Casting Out Demons

He Pardons Iniquity

 

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 

                                                                                   (Micah 7:18-19 KJV)

Unfortunately, humankind does not pardon iniquity easily. We can hold a grudge forever and in doing so we bring about even more iniquity.  We usually cause more iniquity; we often sin when we are angry or hurt. 

Jesus tells us to love one another and not to hate even those who persecute you.

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

                                                                                   (Matt 5:44-45)

The Lord desires that we should forgive one another. But, we are not required to stay in situation or relationships that will provoke us to continue to live in a sinful manner. St. Paul wrote to the Romans: 

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them." (Rom 16:17)

Micah tells us that God will subdue our iniquities. If God will do that for us; if God will forgive us our sins; why would we walk right back into that which inspires us to sin? Daniel could walk into a lions den and live. You and I should most probably not try that if we want to live. We should not test God. 

When the devil took Jesus up and set him on a pinnacle of the temple he told Jesus that if he really were the Son of God then he should jump and God will send His angels to save him.

"Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Matt 4:7)

If the very Son of God would not test his Father in heaven, neither should we.

Yet, when we do test God by going against His will, God is willing and able to pardon our iniquities. Unlike us, God does not retain his anger forever. Unlike us, He is always ready to be merciful. 

Forgive one another; but, try to stay out of situations that will require you to receive forgiveness yourself later. It will make life a whole lot easier to live.

May the God of mercy, subdue our iniquities and forgive us all of our sins.  

God's Peace - Pr. J.

I Prefer The WIlderness

 

"It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman." (Prov 21:9 KJV)

Whether it is a contentious man or woman or even a contentious and angry neighbor, it is better to dwell in the wilderness where one is not wholly distracted by conflict. God did not intend for us to spend our lives fighting with others.

I have had more than my share of contentious neighbors. I have often said that I would prefer to live in a tent than in a situation where I don't even want to go outside. There have been more than a few places like that. The last place that we lived in had a dock on a canal that I could launch my kayak from. By the time we finally moved I rarely sat on the dock because my neighbor would watch every move I made. I felt like I was being stalked!

I am now living in a more rural area without too much land; but, with wooded areas surrounding us. The area is growing. But, at least for now my yard is not visible to any of my neighbors. We also own a small home in a cedar swamp on a river off of Lake Superior. We should sell it since we don't use it much; but, I am reluctant to because I am not sure if one day I will begin to feel closed in again and I will have to retreat to it and hide out in the wilderness.  Many would disagree that this would be a right way to go; but, that is who I am.

Simply put: After years (decades) of living house to house with others, I love the wilderness. I love people too. But, I do need quiet time and space to spend with the one I love most. I don't appreciate it when anyone disrupts my ability to commune and communicate with my God; with my Lord and Savior. 

The prophet Isaiah wrote:  "Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!" (Isa 5:8)

I thank God that He has provided me with quiet and at least semi-wilderness places to abide with Him at this point in my life. (I also thank God for Robin who shovels our roof in Michigan and makes sure home in Michigan still has a roof when we get there!)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Cleansed By The Blood Of Christ

Psalm 32:1

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." 

                                                                                (Psalm 51:1-4 KJV)

The Psalmist prayed that God would forgive him all of his sins. He acknowledged that he had sinned against God. No matter what offense we commit it all comes down to a sin against God. When we use or abuse anyone whether it is in word or deed it is a sin against God. When we cheat or slander our neighbor, that is not just a sin against the neighbor. It is a sin against God who gave life to the neighbor.  

David acknowledges his sins and asks to be cleansed of them. According to the First Epistle of John in we must acknowledge that have sinned. If we do not or cannot acknowledge and confess our sins we are nothing more than liars. In other words, in our lack of confession we sin against God. "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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (John 1:7-10)

The first man and woman welcomed sin into the world. We continue to exist in a sinful world being sinners ourselves. Humankind was kicked out of that beautiful garden in paradise. We could no longer walk in the presence or talk in person to the creator of all things. But, God so loved humankind he had a fix for that. He had a sacrifice that would make us worthy even though we were not worth. He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus to die on the cross so that we might be forgiven; that we might be cleansed of our sins; and that we might live in communion with our Father in heaven today and for all of eternity.

In the Revelation of John he writes to the churches what he has seen and heard in his visions from God. He begins by reminding them that Jesus who was the first begotten from the dead washed our sins away with his own blood.

"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  

                                                                                      (John 1:4-6)

Let us give thanks that God has sent His only begotten Son to die for us in order that our sins might be washed away by his own blood on the cross. We give thanks for our sins have been completely forgiven and we have been reconciled to God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Rejoice; for in Christ your sins are forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Gives Strength To The Weary

 

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 was on a sabbatical kayaking on the southern shore of Lake Superior. The stretch I was traveling that day was in a remote area. There was no cell service. There were no roads. There were no homes along this stretch of shoreline. There was only the 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 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 ashore and eat a little bit of lunch and hopefully 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 a bit. 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." 

I got up and back out on the water with the assurance that God was with me and that my strength was renewed. The launch was way rougher than the landing as I struggled against the waves to get back out and far enough from shore where it was not quite so rough. It took me some time to get to the park where my husband was waiting. What should have been a three no longer than a four hour paddle had turned into over a six hour journey. 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 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.

Idleness Destroys The Home

By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. (Eccl 10:17 KJV)

I was raised to appreciate the opportunity to work and accomplish something. I learned to actually enjoy working as most Saturdays and many evenings were filled with the whole family taking care of household chores. We were doing things together. When chores were being done no one was alone in doing it. No one was sitting on the couch or taking a nap while others took care of things that needed to be done to keep the home and any other property in good condition. We kept the house going as a family.

Both of my parents worked hard to provide for all of us and to teach us to do the same. My mother, especially, had her ideas of how to take care of a home. We never went to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. Bedding was washed every week if not every other week and; yes, after we took them off of the clothes line outside we even ironed sheets and pillow cases. Our home was always clean. The lawn was always mowed in the summer and sidewalk shoveled in the winter. I learned to plant a garden, to fish, to gather wild fruits, mushrooms, and greens and then to preserve what could be canned. I was taught that it takes much work to have things. I was also taught it would take manual labor to maintain those things. All of this takes time and effort. 

I have learned over the years that amassing too much stuff may take more time and effort than one actually wants to spend on maintaining the stuff. Sometimes, purchasing things we don't need to live on kills the opportunity to actually live life. 

In the end we must count the cost of actually having stuff that we don't need and won't want after we have it for a short while. Is it worth working endless hours to pay off an expensive cell phone when an Android will do the job?  And, if we commit to purchasing and making payments on frivolous stuff will we be able to afford to fix the vehicle that gets us to work to buy the things we actually need to survive?

There is much work to be done just to survive. Slothfulness will not get you very far. In the end everything that you have that you so desired will be lost when you cannot afford to take care of it or after you decided that naps are more preferred than taking care of the property that you have been blessed with. 

The destruction of a home from laziness does include more than the physical property. Consider how not caring for and tending to relationships will also destroy the home. Relationships not tended to will rot away. They will fall when they are not taken care of. 

May we all be filled with a desire to be good stewards of all that we have so that we might produce fruits to the glory of God. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Not Afraid, Only Believe

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 

                                                                   (Mark 5:22-24, 39-39,  38-42 KJV)

"Do not be afraid, only believe." Jesus told the ruler of the synagogue not to worry himself; that he should not fear; but that he should believe; he should have faith. That is not to say that there is no fear that is healthy. Fear of God can be a good thing.  In the book of Hebrews we read:  "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 'For our God is a consuming fire.'" (Heb 12:28-29)

Fear and faith. Which shall we live by? Where there is no faith, you will most often find fear. Where there is no fear, there faith is found. According to Lutheran Theologian, Paul Tillich, "Fear is the absence of faith." Now that is not to say we totally lack faith if we get anxious over something. But, a little bit of anxiety should not turn into a fear that keeps us from moving forward in life. Fear should not stop us in our tracks! Fear should not keep us from living life in Christ.

I live in a rural community. There are a few small cities near by. In two of them, I find myself most comfortable. In another, I am not. I am not comfortable with the rudeness and arrogance I hear people aiming at one another of late. Some of them will even claim that they have to correct people because they love all people so much. Unbelievable! I know that the reason that they most probably do this is because they live in fear. It is a very sad thing to witness people living with so much fear. But, I admit that this bullying of others, that stems from fear, does make me a bit anxious as well (ok, a lot anxious) and so I avoid that community as much as possible. I do my business in the communities where people live in real community; where they show grace and mercy; respect and kindness to one another.

Over and over again Jesus told people not to fear and to have faith. Is that knot in your stomach, born of fear, something you really want to live with for the rest of your life? Believe in God, Trust in the promises that He has made to all who believe in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

"...be not afraid, only believe." Believe and live an abundant life in Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Immediately Or Not?

And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 

                                                                             (Mark 1:27-31 KJV)

And, immediately....  Things seem to happen with Jesus pretty quickly. In fact they happen immediately. When he heals the sick they are healed immediately. When he casts out demons they are cast out immediately. The one story that stands out for me that tells of Jesus procrastinating is the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  

"When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him."

                                                                             (John 11:6, 14-15)

Jesus procrastinated and did not rush to heal Lazarus before he died so that he would be able to raise him from the dead and increase the faith of his followers.

I often procrastinate. I am not always pleased with myself when I do it. Sometimes when obstacles are thrown in my way I realize that maybe God does not particularly want me to have something or do something; that I must wait or not proceed at all. At other times, I accept the challenge and act immediately to overcome the obstacle. 

There is a time to act and a time to refrain from acting.  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." (Eccl: 3:1) How can we know the difference? Knowing the answer to that is a challenge in itself. 

The only answer that I am aware of to that question is to stay in the word and listen to it; to pray often; and to trust the Lord as you abide in Him and He in you. If you're not attempting to do that now then maybe you should begin immediately!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

In The Congregation

Your Words In My Mouth

"Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." 

                                                                                   (Jer 1:4-9 KJV)

Now, in order for prophecy to be heard it must be spoken. Words must be used and they must be heard for the prophecy to avail anyone. When the Lord informed Jeremiah that He had ordained him to be a prophet to all nations, Jeremiah was not convinced that he was up to that vocation. But, the Lord told him that he was because He would be with him and He would tell him what to say. He touched Jeremiah's and said, "Behold I have put my words in they mouth."

Like Jeremiah, we are often not sure what words to use to share the word of the Lord with others. We are often not sure what words to use to tell people about the love of our Lord Jesus. Yet, if we don't use words the Good News will never be heard. 

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17)

Help us Father by putting your words in our mouths so that we might tell the world about your great love and mercy toward us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ambassador In Bondage

 

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

                                                                                    (Eph 6:18-20 KJV)

As St. Paul closed his letter to the Ephesians he asked them to pray always for all saints as well as for himself.  He asked that they pray that God would help him to continue to speak boldly what the Lord would have him speak. 

This would have been a very difficult time for most people to continue to share the Gospel as Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome. Yet, he was well aware that was exactly where he was supposed to be. As a prisoner he would be able to share the news about Jesus not only with the faithful through letters but also to people who would not normally hear it.

Most of the country, indeed the world, has been placed in positions of semi-lockdowns due to Covid-19. We do not have the opportunities to see or fellowship with others as much as we were able to a year ago. But, we do have opportunity to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ. God provides those opportunities, even if it is no more than social media which could be considered akin to writing a letter. Thanks be to God we do still get to see people although not quite as many nor as often as we use to. We can still be ambassadors of Christ to others even within our bonds.

May God open our mouths so that we might proclaim the Gospel and to proclaim it boldly whenever and wherever we might be.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask How You Can Serve Others

And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

                                                                                 (Mark 9:33-35 KJV)

Who is more important? Who is more highly esteemed? Whether we like it or not; whether we're willing to fully acknowledge it or not there is a class system in the country; even in the whole world. Some people are put up on pedestals and others are ignored so completely that the world barely acknowledges their presence.  

St. James wrote:

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"                                                                                           (James 2:1-5)

The actor or the sports star is more highly esteemed than the janitor or even the doctor or nurse.  Many people who live in fine houses and wear expensive name brand clothes look down on those who live in ordinary homes and who dress for comfort and work. The politician for some really strange reason often thinks that they are more important than the security guards and the others that protect them. They forget that they are servants of the people and it's not the other way around. And, the people... so many people want the government to serve them; to give them everything that they want. 

In his inaugural speech, President John F. Kennedy said:  “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” What happened to that idea? Of course, not everyone was thrilled with that idea of his. He barely got the popular vote and he was assassinated during his term in office.

So many seem to have either forgotten, never heard, or just don't care that Jesus said "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." Not everyone is willing to serve others and so the class system will live on. We can put all the laws on the books that we want. But, the law will not change the hearts of men. It may change a few as it will force them to conform to the rule of law. But, even as the people are forced to conform to the law, the hearts of many will only be hardened.  

Service to others is born out of love not the law. Christ died on that cross because he loves us. He willingly went to the cross for our sakes so that we might reconciled to our Father in heaven and to one another. 

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Blinded By The Light

At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 

                                                                                      (Acts 26:13-18 KJV)

Blinded by the light as he met the ascended Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was sent by Jesus himself to open the eyes of all who could not see Jesus; to turn them from darkness to the light of Christ. 

His testimony to King Agrippa was compelling. It was so compelling that the king would have set him free had Paul not requested to make an appeal before Caesar. Paul's intention by appealing to Caesar was not to be found not guilty. It was so that even Caesar might hear the truth about Jesus and would see the light. 

As Paul was blinded by the light his eyes were opened so that he could see the truth who is Jesus the Christ. 

May God open the eyes of all people by the power of the Holy Spirit that all might step out of the darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Even The Devils Believe

And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. 

                                                                                   (Mark 1:21-22 KJV)

After Jesus' baptism as he began his ministry it was not the disciples or any living human being who recognized him as the Holy One of God. It was an unclean spirit. The unclean spirit knew that Jesus had the power to destroy it. And... all the people were amazed. His fame spread throughout the region. Yet, the people did not recognize who he truly was. 

As they followed Jesus for the next three years; although they saw many miracles and witnessed many amazing events in Jesus life, the disciples never fully realized that Jesus was the Holy One of God. They never truly grasped that he had come not to overthrow the powers of the authorities on earth; but, to overthrow the power of sin, death, and the power of the devil for them. They did not understand that he came to die for them. The demons understood this. They knew that he had the power to destroy them. As St. James put it:  "the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)

So you say you believe? Even the devils believe! They know he exists. But, they do not love and worship him. Do you? 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Prophets

The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." 

                                                                           (Deut 18:15, 18-22 KJV)

There appear to be a lot of false prophets speaking in the Lord's name what the Lord has not told them to speak today. Most of those prophets have spoken words of doom. Many have like "Chicken Little" declared the sky is falling. Who knows? It may yet fall! But, take note; the sky did not fall and the world did not end when they said it would. 

Why would anyone prophesy falsely in the name of the Lord except to advance their own egos and agendas and maybe their pocketbooks? Do not fear them. The only one we should fear is the Lord.

"And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul..." (Deut 10:12)

The word of the Lord to Moses was that we should not fear the false prophets. We should not fear their prophecies.  We should; however,  listen to the prophet that God sent to us. Listen to the words of Jesus!  

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." 

                                                                                      (Matt 7:15-17)

Listen to the words of Jesus. Do not worry about or fear the words of false prophets. Listen to the words of Jesus! According to St. John we are to test the words of those who claim to be prophets. 

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 

                                                                                       (1 John 4:1-3)

Be very careful who it is that you are listening to. Be careful who you follow and do not waste your energy fearing the false prophets or their words.

May God grant us the wisdom; the courage; and the strength; by the power or the Holy Spirit, to always listen to and follow Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Praise Ye The Lord

PSALM 111 KJV

Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.

They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.

He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

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The works of the Lord are glorious. When you consider all that He has done for you, you will praise Him with your whole heart!

Trust in the Lord for He has and will do marvelous things. He alone has power and wisdom and strength above all things. This God is your God. He has saved you. Give Him praise and thanks!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Repent; The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.                                                                                                              (Mark 1:14-15 KJV)

The good news, the gospel, is this: "The kingdom of God has come near." It has come near for you. It is at hand. It is not some far away place. It is at hand! Into this dark and dreary world the kingdom has indeed come. 

We pray as Jesus taught us to pray: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10) What does this actually mean for us?  By the grace of God the Kingdom of God has broken into this dark and dreary world. 

The Kingdom of God is at hand and it can be realized as we reach out, with the love of God, in the will of God, to love and serve our neighbors. Notice that immediately after Jesus is baptized and is then tempted by Satan, he begins his ministry proclaiming this good news of the Kingdom. Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and then he proceeded to show us God's will for our lives in that kingdom as he reached out to make whole the people he encountered; so that they might live life on earth even as it is lived in heaven; loving and serving God and one another..

May you live life in the Kingdom of God, even today. May His will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ask For Wisdom

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 

                                                                                  (James 1:5-6 KJV)

Solomon asked for wisdom and received it so that he could be a good ruler to the people. James encourages everyone who lacks wisdom to ask God for it. If we ask faith we shall receive it.  The only problem with that is that too many of us are wise in our own eyes and have no clue that we actually lack wisdom. We think that we have no need to learn anything new. We have no need to get anyone else's opinion or advice. We definitely don't think that we should ask God to let us know what is really what since we think we already know everything. We don't ask so we don't receive wisdom or knowledge that would be helpful in not only living our own lives but in helping and serving others. 

Now knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing. There are those who are both knowledgeable and wise. But, the learned are not always wise and the wise are not always learned. It is not wise to trust the wisdom of man for the wisdom of man would tell us that the wisdom of God is nothing but foolishness. And if we believe that the wisdom of God is worthless as many would tell us then we are in for a very difficult road ending in destruction.

We trust not the wisdom of humankind. We put our faith in the wisdom that God has revealed to us in His Son who lived and died and lives again for us.  

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 

                                                                                   (1 Cor 1:18-21)

Ask your Father in heaven to place His wisdom upon your heart. Ask in faith and you will receive.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask; Receive

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

                                                                               (Matt 7:7-11 KJV)

Most parents do give good gifts to their children. However, there are some who never give them anything but grief and bad examples. They don't even help to raise them. Thankfully the latter are not the majority.

All parents make mistakes. We are human. But, most of us will give good gifts to our children when they ask and often even when they don't ask.  Most parents will strive to do what is best for their children even grieving when they are not able to do as much as they desire to do or give. But, our Father in heaven is not human. He does not make mistakes or sin like human parents. He does not fall short. He is able to and indeed gives, according to Jesus, even more abundantly to his children who ask for good things; who ask according to His good will.

Ask and it will be given you. Ask for good things. Ask for a greater knowledge and understanding of God's great love for us and His good plan for us. Ask to live in His presence always and to be filled with the living Spirit of Christ. Ask and you shall receive. Ask and live life in Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Will You Follow?

Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. (Mark 1:16-20 KJV)

They immediately followed him! The disciples did not tell Jesus that he'd have to wait for them to follow him till after they retired from fishing. They didn't make any excuses not to follow him. They dropped everything and followed him. It was not as if James and John left their father without help. He had hired laborers to assist him in continuing on his business. They were not irreplaceable as fishermen.

I have heard a lot of excuses from those who profess to be Christians for not actually following him. There always seems to be an excuse to do the Lord's will at a later date. The world seems to take precedence an awful lot in a lot of peoples' lives. I have actually heard from more than a few that they will able to serve the Lord after they retire. In the meantime, they were busy one or two days a week with leisure activities that they were committed to. No time to worship or serve the Lord? I am not buying it. Whom then shall you serve?

The commandments that were given to us through Moses include: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3) We must ask ourselves what in our lives is keeping us from more fully following Jesus? That is the god that we put before the One Lord our God. 

Near the end of his life Joshua asked the people to reaffirm their faith and their loyalty to the God who had saved His people over and over again. He asked them to choose which god they would serve.

"Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods.." (Josh 24:14-16)

The Lord has saved you and has called you to worship and serve him above all other gods; to follow wherever he will lead you. Whom or what will you serve?

God's Peace - Pr. J.

 

The Good News Of The Kingdom

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 

                                                                                   (Mark 1:14-15 KJV)

The Good News; the Gospel, that Jesus preached is the Kingdom of God! 

There was a time when I asked people (particularly pastors) what they thought the  Gospel was. I heard a lot of different answers. Mostly they were things like: love, joy, peace...  No one, that I recall, answered the question with what Jesus preached: the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God does indeed include love, joy, peace, and many other much desired states of being. But, outside of the Kingdom of God, we search for these things in vain. 

The Christian lives in this material world. But, the Christian is also a resident of the Kingdom of God. God does reign in both of these kingdoms. He is the after all the Creator and Lord of all things. The Kingdom of God is often portrayed as something that will come to us in the future. But, Jesus said it is near to us. It is not of this material world so it is not seen by the naked eye.

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:20-21)

It is unfortunate that so many Christians live solely for the world and for the time after death or when Jesus returns in a manner that the whole world will see with their eyes. It is unfortunate because they do not recognize that with the death of Christ the Kingdom of God has already broken into this world. We are heirs and citizens of that Kingdom and live even now in the presence of God. 

St. Paul wrote to the Colossians:  "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Col 1:12-14)

Translated us into the Kingdom is past tense. It has already been accomplished. It is done. The Kingdom of God is ours today as well as in the future. 

The Kingdom of God is indeed peace, love, and joy and much more. It is all of those things because we who were not God's children are now God's children and live in His eternal presence even now. I often wonder how it is that if we choose the kingdom of the world over the presence of of God in His Kingdom today why we would even want to live in His Kingdom after death. I also think that maybe it is that we profess to be Christians because ultimately we are afraid of death. So, maybe we should consider if the reason we might profess our faith is because of the fear of dying or because we actually love God.

As Christians, we live in both kingdoms. God ordained it to be that way. He reigns in both. In the kingdom of the world we will continue to strive after things that really don't matter much. But, in the Kingdom of God we can find joy and peace and love because in that Kingdom we can know God's presence even today.

God's Peace - Pr. J.