Save Us And We Will Be Saved

Psalm 80:1-7 KJV; 1st Sunday in Advent; the Sunday of hope. The world is a mess! Who will save us? Who can even know where to begin to pray?  In times like these the faithful turn to God relying on the Holy Spirit to pray for us and through us.

False Prophets Abound

Mark 13:5-8 KJV; Listen not to the false prophets and fake saviors. There is only one savior and know the peace that only he can give..

Veterans Day 2023

John 15:12-13 KJV; Veterans Day

Put Not Your Trust In Princes

Psalm 146:1-10 KJV; Put not your trust in leaders who claim to want to help the world; yet, only help themselves. Put your trust in the Lord and know that many who say that they are oppressed have actually become the oppressor and in the end the Lord will turn their ways upside down.

Gospel Of The Kingdom

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

                                                                             (Matt 24:3-13 KJV)

I have been hearing doomsday warning since I was a very little girl clinging to my grandmother's skirts. All of the travesties have been occurring my entire life. One think has not. The gospel of the kingdom has not been preached in all the world. Many have not heard the good news that all who believe Jesus' message of the kingdom for all who believe. It has not been heard because even within many churches the good news has been relegated to things of the kingdom like love or peace. I do not mean to downplay the attributes of love and peace. Love and peace surely belong to the kingdom. However, the kingdom must come in its fullness for love and peace to be fully realized.

There are many sorrows in the world today. There have always been and they will continue until the gospel, the good news of the kingdom is actually preached in all of the world. 

May God empower everyone of His children with the courage and wisdom to proclaim this good news!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Watch And Pray

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. 

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 

                                                                       (Mark 13:26-27, 32-33 KJV)

No one knows. No one knows when the Lord when our end will come; not for the individual and not for the world. It could be today. It could be millions of years from now. 

There have been days when I thought "isn't it about time for you to come in your full glory, LORD?" So many wars and threats of wars; rioting and destruction; families fighting within themselves and with their neighbors; congregations and communities battle with one another it makes one wonder if it will ever stop or even slow down. Will there will ever be peace?

These are not things that should lead us to despair. Jesus tells us that all these things and more will and must happen before the end. We must be prepared. We cannot give up hope. We cannot let our faith lie dormant or die. Be alert! Watch! Wait! He has come. He is present now. He will come again. Trust in the Lord who loves you so much that he was willing to die for you! Trust in the Lord who has gone to prepare a place for you. The promise that the Son of man will come in the clouds with great power and glory is good news; not bad.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

By Faith We Move Forward

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."

                                                                                   (Heb 11:6-8 KJV)

Fear can easily coerce us into doing absolutely nothing or running in the opposite direction. Yet, Noah and Abraham, as well as many others who trusted God before us, moved forward. They did what God asked of them because they trusted Him. 

Believing an unseen God and building an ark so that he and his family might live was a major change in Noah's life. It may have seemed foolish to the world around him. But, the results proved that it was not.

Abraham left his birth family; his home country, to be led by God through the wilderness to a land promised to him and his descendants was a major undertaking. It all rested on his trust in God. 

Moses, too, believed the words of God and led the Israelites out of captivity to journey to a promised land. The journey was long and hard, made harder by the many trust issues along the way among the Israelites. Moses actually never got to enter that promised land; but, he was able to lead the people of God to it because he trusted in the Lord and followed Him.

Hardships are encountered daily by the human race. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are natural disasters and diseases that threaten to take us down. But, fear should never be allowed to keep us from moving forward to receive the promises of God. If fear can do anything positive, it should move us to hear the word of the Lord and listen attentively to it so that we might know the way in which to go.

Faith overcomes fear of things that might stand in our way of moving forward. Remember, the promises of the Lord and keep in mind what St. Paul wrote to the Romans: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28) Walk in faith. God has a good purpose for you. Do not let the fear that permeates the world around you stop you from receiving the good plans He has for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Still And Know The Great "I Am"

The Lord of Hosts is with you!

"He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah."

                       (Psalm 46:9-11 KJV)

In the midst of the darkest days and the most tumultuous nights; when we find ourselves restless; and wandering aimlessly; let us remember that the God of peace, the great "I AM" is with us. 

We can have peace of heart and mind in the knowledge that no matter what is going on around us the Lord of hosts is with us. Through every storm and battle, God has a plan. It is a plan for good. It is a plan for peace. Even while the battle yet rages, we can know the peace of heart and mind that surpasses all understanding. Be still in His presence; trusting that He will make the battle cease, break the bow, and shatter the spear. He is our refuge and strength!

When your heart and soul become restless; find stillness in the presence of the Lord and in the knowledge that the great "I AM" is God and He is with you and He is for you. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Gentle Words

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Prov 15:1 NIV)                                                                                                                                           Humanity really seems to enjoy arguments, divisions, even wars. Maybe that is not so true. Maybe it is only that we like to have be the ones who are always right; always better than the next person; always the one to have the last word. Are we as a species addicted to living in drama? Because being number one all of the time leads to just that: drama!

Sometimes, it is necessary to not even disagree with someone that you know is totally off the planet wrong; but, to keep your lips zipped. Don't say a word. Smile. Walk away. Let things calm down before you attempt to resume the conversation if ever you even need to resume the conversation.

It is not necessary to belittle others with harsh words. It is more necessary to get along or walk away for your sake and for the sake of everyone around you. 

Harsh words stir up anger. Anger stirs up hate and contempt. Hate and contempt kills not just bodies; but, the soul as well.

May God grant us gentle tongues and gentle spirits.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Keep Alert!

"Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering." 1 Peter 5:7-9 NRSV

There are some in family who are not totally comfortable with my vigilance. They think that I am too cautious because I usually take the time and make the effort to look past what I see at first glance to what is really going on around us. I like to know who the people really are that are involved in their lives. Social media; the internet as a whole, just as it is used by many employers to see who it is that they are really hiring, can be a very useful tool for parents, grandparents and pastors. I use this tool because I am well aware that sometimes the adversary might come like a roaring lion and sometimes the adversary comes dressed in sheep's clothing. Even wolves in sheep's clothing can be recognized if we know what we are looking for; if we know God's word and discipline ourselves to follow it. I like to know and be prepared for any attacks that my come against my loved ones and that includes all of the people I serve.

There are wars all around us. Some of them are plainly seen. The wars being fought in the unseen realms are not so easily discerned. Often, people are not even aware that they are being attacked. They are won over to the enemy's side without even being aware of it. The adversary knows his enemy. He knows us. He knows what desires and temptations will crumble us. It would be beneficial for us to also know the enemy so that we can recognize him when he rears his ugly head whether he comes to us as a roaring lion or dressed in sheep's or shepherd's clothing.

The more that we discipline ourselves to know the word of God, the more alert we will be to recognize the adversary when he attacks. Discipline yourself in the word. Read the Holy Scriptures daily; hear His word proclaimed at Worship; and then discipline yourselves, to follow the Word, who is Jesus the Christ and you will have no need to fear the adversary.

May the Lord keep you from the adversary; even as He keeps you in the Word.

God's Peace - Pr. Judy