No One Is Good

And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

                                                                        ( Mark 10:17-22 KJV)

No one is good. No, not one. We cannot do enough good things to save ourselves. If we do any good things is because of the Spirit of Christ that abides in us and guides us. His love inspires us to follow him reaching out and helping others.

What then is required to inherit eternal life? To give everything for the sake of others?  To put others before yourself? That's what Jesus himself did. He was willing to give even his last breath on earth that we might be reconciled to our Father in heaven for all of eternity.

There will come a day when we will realize that the possessions we have on earth count for nothing as we stand before the King of Creation. There will come a day when in humility we understand the lust for power was misplaced.  

It is in the giving of ourselves and all that we are to others that we are lifted up even as Christ was lifted up on the cross that all who would believe in him would inherit eternal life.

We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Lanterns Fueled By The Light Of Christ

"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

                                                                                  (2 Cor 4:5-7 KJV)

Nothing is done; nothing is said, for our glory but for the glory of God. We have no light within ourselves that is of ourselves. The light that shines in the darkness is the light of Christ. It shines from within us as he abides in us. The light shines around us and is shared with others by Christ through us.

We are but empty earthen vessels without Christ. Without Christ we are like lanterns without fuel. But, with Christ the power of God brings light and life to the lantern that it; that we bring the light of Christ to all the world. 

It is that light of Christ within us that gives light of the knowledge of the glory of God to all the world. The light of Christ reveals all that God has done for us. The abiding presence of the light of Christ brings glory to God! It is not our doing; but, God's doing through Jesus Christ our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All glory belongs to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Think On The One Worthy To Be Praised

"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 4:8 KJV)

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 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 will your heart 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 Greatest Treasure

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

                                                                               (Matt 6:20-21 KJV)

What is it that is the most valuable to you? And, what would you give to have it? There are treasures much more valuable than things that you purchase with money. Family and friends are among the most valuable. But, the greatest gift of all was given to us when God sacrificed His only begotten Son on the cross so that we might be reconciled to Him and to one another in His Kingdom.

May you dwell in the Kingdom of God now and forever.

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

Do Not Be Afraid!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life."  (Matt 6:25-27 NRSV)

There have been times in my life when I have been quite confrontational when it comes to injustice. Where others were shrinking back and warning me that I should too for safety's sake, I have advanced. I did indeed consider the worst case scenarios before I advanced. What is the worst thing that could happen to me? What is there to fear? Nothing, not even death. I have eternal life.

When considering a new venture; whether it be a new job or investing in a project or a person or whatever challenge the day might bring; again, the same question: "What have I to fear?" Nothing. Life in this world is temporary. It will all pass. I have eternal life.

Jesus knowingly went forward to the cross; to his death, that we might live. He could have gone in the other direction. He could have; but, he did not. He did not shrink back from saving the world; even though much of the world would reject him. He did not pretend that everything in the world was okay. He was willing to give even his life because the world was not okay.

Do not fear. Our Father in heaven loves you. Believe this and you will have nothing to fear. You will be much more able to attempt to make radical changes within yourself and in the world around you with the knowledge that God is with you and for you. The world may abandon you. You may even lose many things in this world that you now treasure. But, there is nothing to fear. By faith, you have received eternal life.
 
May God help us to always stand in His truth; in His Way, no matter what possible dangers may lay before us. May He help us to remember that we have nothing to fear for through God's own Son, Jesus the Christ, we have eternal life.

God's Peace - Pr. J

What Do You Treasure?

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt 6:19-21 NRSV

Where do you invest your time; your talents; all the gifts that God has given you? Do you enjoy those gifts? There is only one place where you will find real joy. That place is in relationship with Jesus Christ and with others around you. Some things are necessary: food, shelter, heat, clothing. Others things are not. They are luxuries. They can be excess baggage that steal away our time and our opportunity to be in caring and loving relationships. 

The greatest treasure of God is being able to live in relationship with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Kingdom of God. May God help us to seek His Kingdom that we might know what a treasure living in His presence really is.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Hidden Treasure Revealed

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.  Matt 13:44-46 NIV

Last night, my husband and I had a very nice, quiet dinner at a little place called "Hidden Treasure." It is located under the bridge on the intra-coastal waterway off of Moody Blvd in Flagler Beach. One can eat indoors or out. The fish fry was good and so was the service. We will most definitely go back, again. It is, indeed, a little hidden treasure.

On Sunday afternoon, we had dinner at Christ Lutheran Church, Bunnell, FL. That meal was better than good. It was great! As wonderful as the food was, the company was even better. We had invited the Baruch HaShem congregation, that meets for worship in our facilities on Saturdays, to join us for dinner. Wow! Just wow! The treasure was not hidden as we gathered with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The entire conversation was about Jesus! Imagine that? Christians sharing their love of the Lord for over an hour! There was no talk about the economy or presidential elections or football. It was all about Jesus! There was only rejoicing in what he has done for us. They have found the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price and truly want the world to know about this Kingdom of God given for all through the blood of Jesus.

There is no greater treasure than the love of God through Jesus the Christ; for through him we have received life in the presence of God, in His Kingdom forever. The knowledge of that treasure is not to be hidden. Share that treasure with those you love. Share it with the stranger and all whom you encounter.

Rejoice and share the Good News of the Kingdom. It's not suppose to be a great secret hidden from the world; but, revealed to the world for the salvation of all of God's children.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Seek First The Kingdom of Heaven

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt 6:19-21

With loads of earthly treasure often comes much trouble. The more one has, the more one has to take care of. Sometimes the trouble that includes costly lawyers to settle estate or property disputes. Greed for things of this world can cause one a lot of stress. It can even cause members of a family to turn against one another. "The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live." (Proverbs 15:27)

However, when the treasure we seek is the Kingdom of God, much of this life's worries will disappear. "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt 6:31-33)

May our hearts always seek first the Kingdom of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Prosperity Gospel, Oy!

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!" Galatians 1:3-8

Oy! Oy! Oy! Such blasphemy coming out of a preacher's mouth! I woke up early this morning to spend some time alone with God. My husband had fallen asleep with the television on. I woke up to a pastor proclaiming that faith did not build the church he was ministering to, money did! Of course, he was encouraging everyone to plant a seed with his ministry so that the giver would become rich in this world. Again, I say, "Oy!" Oh, yes... although, he claimed the validity of hell, he claimed that Jesus did not save us from it. Say... what!?

The proclamation we are called and sent to share with all the world has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with the Kingdom of God for us, by faith in Jesus who shed his blood on the cross for us. We are to preach no other Gospel than the Christ crucified.

May God help us to see and receive the most priceless treasure we could ask for: reconciliation with God, in His Kingdom, through faith in Jesus Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J