Kat

Kat

Kat was my shadow for about seventeen years. I did not dare leave her for too long. If I left her overnight any where or with any one, she would cry tears of grief. It's been a few years since she died; but, I find myself still grieving from time to time over the loss of this little companion.

We all suffer losses of one kind or another throughout our lives. Kat was with me through many of my losses. I have been told that when stress or grief begins to affect our health we should pet our dogs. It will have a calming effect. It does. Kat was with me through a lot of hard times.

Kat is no longer here. But, someone else is and always has been. Jesus is with me and he is with you. When grief threatens to overwhelm us there is one to whom we can turn who will not only comfort us; but, also, offer us real hope. He promises that he will be with us always. We are never alone. Jesus is with us today and tomorrow and for all eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rev 21:9-27 City of God

Rev 21:9-27 NIV
The vision of the Holy City, the City of God, is awesome. However, the beauty of the city is not the most amazing thing about this vision.  The city is built as a perfect square, just as the first earthly temple was built. God's Name dwelt in that earthly temple. But, in this heavenly temple God not only dwells there; the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple. We will abide in that temple of God, who is God, Himself.

It makes me just a little "crazy" when I hear people speak of the riches that Christians will inherit in the city of God. I remember a Sunday School teacher telling her students that for every good deed they do they would receive a jewel in their crown when they get to heaven. Really!? That's why we want to receive eternal life? To receive jewels and a crown?

The Holy City of God is much more than the gold and precious jewels seen in John's vision. In this Holy City we will be totally reconciled, abiding with and in Him for all eternity. What can be more precious than that? What can be more precious than dwelling with and in Him; walking in His most intimate presence for all time?

May God help us to understand that He is to be treasured more than any silver or gold.

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Peter 3 Scoffers Abound

2 Peter 3 NIV
Scoffers abound! Peter wrote: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." (vs 10) The disciples expected an almost immediate return of the Lord. 2000 years later, we are still waiting and watching for the final judgment on the world. It's a fairy-tale, a fable, a myth, I am told. Just because you do not believe; that does not make it an untruth. "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (vss 8-9)

Scoffers abound! I'm not sure if people have forgotten that the Lord will come again or maybe they just don't believe. The world lives as though they have eternity to live for their own pleasure. Some might even live under the delusion that they can repent on their death beds and they will be saved. That is true, if one truly turns to the Lord. But, one never knows when our final moments will come. It would be wise to be prepared before that day comes. He will come like a thief, without warning, except for the word which we already have.

Be prepared and be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of the lawless. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the glory of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Thess 4 - Believe and Live!

1 Thessalonians 4 NIV

 

Do you live in order to please God or your or maybe someone else? Those who live in Christ have no fear of death for we know that all who fall asleep in him will rise from the dead even as he rose from the dead. Abide in him as he abides in you for all eternity. Eternity includes today. God is with you and for you. Trust Him and not the work of your own hands or the work of another.

Because he lives, so shall all who believe in him - so shall all who put their trust in him!

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 6:25-58 Eat This Bread

John 6:25-58 NIV
The crowd has followed Jesus to the other side of the lake. Maybe you thought that they followed him in order to be closer to their LORD. It really doesn't appear that way. Jesus knows what's going on in their hearts and minds. They follow him because they want him to continue blessing them with food for their stomachs. They don't want Jesus. They want supper.

Well, we all have to eat. But, bread made of flour will not sustain us for eternity. There is only one bread that can do that. It is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Whoever, in faith, eats of His Body at the Lord's Supper will be sustained for eternity. He is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

Today is a Sunday. I will be leading three Worship Services as most congregations worship on Sundays. Please remember to attend Worship somewhere so that you might receive the Word of Life; the Bread of Life, and may the peace of God be with you for all eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Just in case you didn't read the scripture that is attached above here is another reminder to feed on the Word and the Sacrament often!: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”  (John 6:56-58)

Luke 21:5-38 - Temple of God

Luke 21:5-38 NIV
Jesus predicted the fall of the temple in Jerusalem. It happened even during the life of many of those whom he was speaking to. The end had come for the great and beautiful temple.

But, we have a more beautiful temple. It is not made with beautiful stones and other various gifts dedicated to God. It is made by God, Himself. St. Paul wrote that we are the temple of God: "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple." (1 Cor 3:16-17)

Together, we are the temple of God with Christ as our cornerstone; with Christ as the one who has built us up. What can be more beautiful than the one who has built this temple; the one who fills this temple? The things that are beautiful to the eyes of the world are nothing in comparison to the relationship we have with our Father, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. True beauty lies in that relationship. True beauty lies in the love and gifts of God. For those who live in that love, there is nothing to fear. No matter what happens, we have no need to fear an end time for we have been promised an eternity in the presence of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 12:35-48 Be Prepared!

Luke 12:35-48 NIV
Be prepared! The LORD has called you to be His own. Will you? Or... are you busy preparing for the next party? The next sports game? The next bowling tournament? The next whatever. And, you know that I mean the "parties" that are associated with the other things not the sports themselves.  You know that all of these things can be included in your life. The LORD wants us to enjoy life and all that gifts He's given us. But, are they the number one priorities in your life? If given a choice, what will you choose: the Kingdom of God for all eternity or immediate pleasure and gratification? Will you choose to sleep through life or will you be prepared for the return of the Master?

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning." (vs 36)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 8:1-15 Planting for the Kingdom

Luke 8:1-15 NIV
As Jesus is traveling about the region proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, he tells a parable about a farmer sowing seeds. Not everyone is getting what he's talking about. They're a bit lost. He tells them, “'Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.' His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'""(vs 8-9)

Do you get it, yet? It's about the kingdom. It's about how and why it grows. It's all about the Kingdom of God for you and for all who would hear and believe. Faith, after all comes by hearing. (Rom 10:17) Jesus' proclamation was about the Kingdom of God. Those things that he did and taught, they were so that the Kingdom would grow and be edified. They were so that you and I would know life in the Kingdom; life in His presence for all eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J


P.S. I'm afraid I sometimes give up on putting in the right quote marks in the right place at the right time - so for those of you who know grammar well; forgive me.

Jeremiah 45 - Give Your Life To The LORD For Your Own Sake!

"And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh, says the Lord; but I will give you your life as a prize of war in every place to which you may go.” (Jer 45:5 NIV)

Most often, the prophets warn us about seeking false gods, of worshipping ourselves; but, at the same time we are reminded that if we follow in His way, we will be blessed. We will be given our lives! We will live and live abundantly for all eternity, in His presence, in His Kingdom! Thanks be to God!

I cannot even count the times I have warned others that they were falling off the path and heading for disaster. A majority of the time, I am not listened to. Once more my plea is that you would give your life to the LORD that it might go well with you in the land that He has given you, in the Kingdom, where His Son, our LORD and Savior, reigns.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 125 - Shaken

Peace be on you... 

I read the news every morning online. Quite a turmoil out there! The news never fails to remind me of how blessed I am to live in Aura. Last night a meteor streaked over the Ural Mountains in Russia. Those mountains were shaken. Over 500 people were reported injured from the event.   It was reported that many thought that the world was coming to an end.

The other evening a local television ended up hacked. Across the bottom of the screen was a runner that warned people that the dead were rising from their graves and attacking people in the local counties. This happened late in the evening.  It appeared to be the same type of warning that we get when there is a snow storm or something else we need to be aware of to keep ourselves safe. Many people got left wondering if the world was coming to an end. Can you imagine being alone, late in the evening, and receiving a warning that zombies are coming to kill you.

But, those who trust in the LORD will not be shaken. Some of this stuff might give us a start when it first happens. We are, after all, human. But, none of us will shake us so that we fall.  Any evil that might befall you, whether natural or man-made, will not destroy you. The world might end. It probably will one day But, all who who are found righteous in Jesus Christ will know peace in the presence of God for all eternity. There is no end. Do not be afraid. God is with.

Trust in the LORD. May His peace be upon you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.