Rejoice And Focus On Good Things

A New Day; A New Year, With Peace

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

                                                                        (2 Cor 5:17-19 KJV)

May God bless this new year richly for each and everyone of us!  I believe that he will. The old has gone away so let us not cling to our old ways.  This year let there be reconciliation with God and with one another for all people. Let there be peace.

The last two years have seen an influx of crime; of hate, in this country. It is time to stop living in the darkness and relish the good things that God has provided us with. Such an old saying; but, "Take time to smell the roses!"

In Christ we have been forgiven our sins so why do we continue, in so many cases, to willfully sin?  Just, why!! As Christ has forgiven us, let us forgive one another and live in peace!

May God help each and every one of us to strive to live reconciled to one another in peace in the coming years. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Think On Good Things Not Bad

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

                                                                                (Phil 4:4-8 KJV)

I was walking around the yard checking out the buds on the magnolia trees early the other morning. I could not hear the frogs or the crickets. I heard no birds chirping. I did hear screaming though. I heard people screaming at each other from three homes from north, south, and east of my home. I cannot see any other houses from my home; yet, they were all screaming at each other so loud that I could hear them all. I felt bad for them. I can't imagine starting a day with a screaming match.

God did and does not intend for us to be so distraught over daily living that we treat loved ones (or anyone else) with such disrespect. I cannot believe that he would have us start our days with such unrest. But, it happens. It happens all too often.  We think on the bad things and forget all the blessings in our lives. We forget that we do have people who love us. Most of us have all that we need to live by as well as many additional comforts. We have life and above all we have a God who loves us and is there for us always. When we forget the good things; the blessings, and think on the things that bother us we make our own lives and the lives of others miserable. 

One of my granddaughters tells me that when she was upset as a little girl I would tell her "This too shall pass." I don't remember saying that to her. But, she does. When we look back at our lives we will see many times we felt much despair and not we wonder why we were in such turmoil for that time surely did pass and life went on. Life does go on. Make the best of it. Rejoice and live in peace so that you do not bring trouble where there would be no trouble.

Talk with God. Tell Him your what is on your heart and mind and rejoice for the peace of God which he will give to all whose hearts and minds are on Christ Jesus.  Praise the Lord and thank Him for the blessings that he has given you and thank him for the opportunity to love others and to love him. 

Think on the good things; the blessings of God, and not the bad things which seem to interfere with your days and know a peace that surpasses all understanding in good times and bad. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Clothe Yourself With Good Things

  

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." 

                                                                                         (Col 3:12-15 KJV)

We are not to be doormats. We are to stand firmly on the truth, which is the Word of God. Jesus, and in the end his disciples, did not back down from the truth. They stood firmly on God's Word and on His promises.

But, neither are we to be bullies asserting our rights over the rights of others. Paul encourages the Colossians to treat one another with compassion and kindness. We are to try to have empathy for others; to, as the saying goes: "walk a mile in the shoes of others." We are to listen to all sides with humility; humbling ourselves so that we do not put our needs over the needs of others, and with empathy so that we can act with compassion and kindness to those who are suffering.

May God reconcile us to Himself and to one another, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J

Marvelous Things

Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jer 33:2-3 KJV)

I wish that I had figured out that I could really talk to the Lord when I was much younger. I made so many foolish mistakes and followed in ways that were definitely not good for me or anyone else. But, I did not comprehend that talking to God mean more than just asking for things. I wasn't asking him to help me to better understand who he really was. I wasn't asking for a closer relationship with him. I was asking for much more worldly things. Things like: get me out of the trouble I just put myself in! 

Now, I hope that the younger people (and not just younger) that I know and love would have enough sense to want to get to know this great and awesome and loving God that we have. Having him in our lives is enough. He is more than enough! 

Talk to him and not just talk to him; but, listen to him and he will show you great and mighty things which you cannot know or understand without him.

Our God is an awesome God. Call upon him and then listen and follow in the way that he would have you go and you will better understand and appreciate all of the marvelous things he has done for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Meaninglessness Of The Love Of Things

The older I get and death becomes more of a reality, the more I lapse into moments of thinking that life is as meaningless as Solomon would imply. Why all the years of toil, if it is to be gone in a second? This toiling after amassing riches is totally meaningless. Living life to amass things means that we will miss out on living and enjoying our lives in Christ in the here and now. We can; after all, only serve one God. 

Solomon's words of wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes tell us:

The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity.

When goods increase, those who eat them increase; and what gain has their owner but to see them with his eyes?

Sweet is the sleep of laborers, whether they eat little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let them sleep.

There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture; though they are parents of children, they have nothing in their hands. As they came from their mother’s womb, so they shall go again, naked as they came; they shall take nothing for their toil, which they may carry away with their hands."
                                                                        (Eccl 5:10 - 15 NRSV) 

That is not to say work is evil. We should work if we expect to eat. But, it becomes very bothersome, even a burden, when one works only to amass riches. Jesus told this story to a crowd who followed to listen to Him: 
 

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’  Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
                                                                             Luke 12:16-21

Our work should bring joy to us as well as to others. Live life! Enjoy the life that God has given you! Whether it is in the hours you spend laboring or during the hours you are relaxing with your friends and family, life here on earth is to be lived and enjoyed. Life, abundant life, is a gift from God.

This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot. Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil—this is the gift of God. For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts. (Eccl 5:18-20).

Focus your journey here on earth, not on amassing wealth or power to the exploit of others, but on living life so that God may be glorified.

And... may the peace and joy that is found in being in relationship with God, our Father and with one another, through His Son, Jesus the Christ, be with you always.  

Pr. J

Clothed In Good Things

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." Col 3:12 NRSV

We were not created to be doormats. We were not created to be stepped on by others or have our faith shut down because others hate the truth. We are; after all, God's chosen and beloved ones. We are to stand firmly on the truth, which is the Word of God. Jesus, and in the end those first disciples, did not back down from the truth. They stood firmly on God's Word and on His promises. Yes, they were persecuted. But, that did not keeping them from standing tall and speaking the truth with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. They bowed to no one except God.

Just as we were not created to be anyone's doormat; neither were we created to be bullies asserting our rights over the rights of others. Paul encourages the Colossians to treat one another with compassion and kindness. We are to try to have empathy for others; to attempt to "walk a mile in the shoes of others." We are to listen to all sides with humility; humbling ourselves so that we do not put our needs over the needs of others, and with empathy so that we can act with compassion and kindness to those who are suffering.

May God reconcile us to Himself and to one another, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J

What Marvelous Things

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”

1 Corinth 2:9

There are times when I think that God is not answering my prayers fast enough. It is in those times that I have to rethink what I am asking for. Am I being specific and asking for things that is not according to God's will? Maybe, I am asking for less than God desires for those whom I pray for.

When my prayers seem to go unanswered, maybe it's time to recognize that my heart cannot even begin to conceive of the blessings that God has prepared for those whom I care for and pray for. There are times that maybe I should just be praying for God to protect and bless them with the knowledge of how much He loves them instead of trying to steer their lives in the way that I think that they should go. Maybe, I should let go and let God work in their lives more often. That's not to say I shouldn't pray for and help them when they are in need. But, that I should let God do the marvelous works that He does and not interfere quite so much!

May God help us to better understand that our will does not always agree with the will of God for His children.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Think On Good Things

"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  (Philippians 4:8 NRSV)

If our minds stay in the gutter; we will end up living our lives in the gutter. If our minds stay focused on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, then we will live in His Kingdom. The work of our hands and every step that we take will naturally gravitate toward the things that we are focused on.

Whatever or whomever it is that we trust; that which we put our faith in, that is our god. Will it be the things of this world or the one who loves us so much; the one who wants us to live in His presence so much, that He was willing to die that we might be forgiven our lustful and sinful ways and be reconciled to Him?

Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:20)

By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit may God help us to treasure the one who is most worthy of praise, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
    To him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10 NIV

If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; then it would follow that if one hasn't enough sense to fear or respect Him, then one has no wisdom at all.

On a personal note: if you make it obvious to me that you do not fear, respect, or trust the Lord; then please understand why I won't be taking your advice. I will not be following you. I do fear, respect, and trust Him to know that in His way is the only way I ought to be going.

Let us think on the things of God and all praise the Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J