Keep Us From Wickedness

Psalm 5 KJV; Keep us in your truth, Lord. Keep us from wickedness.

We Have Been Made Whole In Christ!

Luke 17:11-19; 10 were healed; yet, only one gave thanks. How often do we truly give thanks to God?

Forgiven and Reconciled

Psalm 51:1-12 KJV

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

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We, through our own sins, have separated ourselves from God. The Good News is that through Jesus the Christ our sins our blotted out. There is nothing we can do to erase them. Because Jesus was willing to pay the penalty for our sins we who turn our backs on God are forgiven and are reconciled to Him. As forgiven children of God the Holy Spirit creates in us clean hearts and renews a right spirit within us.

The Psalmist prays that the Lord will not take His presence from us. Rejoice for through Jesus Christ he has not! He is with us always; for all of eternity. Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Wounded For Our Transgressions

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

                                                                                      (Isa 53:3-6 KJV)

Wounded for our transgressions! He was bruised for everyone of our iniquities! I can't even begin to fathom how many sins he died for. Yet, we continue to sin. Many don't even attempt to refrain from sinning against God and doing harm to others in words or deeds. 

Like sheep we have a tendency to want to do things our own way and do what makes us happy not necessarily what is good and right. Like sheep that have gone astray we end up in thorny bushes or going over the edge into deep ravines that we cannot climb out of without help. 

Who will have the wisdom to turn to the one who died for them; the one who died so that whoever believes in him will receive forgiveness, when they find themselves overwhelmed by the consequences of the wrong that they have done?

Lent and particularly Holy Week is a reminder to us that we are all sinners and without the love of God through Christ Jesus none of us are saved. 

God grant that ears, eyes, and hearts be opened to know and appreciate what God has done for us as he reconciled us to Himself and to one another through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Blot Out My Transgressions

1 John 1:8

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PSALM 51 KJV

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

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As we enter into the season of Lent let us remember that we are thoroughly unclean and that only by the blood of Jesus have we been cleansed from our sins. Thanks be to God they are thoroughly washed away by the blood of Jesus! 

It is not just during this season of penitence that we are to consider and repent of our sins; but, every day of our lives for we are sinners through and through and not one day goes by that we do not commit offenses against God. Let us rejoice for Christ alone has saved us from our sinful ways!

May God help us today and always to consider and understand how we betray and turn our backs on Him. May He open our lips so that we might praise Him for cleansing us of our sins by the blood of Jesus the Christ that we might be reconciled to Him and to one another in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Cleansed By The Blood Of Christ

Psalm 32:1

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." 

                                                                                (Psalm 51:1-4 KJV)

The Psalmist prayed that God would forgive him all of his sins. He acknowledged that he had sinned against God. No matter what offense we commit it all comes down to a sin against God. When we use or abuse anyone whether it is in word or deed it is a sin against God. When we cheat or slander our neighbor, that is not just a sin against the neighbor. It is a sin against God who gave life to the neighbor.  

David acknowledges his sins and asks to be cleansed of them. According to the First Epistle of John in we must acknowledge that have sinned. If we do not or cannot acknowledge and confess our sins we are nothing more than liars. In other words, in our lack of confession we sin against God. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (John 1:7-10)

The first man and woman welcomed sin into the world. We continue to exist in a sinful world being sinners ourselves. Humankind was kicked out of that beautiful garden in paradise. We could no longer walk in the presence or talk in person to the creator of all things. But, God so loved humankind he had a fix for that. He had a sacrifice that would make us worthy even though we were not worth. He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus to die on the cross so that we might be forgiven; that we might be cleansed of our sins; and that we might live in communion with our Father in heaven today and for all of eternity.

In the Revelation of John he writes to the churches what he has seen and heard in his visions from God. He begins by reminding them that Jesus who was the first begotten from the dead washed our sins away with his own blood.

"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  

                                                                                      (John 1:4-6)

Let us give thanks that God has sent His only begotten Son to die for us in order that our sins might be washed away by his own blood on the cross. We give thanks for our sins have been completely forgiven and we have been reconciled to God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Rejoice; for in Christ your sins are forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

LIsten And Follow

PSALM 25:1-9 KJV

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses; for they have been ever of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

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We ask the Lord for a lot of things. Sometimes we rejoice when we see that our prayers have been answered. At other times we might even think that God is not listening to us; that He may not even care. He does indeed listen and He does answer our prayers. But, do we listen to Him when He is showing us the way to go?

We may ask the Lord to guide us and to teach us His paths so that we can live both peaceful and fruitful lives that will glorify Him. We can ask all we want; but, if we don't listen to His guidance it will avail us nothing. So often we ask but then proceed to do it our own way; go our own way without bothering to hear the word, the teachings of our Lord.

He will teach us all things; but, we must humble ourselves and listen and then actually follow in the way that He has shown us!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Were You There: Are You There?

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

                                                                                     (Isaiah 53:3-8 KJV)

Who was there? Were you there when they crucified our Lord? Who had the courage to witness the crucifixion of Jesus? The two criminals who were crucified with Jesus were with him. The soldiers who nailed him to the cross were there. Many of the Jews may witnessed his crucifixion, from a distance, as Golgotha was not too far from the city. Were they were able to read the sign? Did they read the words "JESUS OF NAZARETH. THE KING OF THE JEWS" as he struggled to carry his cross to his death?

The three Mary's were there to witness his death; Jesus' mother, Mary, and her sister Mary and Mary Magdalene were there. Where were the close disciples whom he had called? Was Peter there or was he still in hiding? But, John was there. John, the disciple who loved Jesus, was there.

As Jesus was being tried and brutalized and killed, he was pretty much alone. The majority of his flock had deserted him to protect themselves. In these days when the majority of the country has been told to shelter in place; I wonder if we are there, if we are even able to be there for those who are suffering and dying.

Just a reminder on this Good Friday of something that Jesus told us: 

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

                                                                                           (Matt 25:41-45)

On this Good Friday as we recall that the sheep deserted the shepherd when he was put to death for the very sake of the sheep, let us consider if we are truly there for Christ in our fellowman today? Do we continue to desert him?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Our Own Way

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:5-6 KJV)

Yup! That's what we like. We prefer to do things our own way. For some reason we have tendency to think our way is better than God's way. It is not. According to the Gospel of St. John: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

When we follow in our own ways, we often end up in a heap of trouble. We end up on some really dangerous paths. But, when we follow in the way that Jesus has set before us the path leads to reconciliation and peace with our Father in heaven.

Jesus was sent to us so that we who had turned our backs on our Father could be reconciled to him and live in his eternal presence. It was not a mission that any of us could complete. This innocent man was punished for our sins. He was tortured and executed for the sins that we commit. Simply put: he died that we might live.

Let us live life in thanksgiving for all that he has done and continues to do for us. Let us be wise enough to follow in the way that he would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Reconciled By His Suffering

 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6 KJV)

We are sinners, that is true. We do not deserve God's grace. But, He loves us so much that He was willing to give His only begotten Son to be wounded and killed as a sacrifice for our sins.

We are sinners. We have all gone astray. We think that we are following Jesus and there we go following in our own way. But, thanks be to God that His Son, bore the penalty for our sins. By the blood of Christ we have been healed; we have been made whole. We have been reconciled to God our Father; by the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus; and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace - Pr. J