Only One Way

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NRSV

There are no short-cuts. There is no magic involved in being reconciled to our Father and Creator. There is only one way and that is through Jesus the Christ.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people will pick up new age rituals or beliefs thinking that this is going to make them more spiritual or that it will be another path toward reaching the Kingdom of God. There is only one way. The path is not always easy. There will be those who choose to get in our face and try to steer us on another road. Sometimes, we may even listen and get side-tracked for awhile. But, for those who truly believe; for those who have a relationship with God our Father and our Lord Jesus they will soon recognize that the road is leading them somewhere that they do not want to go. They will hear the good shepherd calling them and turn back to the path that he sets before them.

There is only one way to the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Follow him so that you might live life more abundantly as you abide in God's presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Faith Alone!

"Look at the proud!
    Their spirit is not right in them,    but the righteous live by their faith." Habakkuk 2:4.

Wisdom sometimes comes with age (but, not always). It never ceases to amaze me how some of our eldest brothers and sisters in Christ are able to humble themselves and confess their sins. These sins that they confess seem to pale in comparison to some of the sins that others do not confess.

The ability to understand that all sin no matter whether we consider them big or small sins are an abomination before God. It is understood that none of us are without sin; that we are made righteous only be faith in the Son of God who died for us. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. There is nothing that we can do or avoid doing in order to stand before God and be proclaimed innocent.

We are saved by faith alone. Sometimes, it just takes years of being humbled in order to be humble enough to know that we are indeed sinners and are saved by faith alone. This is a gift of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Adulting; May the Lord Teach Us How





Adulting: Taking on adult responsibilities.
 

Psalm 143:7-8

Answer me quickly, O Lord;
    my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
    or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
    for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

 

 Making the transition from teen-ager to adult can be a bit scary for many. Graduation from High School and prospects of either further education and/or learning to care for and support themselves can be daunting.

 

My granddaughter, who is a teen working on this transition, taught me a new word this past week. It is adulting. I laughed when I first heard her use it. I thought she had made it up. But, I checked the Urban Dictionary and it appears to be a word that is being used today. Adulting is when a young person begins to take on things that would be considered adult-like. These might be things as simple as getting out of bed on time without anyone having to wake them up or filling out a job application without assistance. Of course, this is a process; and, the training of a young person to make this transition should actually begin at birth. But, that jump from teen to adult is not always easy even for those who have been adulting (bearing the responsibilities of an adult) for many years.

 

My granddaughter is actually a bit shy around people she does not know well. But, she is learning that if she ever wants to be independent of me; she will have to break out of that shell and quickly.

 

The psalmist prayed that the Lord would teach him the way that he should go. This is my prayer for all of our young people. That the Lord would be with them; guiding them in His Way as they learn how to be mature and fruitful adults. It is not easy to make that transition from teen to adult. Aging is a process that cannot be stopped. Prayerfully, as we all age, we will also all grow and mature in Christ. May God be with our young people as they learn to follow in the way that He would have them go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 2:1-13 Favoritism and Discrimination

James 2:1-13 NIV
To show favoritism to one means to discriminate against another. James warns against showing favoritism. Sadly, we see this way too often. People are discriminated against for their race, their sex (that includes both males and females), age, where they work or if they don't, how they dress. The list goes on and on.

I admit that there have been times in the past when I have purposely dressed down just to see if security would follow me around through particular stores. They do. In fact, I have been followed around even when I thought I was clothed all right. Not sure why; but, every now and then someone thinks that I might look suspect. On the other hand, if I wear my clergy collar, I almost always get a lot of friendly greetings no matter where I am.

Years ago, when kayaking the shores of Lake Superior, I pulled up on the shore of a town that I had visited often in the past. They had known me as a pastor and had been very friendly to me when they had welcomed me in that capacity. This time; however, they apparently did not recognize me. I had been on the water for about a month and was wearing an old pair of Marine fatigues over my swimsuit. My hair was a ratted mess hanging out from under a baseball cap. I looked pretty forlorn. I needed to use a phone as there was no cell connection. I was not welcomed well. It took forever to find a pay phone as no one apparently had a phone that I could use to let my family know where I was.

When encountering others, it would do us all well to heed the words written by St. James, "If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" (vs 3-4)

God's Peace - Pr. J