Too Much Drama; Too Much Strife

A perverse person spreads strife,
    and a whisperer separates close friends.
The violent entice their neighbors,
    and lead them in a way that is not good.
                Proverbs 16:28-29

Somewhere, somehow, we must take a stand and protect the innocent from slander. There is so much slander, so much aloneness in this world, and so much depression resulting from it. It often comes from one source: the ego or maybe it would be more accurate to say the devil who resides within us. Those in whom the Spirit of Christ does not reside often attack their neighbors; their friends; their enemies unjustly, causing much chaos, pain, and sorrow. Standing idly by because you do not want to become involved or become the next target is not all that helpful. Rather, as most of us confess on Sunday mornings, we end up sinning by what we have not done; by not supporting and helping our neighbor in need. That is not to say that we should not confront sin. We should not support sin. We do need to confront those who would entice others in a way that is not good even while we support and protect those who are falsely accused. 

We teach our children in Sunday School and in Confirmation classes that the eighth commandment; "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." We also teach them as Luther taught that this means: "We should fear and love God so that we do not betray, slander, lie or gossip about our neighbors, but defend them, speak well of them and put the most charitable construction on all that they do." How soon we forget what we have learned!

May God help us to love our neighbors and not cause them to suffer any form of anguish because of our actions or inactions.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Psalm 6 - Lord, Have Mercy!

Despair!  David prays, "Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?" (Ps 6:2-3 NIV)

Like David, we, too, often find ourselves in a state of despair, with no where to turn.  Well, actually there is one to whom we can turn.  We bow before the LORD and pray, "Have mercy on me, Lord!"  This prayer, for me, usually sounds like this:  "Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy." 

And then it ends:  "Thank you LORD, for in your mercy, you have heard my prayer and answered." (see vs 9)

I don't always see the answer when I thank the LORD for answering.  But, I am confident that He has answered it.  God is with me.  He is with you. He will deliver those who trust in Him.

May the peace of the LORD be with you always.  Pr. J

Job 6 - Take My Life, LORD

Job cries out in anguish.  He has lost everythig.  His friends are of no help.  He asks for nothing, but for death.  In all this pain, his one request is that God would take his life.  He does not even consider that he should take his own life - shed his own blood.  Job, it seems, accepts full that his life is in the hands of God.  It does not belong to himself.  It belongs to God.  The LORD gives and He takes away.  (Job 1:21)  Job stays consistant in his faith throughout his misery.  It is up to the LORD whether he will live or die.

At the beside of so many faithful Chrisitans, I I have sat, hearing this same lament, as they lay dying! Oh, but, if the LORD would only take my life!  Why will God not let me die?  Sound like they've given up hope?  No, to the contrary, they are expressing their hope and their faith in eternal life promised to them through Jesus Christ. They place their lives in God's hands.  They would have their lives ended, but they wait on the LORD for His will to be done. 

May God grant that our hope for this world and the next, should be strengthened through the Word, Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J