Pray For Self

Every now and then when praying with someone who is suffering, I find that they refuse to pray for themselves. They are very fastidious in praying for others; but, they feel it would be selfish to pray for themselves. The problem with this is that we need to be healthy and strong in the Lord in order to serve God or others. It is not selfish to pray for our own health and wholeness. Every member of the Body of Christ needs to be well in order for it to serve in its greatest capacity.

As I discussed this topic the other night with some friends, I realized that I, too, fall into the category of someone who does not pray for themselves very much at all. My "prayer list" is so long that I rarely get to me, at least nothing personal, except for this one petition that I make daily at least in some form.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Amen (Psalm 19:14 NRSV)

May God help us to stay in perpetual prayer for others as well as for ourselves that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Thanks Be To God For All The Saints

Today is all Saints Sunday. At worship this morning we will be placing in the offering plates. as an offering of thanksgiving, the names of many who have gone before us and many who are still with us who have helped us on our journeys through this world. Some have fed us with food for our bodies while others have fed us spiritually.

Christ has worked through many to help us on our journey; to bring us closer to God; to help build up our faith by sharing the Word with us. They have and continue to give much for the sake of the Body of Christ. Some have given food and shelter. Some have fed us with the Word of God. Some have given even their whole lives for us. So, today we give thanks to God for those saints who so generously have given of their love.

St. Paul wrote: "You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God." 2 Cor 9:11-12

Indeed, let us give thanks, today and every day, for the generosity and the willingness of others to make Christ known to us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Haggai 1 - Build Up The Temple Of God

A message from the LORD of Hosts through the prophet Haggai: 

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands." (Haggai 1:4-11 NIV)

The people had become complacent; spending all their time caring for their own homes; their own needs rather than trusting God to care for them. Because they worried so much about themselves, they were neglecting the rebuilding of God's Temple.

The message today is simply this: build up the LORD's house - His Holy Temple. Now, I am not speaking of a building of wood or brick or mortar, but the Body of Christ, wherein dwells the Spirit of God. That Body is the Church. We (those who follow Jesus) are the Church. We are to be about building up this Spiritual Temple and we do this by hearing and proclaiming God's word, by receiving and sharing the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Yes, the church building is an important factor in the life of a Christian. It is where we gather to be nourished by God as a family.  A loving family gathers as often as they can at their home and cares for that home and others in it. We, who are members of the family of God; likewise, gather often to be nourished as brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow members of the Body of Christ, for the mutual edification (building up) of the Body of Christ, which is the Church, the Temple of God.

Build up the Temple of God - hear His Word, receive the Sacraments which He has freely given you by the very death of His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD. And... do not neglect to fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Amos 2 - Prophets and Prophecy a Gift; Listen!

"'I brought you up out of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness
    to give you the land of the Amorites.
I also raised up prophets from among your children
    and Nazirites from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?'
declares the Lord.
'But you made the Nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.'" (Amos 2:10-12 NIV)

God has saved His people time and time again; yet, they (we) continue to do what we ought not do. We will not listen. We will not listen to those whom He sends to warn us or lead us in the way that He would have us go. Like little children, we go wandering off in our own directions, not taking any direction from our Father; not listening to the word of admonishment or advice that He would give us.

Just as in the days of Amos, the words of the prophet today go mostly unheeded. Sometimes, we attempt to justify our lack of hearing by denying that God would send a prophet in these latter days. However, St. Paul wrote:

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues." (1 Cor 12:7-10 NIV)

These gifts, including prophecy, are gifts from God for the common good. Shall we suppose that God the Father is now not desiring our common good, our common growth in the Body of Christ? I think not! By the power of the Holy Spirit, all of God's children receive gifts for the growth and edification of the Body of Christ, which is the Church.

May God open our ears that we might hear not just the mighty deeds that He has done for us; but, that we might hear and understand the Way in which He would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Hosea 5 - Rebels Knee Deep

"The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.
    I will discipline all of them.
I know all about Ephraim;
    Israel is not hidden from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
    Israel is corrupt.

“Their deeds do not permit them
    to return to their God.
A spirit of prostitution is in their heart;    
    they do not acknowledge the Lord." (Hosea 5:1-4)
 

Sadly, it seems, I think a lot about and pray for rebels who are knee-deep in something... And..., again, sadly it is not in building up the house of the LORD, the Body of Christ. False gods stir up a lot of trouble in the hearts and minds of mankind. Worship of self, of ego, of anything and everything; but the LORD, brings about a lot of strife within the church on earth and indeed the whole world.

Even if we think no one knows, God knows. He sees the prostitution that is in our hearts. He sees how we love ourselves more than we love Him. He sees how we love and follow after our false gods even if it means the destruction of the church. Well, hears a bit of good news... The Church, which is the Body of Christ, cannot be destroyed. It's been tried. He is Risen! He lives! The Body of Christ is alive and well!

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Chronicles 29 - Consecrated Temple

Hmmm.... I'm wondering what it would take to consecrate the temple...

In fact, we can't.  The temple of God, which is the Body of Christ has already been consecrated.  It was consecrated with the very blood of Christ.  What is more, all who believe, that is the members of the Body of Christ, have been consecrated, as well.  We are the temple of God and we have been consecrated, we have been made holy, by the blood of Christ and are now able to come into His presence to worship and serve Him.

As Hezekiah, was faithful, to the LORD, may we, with the help of God Himself, be faithful to Him, as well.