Sins Are Covered

“Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.” Rom 4:7-8

And, who exactly are those whose sins are forgiven? They are those who trust that the Lord Jesus has died for their sins. They are those who in faith in the Lord Jesus have had their sins covered by his blood. It is only be faith that we are saved.

And, how do we believe? How do we come to such faith? It is a gift of God. St. Paul wrote to the Romans: "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ." (Rom 10:17) Faith comes through hearing the promises of God. Faith comes through hearing what Jesus has done for us. Faith comes by hearing that because of his sacrifice for us, our sins are forgiven and that we have been reconciled to God.

Your iniquities are forgiven! Rejoice and give thanks to the One who has blessed you so richly!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Seasons Change

Daniel said:
“Blessed be the name of God from age to age,
    for wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons,
    deposes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to those who have understanding.
                                           Daniel 2:20-21 NRSV

We are beginning to see the fall colors up here in the U.P.. The fall may be beautiful; but, I do not look forward to the cold season of winter. Whether I like it or not, winter will be here soon. It is inevitable. Change is inevitable. I will live through it.

Who; but God, knows what changes we will actually experience with the next presidential election? We will have to wait and see. Change will come. There is no reason to fear. After that change, other changes will come. They are inevitable.

We experience change every day of our lives. If we do not, we will fail to learn and grow. Some of the changes can be quite scary. But, we should not fear. God is with us. He knows exactly what is happening and will happen. He has a plan. Although, we may not always have the wisdom or knowledge to understand why God would allow some of these changes we can be assured that His plans are for the good of all people. 

Do not fear change. God is with you. He is with us. Trust Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fleeting Shadows

Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,
    mere mortals that you think of them?
They are like a breath;
    their days are like a fleeting shadow
Psalm 144:3-4 NIV

We are most blessed! Why, indeed, would the Lord care for us? We strut about like we are the center of the universe and nothing and no one else matters.

Yet, we matter to the Lord. His love and concern for us is so great that he was willing to die for us.

We fail to recognize that our lives are like fleeting shadows upon the earth. We are here one day and gone the next. Only the most prominent of men will be remembered centuries from now. In the end; by ourselves, we are of little consequence to the world. But, in Christ and with Christ we have hope for ourselves and for others.

Our lives in this world might be like fleeting shadows; but, all who abide in Christ receive eternal life with him. We are most blessed! The Lord, indeed, cares for us; enough to die that we might live.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord Takes Care Of You

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!" (Luke 12:27-28)

The Lord provides! He finds many ways and many people to do this. Sometimes, it is through grandparents. Sometimes, it is through others. But, for those of us with even a little faith, He does provide.

It has always kind of amazed me that often those with very little feel abundantly blessed and those with an abundance sometimes feel and act like they live in poverty. They do not recognize the gifts that God has already given them. They do not treasure what they already have.

Jesus reminds us that God clothes even the grass of the feel with beautiful flowers; He will also clothe us - we who have such little faith. Trust in the Lord and give thanks for all that He has done!

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 1:18-27 Slow to Anger

James 1:18-27 NIV

Sully: The gentle giant...

Not many people care to be around bullies for too long. It is not pleasant to be around someone who can become angry at the drop of a hat. They may say they are standing up for what they believe, But, in fact, usually, their outbursts are attempts to justify their (or someone else's) self-centered desires and lifestyles.

James reminds us that "everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." (vs 19) Anger does not produce righteousness. It produces unrighteousness. It produces drama, anxiety, and all kinds of other evils. "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (vs 21)

We, who look to Jesus who is our righteousness, ought to consider the needs of others before we speak or act so that, with the help of God, others may be blessed.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Romans 16:17-27 Itching Ears

Romans 16:17-27 
We've all heard them; those who with smooth talk teach a false gospel. It is not any different today than in what it was in St. Paul's day. There is one way to tell if something proclaimed to you is the truth; know the scriptures, read them and hear them. The message proclaimed to us through the prophets is found in them. The fulfillment is found in them. Do not let your itching ears lead you to believing  smooth talkers whose aim is not to glorify God; but their own egos. It is neither wise nor safe to accept any doctrine that cannot be supported by scripture; scripture supports scripture. Read your Bibles daily and have a blessed day; a blessed life in Christ Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

John 12:12-19 Follow and Sing Hosanna!

John 12:12-19 NIV
Jesus is exalted by the crowd on his way into Jerusalem. They went out to meet him, shouting: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

No one really understands the significance of all this. But, they are excited. The Pharisees are excited, too. They need to figure out a way to turn this all around. They need to figure out a way to turn the people against Jesus; to abandon him; to quit following him around. And, they will! By the end of the week, the crowd will not be shouting, "Hosanna!" They will be shouting, "Crucify him!"

Crowds can be fickle. They can be led in any direction quite easily as the heat of the moment carries them away. Like sheep led astray; they may follow for awhile; but, when pastures seem a bit greener elsewhere, they leave the shepherd and follow the crowd. Sometimes, they might even choose to stay with the crowd in a dried out and dead field rather than seek green pastures with the shepherd, simply because they are afraid to move. They might think that there is security in numbers so they abandon the only one who can keep them safe. 

May God grant that you should never turn against him; but, follow him always singing praises; singing Hosanna! Do not be afraid, your king has come and he will come again.

God's Peace,

Pr. J

Mark 14:53-65 I Am

Mark 14:53-65 NIV
"...Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus." (Mark 14:61-62)

I am! Two of my favorite words. When confronted about whether He was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One, Jesus responded simply, "I am." In those two words I am reminded that He is not only the Son of God; He is God. When Moses was busy trembling in his bare feet at the burning bush and trying to figure out how he was going to get out of delivering God's people from Egypt, he asked God who should I say sent me. "God said to Moses, 'I am who I am.' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14) So, whenever, I hear or read these two words, "I am," I am reminded that Jesus is not only the Son of God, He is God.

I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - three persons - one God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 11:1-11 Triumphant Entry

Mark 11:1-11 NIV
We remember and celebrate the "Triumphant Entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem the Sunday prior to Easter Sunday. Jesus rides on a colt as people spread branches and their own cloaks on the road in front of him to welcome Him. "Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9)

We welcome Jesus on the first day of the week. Many of us remember Him on Sunday morning. But, what about the rest of the week? Are we running from Him, hiding, or ready to deny Him by Thursday or Friday? The people welcomed Him at the beginning of the week and then crucified Him by the end of that very same week.

When the crowds around us are excited and praising God, it is easy to celebrate Him. However, when the crowd turns it is often just as easy to turn with the crowd, denying our faith, denying our God.

May God help us to be faithful to Him every day, every minute of our lives and not swayed by the crowds that happen to be around us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Malachi 3 - Annual Reports; Budgets

So much I'd like to cover in such little space....

First, the prophecy of the coming of John the Baptist:
"I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:1 NIV)

Next to consider the word of God when He says: "I the LORD do not change." (Mal 3:6) I'm going to let you think about that one on your own.

Thirdly; I have been working on annual reports and budgets and benevolence comes up a lot when I do that. So the following verses kind of jumped out at me.

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:-8-12)

It is no secret that I and many others in this community think that we live in a delightful land! It is a friendly and caring community. The people who live in this place are very generous when it comes to helping those in need. We do all that we can to help others in need. (See Mal 3:5) As a congregation reaching out to others we have grown in many ways over the years.

Back to the annual report.... Thanks be to God, our budget is also being managed quite well and even grows - slowly but surely. We have some very faithful stewards. I have to admit that I get a little antsy at times when it comes to budgets (maybe even a little cranky - especially if someone intimates that our storehouse is for us and not to help those in need). Our congregation budget, in the end, is one of those things that we (I) have to say, from year to year, that we will just have to trust the LORD to provide. He has, after all, an outstanding track record of consistently providing for us and for others, through us, in various ways. I was quite surprised to find out that almost 40% of our general fund offerings, this year, came from non-members and I want to take this opportunity to thank God, in all of you, for supporting our ministry. We are a small congregation and a small community; but, thanks be to Christ in all of you, the ministry in this place does not just exist, but thrives.

You have been good stewards of God financial gifts. How's your stewardship of the Word and word going? Are you actually reading your Bible so that you can know His word and Word? That, after all, was the intent of this blog to help you get more involved in daily Bible reading and studying. Make sure you read the rest of Malachi 3. There is much in just this one chapter to understand.

God's Peace - Pr. J
P.S. Just a little clarification for those who may be wondering why I refer to both "word" and "Word." When I speak of the word with a small "w", I am referring to the Holy Scriptures. When I use a capital "W", I am referring to the Word who is Jesus the Christ.

Zephaniah 3 - Blessed are the Oppressed; Woe to the Oppressors!

"Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!" (Zephaniah 3:1 NIV)

Woe to those who oppress others. Woe to those who neglect and abuse others, whether it is by word or deed that is done or left undone!  Woe to those who continue in their unrighteous ways and know no shame. What is with that, anyway? What good is in it for anyone who persecutes others unjustly?

God dispenses justice. He so wants to dispense mercy and grace to all His children. He so desires that His children would turn to Him and love Him as He loves them. But, anger abounds; jealousy lives, and greed survives.

But, the story does not have an unhappy ending for those who love Him. He will save! He does save! He is with the oppressed. He is with the abused and neglected. He is, even now, gathering those who love Him, into the Kingdom that is prepared for us by Jesus Christ, our LORD.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 32 - Blessed is the Confessee

"Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." (Psalm 32:1 NIV)

Confession, today, is quite a different animal than it was years ago.  I probably only hear, at the most, a dozen direct confessions a year.  I hear many more than that indirectly, though.  They start out with a simple conversation and all of a sudden I realize that I am hearing someone's confession.  This is a good thing!  When I hear them, whether they were intentional confessions in a more traditional fashion (that is, someone asking me to hear their confession) or whether the confession just happens during conversation, they receive prayer and absolution. They are reminded that their transgressions are forgiven.  They are reminded that their sins are covered by the blood of Christ.

Sadly, I don't hear as many confessions today as could or should be heard.  Recently, I have had a couple of people tell me that they have forgiven me.  We were, in a loose sense, reconciled. But, sadly, these people never confessed their own sins.  They continue to live in turmoil.  The world is out to get them. They are right. Everyone else is wrong. They will most likely continue in the chaos they have created for themselves for a very long time; at least until they can recognize the sin that has come to inhabit their lives.  Sadly, no repentence. No confession. No absolution.

You see, if we cannot confess our sins, then we have a bit of trouble accepting the forgiveness that God so freely has given us through the death of His Son.  It's not that God will not forgive you. It's more a matter of you wanting to be forgiven.  After all, if one is perfect, than you have no need of forgiveness.  Jesus told the Pharisees:  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt 9:12-13 NIV)

We are all sinners.  "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) But, the good news is that Jesus came that our transgressions might be forgiven.  Jesus came that we might be sanctified and reconciled to God our Father and to one another in the Kingdom of God.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt 4:17)

Dear one, confess your sins, receive the forgiveness that is given to you through Body and Blood of our LORD, Jesus Christ. "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Chronicles 8-9 - Blessed be the LORD!

It is the 4th of July and today we celebrate our freedom in the United States.  I wonder what our forefathers - those that fought and lived through the revolution would think of our celebrations.  I wonder what they would think of what has been built on the foundation they laid.  How do we use our freedom?  To live life according to the good pleasure of God?  Or do we use our freedom as an excuse to trample on the lives of others?  Since I am biased, I will say that we live in a great country.  Here, I am still free to practice my faith (even though there are many who would prefer I did not).

Solomon, too, with the help of God, built a great country.  Not only he, but Israel, grew and prospered under his leadership.  Kings and even a queen honored and respected what had been done through him.  The Queen of Sheba, after witnessing his wisdom said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God!  Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness." (9:8 ESV)

Blessed be the LORD, our God!  May we all remember what He has done for us; how He has provided us with many great leaders over the generations.  May He raise up a leader(s) that will serve, with wisdom; executing justice and righteousness for all people. 

Christ has made you free to be children of God.  Men and women have given much so that you live freely in this world to live as a child of God.  Have a safe and happy celebration of the freedom that was won for you by others.  Honor (do not dishonor) the sacrifices made for you.  Live life so that others may hear and see and say, "Blessed be the LORD your God!"