New Wine In New WIneskins

Reading from Psalm 3:1-8 KJV for 2nd Sunday of Pentecost. We can be our own worst enemies. Put aside all anger, jealousy, greed, all malice and live life in love and peace through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

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.

The Word; A Two-Edged Sword

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12 KJV)

For the past twenty plus years I have preached the Sermon on the Mount at least annually. I do not edit it. I do not preach anything other than the exact words according to St. Matthew (usually the NIV). The first year that I did this was at a youth correctional facility. The congregation was made up of teen-age felons mainly from Wayne County, MI. The next day I was called into the head office. It had been reported that I had said that one of the youths' mothers was going to hell. I had said no such thing. 

The Sermon on the Mount for the most part; at least the Beatitudes, has always seemed to me to be comforting. However, there are parts of Jesus' sermon that will strike at a guilty conscience quite severely. It is not as though Jesus pointed a finger at any specific person. He merely points at what is right and at what is wrong. 

The word of God is like a two edged sword. The two edged sword is swift to destroy with both sharp sides. But, the sword can be used for two purposes on the battlefield. The first, most obviously, is to destroy. The second, with today's modern warfare, is not so obvious. When heated, the metal  blade of the sword was used to cicatrize wounds; to seal open blood vessels as well as other wounds. 

On the one-hand the word of God can bring us quickly to our knees as our spirits discern the judgment we have brought upon ourselves by daring to stand against the word of God. But, the word of God has a much more gracious purpose. Once wounded by the word, we are healed by the same word of God who desires nothing less than the good for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J