He Delights In His Children

Psalm 149:1-5 KJV; The Lord delights in us; let us sing joyful songs of praise to His glory.

Sing To God

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. (Psalm 68:4-5 KJV)

It never hurts to sings praises. But, it does hurt to be negative all of the time and refrain from singing songs of praise and thanksgiving.

When we think we have nothing; we have something. When we think we have no one. We have someone. We have our Father in heaven who will cover the hurts of those who call upon him that we may rejoice and sing to God songs of praise and thanksgiving. We have Jesus the Christ who has come to save us from our sins. Praise the Lord!

Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 106:1)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Filled With The Spirit; Not spirits

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;." 

                                                                                        (Eph 5:15-20 KJV)

Another way that I can say it is this, "Choose this day whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15) Will you serve the spirits of alcohol and other drugs? Have these mind altering chemicals taken over your life so that you, who were not well in the first place, have now become dependent on them to "cope" with life; so much so that you can no longer even work or play unless you are high or drunk? I am not saying that alcohol and even the legitimate use of marijuana don't have their place. But, sadly, these two drugs, as well as a multitude of other illegal drugs, have become the gods that way too many people live for. These false gods are succeeding at destroying families; destroying communities; and are even pretty successful at causing problems within the visible church on earth. Choose ye this day whom you will serve.

Addiction is a serious ailment in itself. It cannot be cured by the use of other or more drugs. In fact, there are those who say it cannot be cured at all. But, there is relief for those who suffer this sickness. The Lord can make you whole. Turn to Him; for He is your helper. Be filled with the Spirit and sing songs of joy to the Lord, for He alone can save you from the false gods that hold you captive.

I live for the day when in the Kingdom of God all knees will bow; all voices will be lifted up in songs of praise to our God and King. I wait for the day when everyone I know will be filled with the Spirit of God; filled with the Spirit of love and compassion for one another. Mind altering chemicals do not make room for the Spirit of Christ. 

Sing songs of praise to the Lord! Do away with those false gods! Be filled with the Holy Spirit and truly live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Word Will Lift You Up

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

(Col 3:16 NRSV)

We all have our bad days. I do not know of no anyone who has never experienced depression. The best way that I have found to get out of a slump is to immerse yourself in and to give thanks by singing songs of praise and thanksgiving for the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ. There will be those who would keep working at dragging you back down.  

Don't worry! Trust in God! Christ can and will lift you up! 

Have a blessed day!

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

Be Filled With The Spirit Not spirits

"Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Eph 5:15-20

Another way that I can say it is this, "Choose this day whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15) Will you serve the spirits of alcohol and other drugs or will you serve the Lord? Has your addiction so taken over your life so that you can no longer even work or play unless you are at least a little high or drunk just to take the edge off? Do you need the aid of one of these false gods to even get you moving in the morning? Can't wait for your day off so you can really get toasted? I am not saying that alcohol and even the legitimate use of marijuana don't have their place. But; sadly, alcohol and marijuana, as well as a multitude of other illegal drugs, have become the gods that way too many people live for. These false gods are succeeding at destroying families; destroying communities; and are even pretty successful at causing problems within the visible church on earth.  Choose ye this day whom you will serve! 

Addiction is a serious ailment. It cannot be cured by the use of other or more drugs. In fact, there are those who say it cannot be cured at all. But, there is relief for those who suffer this sickness. The Lord can make you whole. Turn to Him; for He is your helper. Be filled with the Spirit and sing songs of joy to the Lord, for He alone can save you from the false gods that hold you captive.

Be filled with the Spirit not spirits and rejoice for this too shall pass. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Sing His Praise

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God." (Col 3:15 NRSV)

Sometimes, it seems, we can share the Word of God and His love with all that we have in our inner being; but, it reaches deaf ears. It is met with rudeness and even anger. There are many who just do not know how to react to genuine love.

What to do about this? We are to continue doing what we have been doing. We are to continue sharing the Word with all who will listen. Do not be afraid of slander of any kind or vicious attacks. You are a child of God and He will be with you always; no matter what befalls you.

Let us always sing songs to the Lord with joy and gratitude in our hearts for all that he has done. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Sing Songs of Thanksgiving!

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God." Col 3:15 NRSV

Sometimes, it seems that no matter how much we share the Word of God and His love it reaches deaf ears. It is often met with rudeness and even anger. There are many who just do not know how to react to genuine love.

What to do about this? We are to continue sharing the Word with all who will listen. Do not be afraid of slander or any kind of vicious attacks. Rather, continue to share the word of Christ which dwells in you richly and sing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord, our God.

Remember that you are a child of God and He will be with you always, no matter what befalls you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Filled With The Holy Spirit; not spirits!

"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Eph 5:18-19 NIV

A few members of the congregation that I recently began to serve have been asking to know more about me personally. Here's a "biggy." I use to drink. When I was young, I could party quite heartily. But, things changed. I grew up. I also came to have a personal relationship with God the Father; God the Son; God the Holy Spirit. I no longer drink. My partying is pretty much restricted to worshipping God; giving thanks to Him with psalms, hymns, and songs. I have found no greater way to celebrate life than to live my life in Christ and I have indeed sought other ways. They didn't work. They were paths that led to destruction; while the Spirit of Christ leads to life.

I did not get much sleep last night. Today, I have a full schedule ahead of me. There is a Bible Study in just a few hours; then worship; then a Memorial Service and a fellowship this afternoon. I did not get much sleep because I was concerned about the safety of my family. My son and his family have been visiting from Michigan. They have been staying at an RV park near us. Last night some very young adults rented the little cabin behind them. They thought it was a good idea to have a party that included a lot of underage drinkers. They built a bonfire out of pallets under the old Magnolia tree, which just happens to also hang over the camper my family was staying in. They loaded up four and more pallets on the fire. In order to make room for more pallets on the fire they would stand in the middle of the fire and dance on the pallets. The bon-fire was about ten feet from the camper that we own. The flames were coming quite close to the Spanish Moss hanging in the old Magnolia Tree. They decided to cut more wood on the site we had rented. The inebriated teens were asked to please stop and not put any more wood on the fire as there were children in the camper sleeping and it was a concern for the children's safety. They laughed. They were warned that the police would be called. They laughed again. The police came; but, not before the teens were warned that they were coming. Most of the really under-aged drinkers left before the police arrived. The police came. They had them dump out all of the alcohol. The police left. Someone went for more alcohol. They continued to drink and stoked up the fire once again. One young man threw wood and sloshed his alcohol against the camper.  Therefore; I did not get much sleep last night wondering if my family would be burned to death in their sleep because young people chose to get high on alcoholic spirits. Young people (yes, some legal adults; but, not legal drinking age) decided their right to the pursuit of happiness outweighed the well-being and safety of others. 

Over the years, I have come about as close to being a prohibitionist as one can be, without actually being a prohibitionist. I have seen too much depression; suicide; murder; drunk driving deaths; drug and alcohol overdoses leading to comas and deaths; physical and emotional abuse; deaths of very young people due to the toll alcohol and drugs take on body, mind, and spirit; just to name a few of the side affects, to even consider that abuse of drugs, legal or illegal, to be a good thing. A drink or two with friends is one thing; but, to endanger your life and the lives of others just so you can get drunk and act foolish is another. There are better, much better ways to enjoy and live life. And... so there you have it. Not a popular opinion; but, you did want to know a little bit more about me.

Do not be filled with the spirits of alcohol and other drugs. Be filled with the Spirit of Christ. In him, you will know a joy and a peace that cannot be found in chemicals.

May God fill each of you with the Holy Spirit so that you might celebrate life with hymns and songs of thanksgiving for the life that God has given you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Greet The New Day

Sunrise on Flagler Beach, FL.

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;

    where morning dawns, where evening fades,

    you call forth songs of joy.  Psalm 65:8

I'm a little bit late today. I was on Flagler Beach greeting the new day at sunrise with my granddaughter, who turned eighteen today. She is very excited about becoming a legal adult. A new day, a new era, has dawned for her so it was fitting that she should be up at 5:30 am so that she could begin her day celebrating with the rising of the sun.

My prayer for her is that she will always, every minute of every day, rejoice in the Risen Son, as well.

Let us all thank God for the new day that He has given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Happy Birthday, Cassie!