Forgive And Forget Our Sins

Psalm 25:1-10 KJV: Forgive and forget the sins of our youth and old age. Teach us to walk in your way.

Made Complete

Colossians 2:6-10 KJV; We are made complete in Jesus Christ.

Love the Lord your God!

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 KJV; Love the Lord your God as He first loved you. Teach that to your children.

Without Jesus We Can Do Nothing

Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV; Our good works will not bring us salvation; however; our faith in the one who saved us will produce good works as we abide in him.

Walk In Christ; Live Life In Him!

Reading from Colossians 2:6-13 KJV As we have been buried with Christ in baptism; we are also risen with him in new life.

Do Good; By Grace Through Faith In Christ

Strength For The Weary

The weary shall mount up wings of an eagle

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

                                                                                  (Isa 40:28-31 KJV)

I have been a bit weary lately. It seems it gets more and more difficult each day to get anything accomplished. We are in the process of selling our home in Michigan. We have been waiting to close on the sale for months. I have paperwork laying all over my office. Every time I think we're close to closing, I'm ruffling through all of the stacks of paper once again. The title company seems to be having problems figuring out things. Today is exactly four months after we accepted the offer. So... I am feeling very weary. I have to keep reminding myself that God will take care of things according to his will and in his time so I am editing and reposting this story I wrote a year ago to remind myself and you to trust the Lord to give us strength in all things.

I was on a sabbatical kayaking on the southern shore of Lake Superior many years ago. The stretch I was traveling that day was very remote. There was no cell service. There were no roads. There were no homes along this stretch of shoreline. There were only woods. There was also a storm that came up once I was on the water. The rain was light; but, there was a lot of wind and some really rough wave action. It was not the first time that I had paddled during small craft warnings. If it had not been for my husband waiting at a park with lunch for me at the end of this stretch I would have pulled up on shore and set up my tent until the weather calmed down. But, he was expecting me and I knew that if I was way too late he would have the Coast Guard out looking for me. Although, weary from battling the wind and waves I was determined to keep going. 

I was finally quite exhausted. The wind and the rain had gotten worse so I decided to go on shore and eat a little bit of lunch hoping that the storm would die down a bit. The landing was a little rough; but, not too bad. I ate lunch taking cover under a tree from at least some of the rain. The prospect of launching was a little daunting as the water grew fiercer. I love Lake Superior; but, she is something to be very wary of so I laid down and fell asleep  waiting for her to calm down. When I opened my eyes I beheld a bald eagle on a limb above me; looking down; watching me. I could see his eyes plainly. I could see every wet feather on his head. I remembered this verse from Isaiah: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." 

My strength was renewed. I got up and back out on the water with the assurance that God was with me. The launch was much rougher than the landing. I struggled against the waves as I launched and paddled far enough from the shoreline to where it was not quite so rough. It took over six hours for me to make the about three hour journey to where my husband was waiting for me. And... yes, he had grown very worried. But, thankfully he had not called the Coast Guard, yet! 

There are many days that we grow weary. Sometimes the storms of life wear us out. Sometimes even the lack of storms can actually make us weary of life; weary of the same old things. But, no matter what causes us to grow weary and to lose our strength or our courage to move forward, we can know that God is with us. We can be confident that He will give us power and strength. He gives us the courage to rise up with wings like eagles and keep going no matter what challenges the days will bring us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Devil And Earthly Lusts Depart

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." 

                                                              (Gal 5:13-17 KJV)

Desires of the world infiltrate our lives. But, they do no have to take over our lives.  Jesus said:

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt 6:24)

The lusts of our flesh and the Spirit within fight against one another as the devil is always in conflict with the Spirit of God. It can be a major battle especially for those with addiction problems. The Good News is that the Spirit of Christ will help us to flee from the temptations of the devil and overcome any worldly lusts that we may have. The Spirit of Christ will teach us how to put behind us our own earthly desires so that we might live empowered by the Spirit loving one another.

Jesus is the ultimate example of how to love one another as he gave his whole life for you. Focus on him and walk in the Spirit commanding that the evil spirits, that would lead you to a self-centered way neglecting to love and care for others, would flee in the name of Jesus.  

Love one another and live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Walk In His Ways

Psalm 128 KJV

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

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The Psalm today sounds a lot like "IF" you do this the Lord will bless you. The plain truth is that the Lord has shown us a fruitful way to live. Do good! Doing what is contrary to the way that God has shown you to live will lead you into trouble of your own making. 

He has shown us the way to live lives of peace. Dwell in his Word. Abide in Christ and follow in the way. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Walk Humbly With God

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8 KJV)

Do Good! Do what is just! 

The word of the Lord unto Micah was that what he wanted out of humankind was for us to humble ourselves and treat each other with loving mercy. 

The world is full of people who try to do just that. But, often our egos take over and we do not even recognize how we may be harming others. We become so engaged in seeking happiness for ourselves that in the end happiness and any semblance of peace end up eluding us because  we have not recognized that the injustice and lack of love that we have for others is engulfing us in a blanket of darkness.  

Why choose the darkness when you can be engulfed in the light of Jesus the Christ? Walking in the light of Christ we will be following in his very steps. As we walk in his light we will do for others as he did for us; humbly and lovingly putting the needs of others before our own desires;  doing justice; doing what is right; doing what is good. 

The light who is Jesus the Christ has come into the world to show us the way. That same light will guide us if we would but follow wherever he will lead us.

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." (Isa 60:1)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Walk Away

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,

But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

                                                                  (Mark 10:29-31 KJV)

Walk away. Sometimes, one has to walk away from everything for Jesus' sake. It will not be easy. But, sometimes, it is necessary.  If those you love are dragging you down; if they are doing their best to extinguish the light of Christ within you then for the sake of Christ you may have to walk away. In order to continue proclaiming and living the gospel you may have to walk away.

That sounds un-Christian to many. It even sounds downright evil to many. But, what is more evil? Is it more evil to walk away from those you love and genuinely care about or to turn away from God?

That does not mean that you should despise those you have chosen to keep your distance from. But, often it is much easier to continue to love and pray for them when you are not caught up in the web of dysfunction you find yourself in when you are close in proximity to them.

Continue to love them. But, do not let them interfere with your first love; the one who lived and died and lives again for and through you. Remember the one who has purchased for you eternal life, by the shedding of his blood; Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Walk In His Way; Do His Will

Psalm 128:1-6 KJV

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

+++

It is a good thing to walk in the ways of the Lord; to do His will.  God did not make rules just to punish us. The law reminds us what can and cannot do if we would live peaceably with God and with one another. After all the essence of the commandments can be summed up in one word: love. We are to love God and our neighbors.

When the Israelites listened to God things went pretty smoothly. But, the Israelites, like us, had a tendency to do their own will; make their own rules, rather than listen to God. They often fell away as we do.

Blessed is the one that walks in the ways of the Lord!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Adulting

Psalm 143:7-8

Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

+++

My second granddaughter is working on the transition from teen to adult. She is working on adulting.  She is doing quite well in spite of society's rules and regulations making it much harder than when I or her parents made the transition. I first heard this term "adulting" when her older sister was making that transition into adulthood. I laughed as I thought that she had made it up. But, I checked the Urban Dictionary and it appears to be a word that is being used today. Adulting is when a young person begins to take on things that would be considered adult-like. These might be things as simple as getting out of bed on time to go to school or work without anyone having to wake them up or filling out a job application without assistance or trying to apply for a credit card so they can actually work on a credit score which in this day and age is required to do a whole lot of things including renting a place to live. 

Of course, this transition is a process; and, the training of a young person to make this transition should actually begin at birth. But, that jump from teen to adult is not always easy even for those who have been adulting (bearing the responsibilities of an adult) for many years.

The psalmist prayed that the Lord would teach him the way that he should go. This is my prayer for all of our young people. That the Lord would be with them; guiding them in His Way as they learn how to be mature and fruitful adults. It is not easy to make that transition from teen to adult. Aging is a process that cannot be stopped. Prayerfully, as we all age, we will also all grow and mature in Christ. May God be with our young people as they learn to follow in the way that He would have them go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Do Not Be Deceived

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

                                                                                 (Eph 5:6-14 KJV)

These are troubling times. It can be difficult to discern the truth. So much of what we hear is coming from political or personal agendas and bias'. It is true in the world at large; but, it is also true in way too much of the church. People promote themselves. They make money from distorting or exaggerating the truth; sometimes from outright lies. Those who live as though these lies are truth find themselves confused as they live in the darkness.  It is difficult to find your way when the darkness surrounds you. 

But, a light has come into the world. The light who is Jesus the Christ sheds light onto a dark world. His light shines into our lives. If you really want to be "woke" you will need to step into the marvelous light of Christ.  Wake up and live life in Christ! 

The light of Christ; the truth in Christ unite us. It will bring us together in loving fellowship. Leave off; stay away from those who would deceive others to their own advantage with their vain words. Step out of the darkness of deceit and walk in the light of Christ that you might know the truth and live an abundant life.

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. (1 John 1:7)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Lift Us Up

 

"The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." 

(Hab 3:19 KJV)

On some days life can be pretty rough. Troubles and obstacles can bring us down. On those days we pray that the Lord will lift us up and lead us through the tough times.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Help our feet to walk in your high places. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Get Out Of Your Safe Space; Seek Other Seas

And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

                                                                                                           (Mark 6:45-51 KJV)

"If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" is a book written by John Ortman. I've never read it; but, I do like the title.

That doesn't mean that you should step out of your boat and try to walk on water as Jesus did. That would be a bad idea especially if you cannot swim. But, if we want to follow Jesus we need to get out of our small boats; our safe spaces, that isolate us from the rest of the world and as the lyrics of one of my favorite hymns tells us with Jesus we will seek other seas.

What does that mean? Not all professed Christians are followers of Jesus. They are merely church goers. Many consider that one or two hours a week is enough to qualify as Christians. Some think that may be too much and make it for Christmas and or Easter Worship. Some do not even do that. It is, of course, important to regularly attend worship to hear the word of God and to receive the Sacrament. By these means of grace God strengthens our faith. But, we are not saved by attending church. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Rituals are fine when they help to restore us and build up our faith. However, Jesus does call us to follow him and he does send us to share the Good News that we have heard with others. In order to do that when we leave the church building; when we leave our small boats, we are to seek others sees. We are to seek the lost.

Do not be afraid to share this Good News. Even though there will be many who reject the Good News and probably you, Jesus is with you even as he was with the disciples on the stormy sea. And... what happened when Jesus got into the boat with the disciples? The wind and tumultuous seas were calmed.

Do not be afraid to get out of your small boat to share the Good News in other seas. Christ is with you no matter how troubled the waters might get.

The hymn I referred to in this blog is "Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore" written by Monseñor Cesáreo Gabaráin. For those who have never heard it and for those who love it the first verse and refrain are as follows:

You have come down to the lakeshore
Seeking neither the wise nor the wealthy,
But only asking for me to follow.

Sweet Lord, you have looked into my eyes,
Kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I've abandoned my small boat;
Now with you, I will seak other seas.

God grant us all the courage to step out of our small boats and to follow Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Rise! Walk In The Light!

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

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. (Eph 5:8-17 KJV)

The days can be both evil and very short. There really is no time to throw away. Every single minute is of value. Once it is gone it is gone for good. You cannot get that moment back. You do not get a retake so make the best of every moment. Live life and live it in Christ where the light shines on all things. 

Rise dear sleeper from the dead! Walk as a child of the light understanding the will of the Lord and then do the best you can to keep from turning away from his good will. Turn to him. Turn to the light and you will see the way out of the darkness that sinful desires would trap us in. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Dance On Slippery Slopes

Hinds' Feet In High Places

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

                                                                                (Habakkuk 3:18-19 KJV)

Life can really get a person down and keep us down. That is if we do not rely on the Lord to pick us back up. The Lord is the strength that will pick us. He will help us to not only walk; but, to run and dance on treacherously slippery slopes where once we could barely stand.

Rejoice in the Lord for he is our strength and salvation!  

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (Isa 12:2)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Live In Peace

Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. (Prov 28:6 KJV)

What a miserable state to find oneself in: rich and perverse! Poor and perverse is not so good either! But, he that walks in uprightness will be able to lay down at night and get a good nights sleep. He will be able to rise in the morning and be at peace with himself and with life because he knows that he walks with his integrity intact. 

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. (Prov 22:1)

He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. (Prov 10:9)

There are enough people in this world who seek pleasure in the perverse things of this world. There are enough who in the pursuit of their own riches and enjoyment who will trample on others. They will know no peace. Do not follow in their footsteps. Seek what is good; do what is right; and live a life of peace! 

God's Peace be with you all - Pr. J.

Love Your Neighbor

 

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matt 22:37-39 KJV)

Do no harm! And... don't stand by and watch anyone do harm to others. It was many years ago in Spain. One of the Marines had witnessed an assault on someone. He did nothing more but witness the event. He ended up in a Spanish prison for not going to the aid of the victim. When we stand by and do nothing but witness the harm being done to others are we also not sinning? 

When we strive to love as God loves we will not only do no harm; but, we will help and support them in any way that we can as we learned from the Small Catechism that Martin Luther wrote for us so that we might better understand the word of God.  

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Matt 13:8-10)

Love is seen when we do all that we can to help our neighbors in time of need. But, we must be careful that we do not support anyone to further victimize others.  

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Mic 6:8)

And... last but not the least thought for this morning:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Cor 13:4-7 NIV)

God's Peace - Pr. J.