You Shall Have No Other Gods

The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.  (http://catechism.cph.org/en/10-commandments.html)

I spent many, many, years as a wife of a U.S. Marine. They have a saying: "God, Country, Corps." That is in proper order. God always comes first. There can be no other gods. There can be no other priorities. When faithfulness to God comes first, faithfulness to our other obligations just falls into place, with the help of God. But, if we cannot be faithful to God, then we will not be faithful to anything or anyone else, either.

As a Marine Corps wife, I spent a lot of time alone raising two sons, as my husband was deployed for far more than half of his career. I had no family near. It was a good thing. Through this time, I learned that there is one I can trust all of the time; that is God. Through this time, I learned that there was one who loved me like no other. God was there when no one else was. I wasn't always thrilled with the way He worked things out; but, I came to know and trust that no matter how He was working them out; they were being worked out for the good.

The best thing we can do for our loved ones, for our country, for our world, is to fear, love and trust God above all things and to Him first and to follow in the way He would have us go. His plan is perfect for us; ours is not.

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 18:15-27 A Rooster Crows

John 18:15-27 NIV
Jesus had told Peter that he would turn his back on him before the rooster crowed. He told him that he would deny being one of Jesus' followers. Peter loved Jesus. He did not believe that he would ever deny him. But, he did.

We often come up with deceptions in order to protect ourselves. It really doesn't matter who we might hurt; as long as we protect our own skins. We do it, just as Peter did, without any real forethought. We don't always plan it. We may not even want to. It just happens. The denial comes slipping out between our teeth and it is done before we realize what we are doing. The denial of who and what we are or have done is a dangerous thing. It endangers others as well as ourselves.

I remember a saying that I use to hear a lot (probably when I was more closely related to the U.S. Marine Corps): "If it is worth doing, it is worth dying for." I would change or add to that a little: "If it is worth believing, it is worth dying for."

Peter was out to save himself that early morning. He was afraid. Jesus was out to save the world. He died doing what he believed was right for you and me, according to the will of our Father. In the end, Peter, too, died for what he believed. Peter's love for Jesus overcame his fear of persecution and death.

Before the sun rises and the rooster crows ask yourself if (how) you have betrayed Jesus lately? Have you betrayed Jesus by keeping silent? Have you betrayed him by denying him? Have you sat back and done nothing while others are persecuted? There is a quote (by I believe Edmond Burke) that says: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Peter was a relatively good man in the eyes of the world. But, he hid in the darkness while Jesus stood trial. He stood back and watched while Jesus was crucified for him. May God help us all to step out into the light, who is Jesus the Christ. May God grant us the wisdom and courage to proclaim the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ezekiel 7 - Syria

Sadly, I have been watching the news of lot lately. So, it has been difficult for me to keep world news out of this blog. Today, is the day I no longer contain myself. As I read Ezekiel 7, I read that the LORD will unleash His anger upon the land! The LORD will do it. The land; the people; will be devastated for their sin. That is the whole land, everyone, for all the people have sinned. Sometimes, I think we need to keep a closer watch on our own sins, rather than the alleged sins of others.

We keep threatening war. Well, not actually war. We continue to threaten to spank the Assad regime if they do not confess, repent, and turn over their chemical weapons. We will assist Al Qaeda supporters in bringing down those in power in Syria. We will assist those who attack; who would attempt to destroy every Christian in the land. At least, that is my take on it. President Obama has decided to wait and see if President Putin's diplomatic intervention works, before we decide for sure if we will spank Assad.

I'm not so sure who needs to be spanked here. First off, Assad has pretty much admitted that they have chemical weapons. But, he has not admitted to using them on his people. So, where is the evidence that it is he and not the rebel forces that need a spanking? Are we so sure that the rebel forces do not have and did not use chemical weapons and try to pin it on the government to glean support for their side? Another part of the problem that I see is: who put us (U.S.) in charge of administering spankings to those whom we "think" may be responsible? I am not even so sure if the horrific deaths are actually our government's real and first concern. Is the trouble in Syria or if it just a ruse to redirect our attention from all the troubles we have at home; that would be our own sins. Although admittedly not as horrific as the massacres by beheading or the dropping of deadly chemicals upon the people; they are very real issues that need to be dealt with. But, how do we decide who is guilty in a country where there is such violence? Is any party not guilty?

Today, I am praying that President Putin's diplomatic efforts pay off and we can avoid getting involved in any more civil wars; that we can avoid supporting any more groups that will come back and attack our cities here in this country once we have given them more power (today is the anniversary of 9-11). That we can totally avoid helping those who belong to the very same groups that we have been fighting (how many of our troops have died fighting rebel forces of the same ilk?) in other countries in that region.

If all of the news reports are half-way true, Syria is one major mess. There are very few who can claim innocence. I just do not understand who or what we would be aiming missiles at. Certainly we wouldn't be dropping missiles on chemical weapons stores that would kill even more people, would we? Then what? Airstrips, where there are more civilians working? How many more people would die with this spanking?

The LORD will deal with us all according to our conduct. May we not hear this word from him:

“The end! The end has come
    upon the four corners of the land!
The end is now upon you,
    and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct 
   and repay you for all your detestable practices." (Ezekiel 7:1 NIV)

May God bless President Putin's efforts toward peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 17 - Life, Liberty And Pursuit of Happiness or Wealth?

Jeremiah has a lot to say in this chapter,,,

     The hearts of the people have sin engraved on them. They trust in things of this world. They lust after and trust in wealth. They will do anything to get it, depriving the poor, spending their very life and breath in the pursuit of wealth and happiness. The sooner we learn that the pursuit of money does not equate with happiness, the better off we will be. In the end we will lose any and all ill-gotten gain.

     Who can blame them? We all desire some joy and happiness in our lives. But, the truth is that these things do not come from wealth. They do not come from having "stuff." Real joy comes from being in relationship with others, with God. I have always appreciated that Thomas Jefferson changed John Locke's pursuit of life, liberty, and property, in the U.S. Constitution to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Property does not necessarily equate with happiness. Just think about the upkeep that goes with more property.. and, the taxes! Think about what happens when greed pervades society! All kinds of sin accompanies greed. Yet, multitudes have hearts so hardened like stone that greed and envy are engraved deeply into them. And... they are miserable! They desire more, but they do not know what that more is. 
   

Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
    are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
    and in the end they will prove to be fools.

A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
    is the place of our sanctuary.
Lord, you are the hope of Israel;
    all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust
    because they have forsaken the Lord,
    the spring of living water." (Jer 17:11-13 NIV)

     In Ezekiel 36:25-27, God promises that He will remove our hearts of stone so that sin will no longer be engraved on them. "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jer 17:7-8)
 There is an answer to our loneliness and sorrow. The answer is Jesus Christ, our LORD, who loves us so much that He was willing to die for us. May God bless us with hearts filled with His love for Him and for one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 144 - Prepare for Battle

Whoa! There is so much I could say about Psalm 144! But, the first thing that strikes me is verse 1: "Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle." (NIV)

Now that is most interesting. God trains us for battle.  For 21 years, I followed my husband, a U.S. Marine, around the world. He was prepared for war and I was engaged in battle then, even as I am now. The battle can be tiring. There are times when it may even feel like you're losing the battle, but be assured, the LORD armies will not, cannot, be defeated. He is the Supreme Commander and is at the helm.

Be not afraid to: "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Eph 6:11-13 NIV)

God's Peace - Pr. J