Justice And Mercy

Micah 6:6-9 KJV; Do justice and love mercy; walk humbly with your God.

I Am Not Crushed

Psalm 62; 17th Sunday after Pentecost; God is our rock and salvation.

Love Of Money

1 Tim 6:10

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart. 

                                                                     (Eccl 5:10-20 KJV)

There was a time when just about everyone rejoiced that they had work that would enable them to provide for themselves and their families. Their rejoicing was not because they were going to be rich and and have every material thing that they desired. They rejoiced that God had provided them a means to be able to have shelter and food to eat for themselves and their families. They were not so greedy to want every material thing because they actually wanted to have time to spend with their families and friends. They knew that there were and are more important things in life than "stuff."

One of my husband's great-uncles told me the story of how he provided for his family. He had been struggling to make ends meet so he prayed that God would give him enough money to support his ever growing family. Within short order he was hired by the post-office and lived financially comfortable; yet, not rich in things, ever after... He was ever grateful to God who provided for his family.

Things are not the most important thing in life. Great wealth can very easily rob a person of the greater pleasures in life. 

Let us give thanks to God for the real pleasures in life. Live life in Christ and rejoice!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

One Master

“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matt 6:24 NRSV)

You cannot serve God and wealth or anything else. As Christians, there is no priority greater than serving the One who created us. There is to be no greater priority that loving the one who loves us so much that He willingly gave His Son to die for us.

When my sons were young they, as most young children, would often tell me that they loved me with their whole hearts or more than anyone else. My response would be that if they did not love God more than me then they did not love me enough. Some might say that my response was cruel. But, the truth is if we do not love God more than anyone or anything else then we do not have the genuine ability to love or serve anyone else as much as we would think we do.  

Wealth cannot save us. We cannot save us. Only Christ saves; therefore, we love the and serve the one who first loved us. We serve because Christ first served us by dying on the cross for us. God is best served when we serve others according to the great love God has for us and we for Him. We can do this only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Who Will You Listen To?

And now, my child, listen to me,
   and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Keep your way far from her,
   and do not go near the door of her house;
or you will give your honor to others,
   and your years to the merciless,
and strangers will take their fill of your wealth,

   and your labors will go to the house of an alien;

and at the end of your life you will groan,

   when your flesh and body are consumed,
and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline,

   and my heart despised reproof!

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

   or incline my ear to my instructors.
Now I am at the point of utter ruin

   in the public assembly.

                            (Prov 5:7-15 NRSV)

Taking the advice from others; learning from their pasts, takes a pretty strong person. Our nature tends to make us want to do things our way. We'd rather not listen to teachers, or parents, or anyone that God has put in authority over us. We'd rather do what pleases us than what pleases God.

But, we are reminded in the book of Proverbs not to be following in the ways of those who do not follow the way of the Lord. Do not be following the advice who will lead you away from the Lord to a point of utter ruin. Do not follow those who will lead you away from "The Way." Rather, follow those who God has appointed to teach you. 

Do not listen to those who would lead you away from God. They do so in order to justify their own selfish existence. They do so for their own benefit. Incline your ear to those who would show you "The Way" in which to go. 

Be careful who you listen to! Be careful who you follow!

God's Peace - Pr. J 

 

Serve The One True God

Deuteronomy 6:4

 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15 NRSV)

There are many gods. We will all serve someone or something. Some serve money; others serve heroes of this world; some serve their own ego. But, there is only one who is the creator of heaven and earth. There is only one God that can save us from the rest of these false gods. There is only one God who can save us from ourselves. Who or what is it that we serve?

In Jesus' sermon on the mountain he said: “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matt 6:24)

It is much easier for me to understand someone telling me that they serve a god other than the Triune God; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit than if they tell me that they are Christians and serve the one true God and do not. The way one lives; the way one gives; the way one worships can be very good indicators of who or what each of us serves. if while one serves in the name of Jesus; but, it is their own ego that is in the limelight then I have to wonder what or who it is that they are really serving. Who or what is going to profit by their actions? Will it be the Kingdom or the person's ego or pocketbook? I am human and so I wonder about these things.

Jesus also said in his sermon on the mountain: 

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. 

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”  (Matthew 7:20-27)

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Meaninglessness Of The Love Of Things

The older I get and death becomes more of a reality, the more I lapse into moments of thinking that life is as meaningless as Solomon would imply. Why all the years of toil, if it is to be gone in a second? This toiling after amassing riches is totally meaningless. Living life to amass things means that we will miss out on living and enjoying our lives in Christ in the here and now. We can; after all, only serve one God. 

Solomon's words of wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes tell us:

The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity.

When goods increase, those who eat them increase; and what gain has their owner but to see them with his eyes?

Sweet is the sleep of laborers, whether they eat little or much; but the surfeit of the rich will not let them sleep.

There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture; though they are parents of children, they have nothing in their hands. As they came from their mother’s womb, so they shall go again, naked as they came; they shall take nothing for their toil, which they may carry away with their hands."
                                                                        (Eccl 5:10 - 15 NRSV) 

That is not to say work is evil. We should work if we expect to eat. But, it becomes very bothersome, even a burden, when one works only to amass riches. Jesus told this story to a crowd who followed to listen to Him: 
 

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’  Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
                                                                             Luke 12:16-21

Our work should bring joy to us as well as to others. Live life! Enjoy the life that God has given you! Whether it is in the hours you spend laboring or during the hours you are relaxing with your friends and family, life here on earth is to be lived and enjoyed. Life, abundant life, is a gift from God.

This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot. Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil—this is the gift of God. For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts. (Eccl 5:18-20).

Focus your journey here on earth, not on amassing wealth or power to the exploit of others, but on living life so that God may be glorified.

And... may the peace and joy that is found in being in relationship with God, our Father and with one another, through His Son, Jesus the Christ, be with you always.  

Pr. J

Be Kind!

A kindhearted woman gains honor,

   but ruthless men gain only wealth.
Those who are kind benefit themselves,
   but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
   but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
Truly the righteous attain life,
   but whoever pursues evil finds death. 

                                        Prov 11:16-19

Be nice! That seems to be the gist of Proverbs 11. Being "nice;" being honest, being fair, being kind, is not only a blessing to those you are being nice to; but, in the end you also will feel blessed. "Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves."

There is good advise for daily living in these verses from Proverbs. We are warned about the negative consequences of doing what is not right and reminded of the positive consequences of doing what is right; of being kind.

Worship the LORD your God and follow in the path that He has set before you, doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong to your benefit and for the benefit of the people around you.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Toiling After Riches Is Meaningless

"Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.
I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
there is nothing left for them to inherit.
Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
and as everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil

that they can carry in their hands.  (Eccl 5:10 - 15 NIV) 

The older I get; the more death becomes a reality, the more I lapse into more moments of thinking that life is as meaningless as Solomon would imply. Why all the years of toil, if it is to be gone in a second? This toiling after riches is truly meaningless. The love of money is the root of evil. (1 Tim 6:10) It is not money; but the love of money that will lead one away from the true riches of life found in being in genuine relationship with God and one another.

That is not to say work is evil. We should work if we expect to eat. But, it can become a very burden when one works only to amass riches. Jesus told this story to a crowd who followed to listen to Him:
  
 “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
  "Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
  “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:17-21

Our work should bring joy to us as well as to others. Live life! Enjoy the life that God has given you! Whether it is in the hours you spend laboring or during the hours you are relaxing with your friends and family, life here on earth is to be lived and enjoyed. Life, abundant life, is a gift from God.

"This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart." (Eccl 1:18-20).

While you are yet making your journey through this world, focus not on amassing wealth or power to the exploitation of others, but on living life so that God may be glorified.

And... may the peace and joy that is found in being in relationship with God, our Father and with one another, through His Son, Jesus the Christ, be with you always. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fair Days Labor

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.  (James 5:1-6 NIV)

Justice in regards to pay can be a balancing act. On the one side there are those in this world who get rich off of the unfair wages and labor of others. There are those who do not get paid fair wages for an awful lot of work. The rich get richer on the backs of the poor who get poorer. However, on the other side there are also those who would have everything given to them without a fair days labor given for those wages.

As some employers get rich while paying their employees minimum wages; others lose their businesses because they cannot keep up with the continual rising costs of having employees. The cost of unemployment taxes, workman's compensation, and other insurances can be prohibitive for many small businesses, eventually leading to not only loss of jobs for employees; but, for the employer, as well. I know more than one small business; although their employees do not get rich, the owner actually makes less than their employees while contributing more time and work. Just because someone owns a small business we ought to be careful not to consider that they are getting rich on the backs of their employees. Some suffer in order to provide their employees employment.

We live in a country where we have many freedoms that people in many other countries do not have. We are still one of the richest countries in the world. We thank God for this economic freedom; but, at the same time we must beware that this economic freedom does not become a god in itself for us. As individuals, as Christians, we must strive to pay fair wages in exchange for fair labor. As individuals, we ought to strive to provide fair labor for the fair wages we are paid. We need to try to ensure that our corroded gold and silver don't become testimonies against us.

Whether we are employers or employees; whatever we do, we do it unto the Lord; so that God is glorified. Do justice for your employee and your employer so that all may eat and none should suffer.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Toiling After Riches

The older I get the more death becomes a reality, I lapse into more moments of thinking that life is as meaningless as Solomon would imply. Why all the years of toil, if it is to be gone in a second? Even if you have something to leave your offspring, how long will it last them? Do they follow in the way that they should go so that all that they say and thing and do will glorify God? Will their inheritance be wasted away on trivial stuff - fleeting moments of pleasure rather than those things that will bring real joy (that is glorifying God)? Will they appreciate all the years that you spent earning and saving it for them?

This toiling after riches is meaningless.

"Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.
I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
there is nothing left for them to inherit.
Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
and as everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil
that they can carry in their hands.  (Eccl 5:10 - 15 NIV) 

That is not to say work is evil. We should work if we expect to eat. But, it becomes very bothersome, even a burden, when one works only to amass riches. Jesus told this story to a crowd who followed to listen to Him: 

 “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
  "Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
  “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:17-21

Our work should bring joy to us as well as to others. Live life! Enjoy the life that God has given you! Whether it is in the hours you spend laboring or during the hours you are relaxing with your friends and family, life here on earth is to be lived and enjoyed. Life, abundant life, is a gift from God.

"This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart." (Eccl 1:18-20).

While you are yet making your journey through this world focus not on amassing wealth or power to the exploitation of others, but on living life so that God may be glorified.

And... may the peace and joy that is found in being in relationship with God, our Father and with one another, through His Son, Jesus the Christ, be with you always.  Pr. J

Only One Body; Only One Flock

Bringing the Good News to our brothers and sisters in Christ

in Laskela, Russia, many years ago. There is only one Body

of Christ. We live and serve by the power of the Spirit of

Christ that all of the sheep may be united as members of that

One Body.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV 

What a tragedy that our Lord would have to die for our sins. Yet, he loves us so much that he was willing to suffer horribly and die for us. He was abandoned by the very sheep he sought to save.

And, not just was abandoned, is still abandoned. We, like sheep, have gone astray, turning each to his own way. One of the most predominant false gods within the church on earth is ourselves. Rather than God, it is the ego that is way too often served. The false gods of wealth and property also loiter around the church, as well. But, they usually pertain directly to the predominant false god of self. We say we love him and most probably do. But, at the same time we often forget to acknowledge and welcome the whole Body of Christ. Often the sheep do not recognize the other sheep; thinking only of their own needs; their own desires, striving only to fulfill their own egos. 

St Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment." (1 Cor 11:29-31) This not only relates to discerning the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Communion; but, to recognizing the body of Christ that comes to the table with us. It is not about us, as individuals. It is about the whole body of Christ living in His Kingdom, united and at peace with God and with one another. That doesn't happen when the sheep are all busy trying to go their own ways.

Like Peter and the other disciples, when the going gets rough; when it becomes a danger to self preservation of ego or even life itself, the sheep all too often scatter. Yet, he loves us so much that he was willing to suffer horribly and die for all the lost sheep that we might be reconciled to God our Father for all of eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J