The Grass Withers

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1:24-25 KJV)

We don't get to live forever here on earth. In the end all things must die. But, thanks be to God even as the grass withers and dies it will usually come back and live in the spring. Our hope rests in the spring that God has promised us. It rests in the good news that although we are sinners and deserve nothing but death we will live.  Christ died that we might be made righteous by his work on the cross. We cannot be made righteous no matter how good; how godly we attempt to be. We will all fall short. But, Jesus did not. He was tempted and overcame every temptation including the temptation to not go to the cross for us.  

As the grass withers and springs back to life so shall who believe in the saving grace of God through Jesus the Christ. Our flesh will die; but, we will live. Because he lives so shall we!

God's Peace  - Pr. J.

The Flesh Dies

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

                                                                                (John 6:32-35 KJV)

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

                                                                                (John 6:63 KJV)

The flesh is but a tent within which we live life. It is the spirit that gives life. The words that Jesus has given us are filled with the Spirit and with life.

The material things of this world matter very little. Of course, we need some of them for the fleshly tent to continue housing the spirit. But, too often we worry about the feeding the flesh and totally neglect the spirit within with the end result being that life becomes very wearisome and we become quarrelsome. Like the grass the withers and the flowers that fall the flesh too will pass away. (1 Peter 1:24-25) It will wither and die. What then shall become of your spirit; of your life if it has not been fed with the bread of life?

The spirit must be rejuvenated in order for us to live. It must be fed. Care for your spirit by feeding it with the truth, with the true bread from heaven, with the Word of God, who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

The Word Endures Forever

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For

“All flesh is like grass
   and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
   and the flower falls,

but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

That word is the good news that was announced to you.
                                                       (1 Peter 11:22-25 NRSV)

This is what we Christians do: we announce the word, which is the good news of Jesus Christ. Yes, we share the word: Jesus died for you.

Jesus is the Word. The Gospel of St. John (1:1-9, 14) tells us:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the word, which brings us truth and love light! May the Word of God abide in and through you forever.

God's Peace - Pr. J

                                                                                    

Flowers Fade

The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

Psalm 103:15-18

It is always nice to be reminded of death. Not! Most people would probably prefer to think that they have decades and decades upon decades of life left here on earth. Considering that we are dust and to dust we will one day return or like flowers in a field that fade away is not something that is generally a mood pleaser. But, it is reality. We must make the most of our days here on earth for the time here is very short.

But; for those who fear and love the Lord, we know that this world is not all there is. There is more. His love will abide with us for all eternity and we will abide in His love from everlasting to everlasting.

The grass withers and flowers fade; but, love lasts for all eternity. God's love will keep us close forever. 

God's Peace – Pr. J

Blessings on Mother's Day

"The grass withers and the flowers fall,
   but the word of our God endures forever.”
                                                Isaiah 40:8 NIV

Many women will receive flowers day in thanks for their loving service as mothers. I am not sure how we came up with holidays like Mother's and Father's day; but, we have them just the same. Holidays come and go. Just like the flowers that fall; one day the holiday is here and the next day it is gone and nothing more than a fleeting memory. 

Most of the people that I have previously served probably remember that I have never really felt inclined to observe secular holidays in the church. Unless, someone reminds me that they are coming up, I usually do not even consider them. I do not remember them. My number one and only priority in the pulpit is to proclaim the word of God; to feed the sheep with the food (the Word of God) that will sustain their souls. 

May God bless all Mother's this day; but, let us not forget that we too are like the grass that withers and the flowers that fall without the word of our God. The word of God will endure forever as will all who believe that our Lord and Savior died for us that we might live eternally in the presence of God our Father. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Flowers are an awesome gift for mothers. But, what most Christian mothers would really like to see is her children worshipping the God whose word endures forever.