1 Peter 2:1-3 Crave Spiritual Milk

1 Peter 2:1-3


Arlene and Joe have fed multitudes with spiritual
milk for years with word, song, and deeds....

Babies can be pretty focused on getting what they want. When they are hungry they cry until they get the milk that they desire and which will nourish them. There is very little that can stop their yearning. We might rock them and they might quiet down for a bit; but, it won't be long before they once again let us know that they are hungry.

Christians should be so focused in our desire for spiritual milk. Give yourself a break and desire that which is good for your soul setting set aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, which will lead you to waste away.

Drink the spiritual milk that the Lord has provided and see that the Lord is good.

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 17:1-5 Glory through Sacrifice and Death

John 17:1-5 NIV
Children love to look good in their parents' eyes. In fact, probably a more than a few are willing "exaggerate" about the good they do and the evil their brothers and sisters do in order to be "glorified" in their earthly father's eyes.

But, when Jesus prayed to be glorified he also knew that:
     1. as he is glorified; the Father is glorified. It was not for selfish reasons that he prayed to be glorified. It was to do the will of His Father and that His Father in heaven be glorified.
     2. That in order to be glorified he would be lifted up on the cross and put to death. Glory doesn't come by deception that makes others look bad or us look better than we are. Glory has nothing to do with deceit. It has everything to do with being lifted up as a sacrifice to death for others. God was glorified in the suffering and death and subsequent resurrection of His Son, Jesus the Christ.

If one feels the desire to pray for God's glory to come upon them, it is the same as praying: I am willing to die; I will give up everything, even my life, so that you, Father, may be glorified.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 26 - Speak the Truth to Fools

Proverbs 26 warns us of the downfalls of being a fool, not just a fool, but a lazy fool with deceitful lips. It also warns us to be careful what we trust with the person who is foolhardy. He or she should not be honored for their ways. They should not be lifted up. It would be foolish of us to enable to continue in their ways.

What then should we do with the one who acts foolishly? "Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes." (Prov 26:5 NIV) Speak the truth, not rashly or harshly. But, with love; correct them, guide them, teach them the way in which they should go. Teach them to honor and respect others so that others may live pleasant and peaceful lives and not on edge when they are around. Teach them that it is better for everyone to live in peace than to be constantly starting quarrels about nothing.

There are very few things that bother me more than to hear someone lieing to or insulting another person and then when the person responds in a hurt manner, the first person will say "JK," just kidding.  Jokes that hurt other people are not funny. They are not jokes! "Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives their neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”  (Prov 26:18-19)

The wise person will respect others for who they are. They will be kind, not acting out of anger or revenge. But, they will also speak the truth to the one who is acting in a foolish, hurtful manner. Freedom isn't so that we can hurt others, but so that we can live in peace, reconciled to one another. The foolish one does not comprehend this living in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Psalm 109 - Vengeance is God's

^"He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
He wore cursing as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,
into his bones like oil.
May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil of me. (Psalm109:17-20 NIV)

Vengeance is the LORD's.  I have learned over the years that it is not my place to take vengeance on those who accuse me.  God will take care of me. He will take care of those who are falsely accused or accosted. He will take care of those who falsely accuse or unjustly attack others. No, I am not a pacifist. I definitely will defend others when they are attacked. There are times when we need to defend ourselves. There are times when we need to seek assistance from the law. However, there are also times, I think, that we should step back when it is we who are being attacked and let go and let God, as the saying goes.

Years ago when I was very young, I was selling insurance door to door.  At one home, a man, arrogant and full of deceit attempted to assault me.  I was pretty shaken, but I got away unharmed.  I wanted to press charges.  A co-worker, an older Christian man, talked me into not doing that. The man who had attempted to harm me was pretty well known and liked in the community.  I was a stranger.  He was a local politician. I was an insurance salesman. "Do nothing, he said. Who are the authorities going to believe? Let us pray together and leave the vengeance to God.  Let us pray that the evil he intended upon you return to him." So we did.

Did God answer our prayers?  You tell me.  The following week, while the man was at work, his  wife left him. With his new convertible filled with his precious electronics in the trunk, she and her boyfriend sped away from the house and wrecked his vehicle. It hit the newspapers. The car and the contents were totalled. His wife and her boyfriend were unharmed, but his ego was definitely done in. He was no longer the prideful man he had been the week before.

Sure, there are days, still, when I would like to take vengeance.  But, I learned that day, almost forty years ago, to leave vengeance to God. He will take care of me. He always has. Why would He not continue?

Remember, your curses against others are prayers. Prayers that just might return and turn upon you. Watch what comes out of your lips - prefer blessings to curses - as what you do to others may be done to you.

"He loved to pronounce a curse—may it come back on him." (vs 17)
God's blessings and peace - Pr. J