life in the presence of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Get Out Of Your Safe Space; Seek Other Seas

And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

                                                                                                           (Mark 6:45-51 KJV)

"If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" is a book written by John Ortman. I've never read it; but, I do like the title.

That doesn't mean that you should step out of your boat and try to walk on water as Jesus did. That would be a bad idea especially if you cannot swim. But, if we want to follow Jesus we need to get out of our small boats; our safe spaces, that isolate us from the rest of the world and as the lyrics of one of my favorite hymns tells us with Jesus we will seek other seas.

What does that mean? Not all professed Christians are followers of Jesus. They are merely church goers. Many consider that one or two hours a week is enough to qualify as Christians. Some think that may be too much and make it for Christmas and or Easter Worship. Some do not even do that. It is, of course, important to regularly attend worship to hear the word of God and to receive the Sacrament. By these means of grace God strengthens our faith. But, we are not saved by attending church. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Rituals are fine when they help to restore us and build up our faith. However, Jesus does call us to follow him and he does send us to share the Good News that we have heard with others. In order to do that when we leave the church building; when we leave our small boats, we are to seek others sees. We are to seek the lost.

Do not be afraid to share this Good News. Even though there will be many who reject the Good News and probably you, Jesus is with you even as he was with the disciples on the stormy sea. And... what happened when Jesus got into the boat with the disciples? The wind and tumultuous seas were calmed.

Do not be afraid to get out of your small boat to share the Good News in other seas. Christ is with you no matter how troubled the waters might get.

The hymn I referred to in this blog is "Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore" written by Monseñor Cesáreo Gabaráin. For those who have never heard it and for those who love it the first verse and refrain are as follows:

You have come down to the lakeshore
Seeking neither the wise nor the wealthy,
But only asking for me to follow.

Sweet Lord, you have looked into my eyes,
Kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I've abandoned my small boat;
Now with you, I will seak other seas.

God grant us all the courage to step out of our small boats and to follow Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Hungry Souls

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

                                                                                                (Lam 3:22-33 KJV)

The very sad thing is that humankind should find themselves in just despair that they sit alone. But, that is a reality. Humankind tends to think only of themselves without considering how they affect the people around them and so the whole world suffers.

There is one place we can go when our souls hunger. That place is to our Father in heaven. In Him we have hope through our Lord Jesus the Christ. Seek His presence. In Him you will find peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Live In Peace

Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. (Prov 28:6 KJV)

What a miserable state to find oneself in: rich and perverse! Poor and perverse is not so good either! But, he that walks in uprightness will be able to lay down at night and get a good nights sleep. He will be able to rise in the morning and be at peace with himself and with life because he knows that he walks with his integrity intact. 

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. (Prov 22:1)

He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. (Prov 10:9)

There are enough people in this world who seek pleasure in the perverse things of this world. There are enough who in the pursuit of their own riches and enjoyment who will trample on others. They will know no peace. Do not follow in their footsteps. Seek what is good; do what is right; and live a life of peace! 

God's Peace be with you all - Pr. J.

I Lay Down In Peace

Psalm 4

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

+++

My favorite times of day are early morning and evening just before I fall asleep. They are quiet times. They are times when I can commune with God without any interruptions. 

The world is full of challenges as we strive to do better. Unfortunately, this striving to do better usually tends to mean we strive for more unnecessary stuff. This striving for stuff can take the joy totally out of living as it can be a constant battle to appear more successful in the eyes of others. Successful for many means having more stuff even if they no longer have time to enjoy the stuff they've accumulated. Successful for most Christians means living in peace in communion with God. We don't need lots of stuff. We need Jesus. We need need his love. We need the peace that only he can give. 

No matter what challenges might trouble our hearts and minds we can live and rest in peace knowing that the Lord is with us and for us. The Lord lifts up the light of his countenance upon us.

May God help each of us to live in perpetual communion with Him that we might all live life in peace with Him and with one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Seek Him; Trust Him

ISAIAH 55:6-13 KJV 

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

+++

Four years ago I stayed up to watch the election coverage until they announced who had one. I stayed up long into the night as did multitudes of others. Last night, I prayed and went to bed at my usual time. I did not watch election coverage as I was pretty sure that when I woke up I would find out and the world would be pretty much the same as when I went to sleep.

Well, no... It is morning and we still don't know who has been elected. We have no clue. But, God knows. We can wonder and worry about what tomorrow will bring; but, what good does it do? We can get pretty worked up and distracted with problems of the world; of trying to fix things and to fix people. 

There are days times when there just seems to be more chaos than normal. National elections can be times like that. The country can get pretty worked up about them. We need to remember that no matter who is elected or what happens God is still in charge. Jesus is still king and it would be a good thing if we spent as much time seeking him as we do seeking our personal agendas; our preferred candidates; and ways of this world. 

The Word of the LORD reminds us to seek Him and His Way. God's ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. And... it may also be a good thing to remember that no matter how bad things get, God is still in charge doing his thing not ours; not the worlds. He can turn the greatest tragedy into the most marvelous triumph. From the most troubled time, He can lead us out in joy and lead us forth in peace - the peace that only He can give.

Seek first the LORD and his Kingdom and trust that he is in charge of the rest. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Heal The Land

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 KJV)

IF... What is God talking about.... IF? 

I often hear thing like if God is so good why did he allow such and such to happen. The reality is that we do have choices to make. God will not force His will on anyone. He allows us a certain freedom to do what we will rather than His will. If we choose to destroy the land; if we choose to destroy one another, should we blame God because we made those choices?

Yet, God does hear those who would turn from their destructive ways to follow in His way. He hears. He answers. He will forgive our sins. He will heal all that is broken due to our sinful ways. 

May God help us to see the way in which He would have us go. May God give us the strength and the courage to follow in that way.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

By Faith We Move Forward

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."

                                                                                   (Heb 11:6-8 KJV)

Fear can easily coerce us into doing absolutely nothing or running in the opposite direction. Yet, Noah and Abraham, as well as many others who trusted God before us, moved forward. They did what God asked of them because they trusted Him. 

Believing an unseen God and building an ark so that he and his family might live was a major change in Noah's life. It may have seemed foolish to the world around him. But, the results proved that it was not.

Abraham left his birth family; his home country, to be led by God through the wilderness to a land promised to him and his descendants was a major undertaking. It all rested on his trust in God. 

Moses, too, believed the words of God and led the Israelites out of captivity to journey to a promised land. The journey was long and hard, made harder by the many trust issues along the way among the Israelites. Moses actually never got to enter that promised land; but, he was able to lead the people of God to it because he trusted in the Lord and followed Him.

Hardships are encountered daily by the human race. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are natural disasters and diseases that threaten to take us down. But, fear should never be allowed to keep us from moving forward to receive the promises of God. If fear can do anything positive, it should move us to hear the word of the Lord and listen attentively to it so that we might know the way in which to go.

Faith overcomes fear of things that might stand in our way of moving forward. Remember, the promises of the Lord and keep in mind what St. Paul wrote to the Romans: "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) Walk in faith. God has a good purpose for you. Do not let the fear that permeates the world around you stop you from receiving the good plans He has for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Fresh Start; A New Day

If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

                                                                                        (Eph 4:21-24 KJV)

In the northern regions the first snow fall brings a sense of newness; of a bright and fresh start. After a few months of all that snow and cold that sense of exhilaration tends to wear off. 

As Christians we begin our life in Christ fully exhilarated by this new relationship. But, with time, this exhilaration can wane if we are not diligent in staying in The Way he leads us in. It appears to be in our natures to take for granted and even get weary of those things and even relationships that we have been in for a long time.

If and when this happens be assured that there is a new start available to you every day. It might take a bit of self-discipline to say no to those things that would pull you away from life in Christ. Be assured, though, that Christ will renew your spirit when you ask. He will help you. He will renew your mind. Steep yourself in the word and in the Word who is Jesus the Christ and life will be full and satisfying once again. You will find peace no matter how horrible your life may seem at the time.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." 

                                                                                                  (Matt 7:7-8)

If you are in need of a fresh start then ask and you will receive it. Life is worth living when we are reconciled with Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

There Is None Upon The Earth Like Him

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 

                                                                                    (Psalm 73:23-26 KJV)

Stuck in a dark corner and cannot find your way out? Seek the Lord with your whole heart for He is with you. He will give you the strength to keep moving forward. There is none other but the Lord who can save you. He will hold you by the right hand and guide you wherever it is that you should be.

Stick close to the Lord God; cling to Him; love Him with your whole heart. There is none other like Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Thoughts Of Peace For You

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. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jer 29:11-13 KJV)

We want to be loved. We want a peaceful and good life. Unfortunately, there are way too many who do not get to experience the peaceful life. Many seek the good life in places that it cannot be found. Genuine peace; peace that encompasses us even in the times of trouble, is found only in one place. That place is in our Lord. 

The Lord who loves you has a plan for you. It is a plan of peace. No matter what assails you, know that God is with you and will remain with you. He longs for you to call upon Him for help in your time of need as well as in your times of plenty. Seek Him and you will know peace in the confidence that God will see you through these troubled times. Trust Him!

"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

Ask The Right Person; Ask Our Father

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

                                                                                          (Matt 7:7-11 KJV)

We do not live in vacuums. There are people around us and there is God our Father who is with us and for us. When things go terribly wrong life just seems like it is not worth it, maybe we should consider who we are depending on; who we are trusting, to walk with us through this life. Are they helping or hindering? Are we trusting someone to be there for us when they are not even there for themselves? 

Are you looking for peace in your life? There is one who can help us. That is God our Father who was willing to give us the most precious gifts of life and salvation through the sacrifice on the cross of His only begotten Son. When we are in dire need of help, ask Him. Ask our Father who loves you that much. He can and He will help you on the path to a life of peace.

Most of our earthly fathers would help us according to their abilities. That is what love is. How much more will our heavenly Father help us in our hour of need!

When in need, it would behoove us to ask the right person for help. Turn to Him and find relief; find peace; find joy in His eternal loving presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Light of Life

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

                                John 8:12 KJV

The world can be a very dark place especially for those who find themselves deep in the throes of depression. Depression  and other forms of mental illness can cause a person to act irresponsibly toward themselves as well as others. Floundering around in the darkness can cause many more catastrophes. Imagine walking through a mine shaft in the dark of night without even a peep of light coming from the shaft's entrance. You might fall into a pit which you can never get out. You might die without ever seeing the light of day again.

You may be so far in the dark that you need help to get back into the light. Do not neglect to get help from specialists who can lead you out of that dark place into the light. And, please, remember that the only light that is eternal and will never leave you in the dark is the light of Christ. His light never goes out. As the saying goes, "Wise men seek him."  He is the light that shines in whatever darkness you may find yourself in. If you find yourself imprisoned in darkness, Jesus can and will shine a light on you and release you. He is the light of life.

God's Peace - Pr. J