Do Unto Others; Respect And Care For Them

Do Unto Others; Give Generously out of love for others
Zion Servant Event - making fleece blankets for LWR

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets." Matt 7:12

You have heard the saying: "what goes around, comes around." Others refer to it as karma. What really is happening is that when you treat others with disrespect they most likely will treat you in the same manner that you have treated them. It is human nature. People simply have a hard time showing respect for those who disrespect others. When people break the rules of society, there are usually consequences set in place by society as a whole. I dislike this word, karma, immensely. I think a better word for this might be justice.

"Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones." Psalm 37:27-28

Show respect for others and they might show respect to you. Love others and you will be loved. Do good to all people that it may be well with you and them; that we might all live in harmony and peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rest For The Weary

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

Matt 11:28 NRSV

 

Jobless, homeless, hungry, and cold: that is the state of a lot of Americans. So many are weary of struggling to survive from day to day. We live in a country of some pretty big extremes. It amazes me when the political upper class speak like people earning $50,000 a year are poor. In 2012, the National Center for Law and Justice estimated that one out of sixteen people were living in deep poverty; that is they lived with income 50% below the poverty line. Imagine living like that! Those who live in deep poverty will never see this blog. They do not have access to computers or the internet. Just maybe our elected officials make so much money they have lost touch with the reality of what kind of struggles many Americans actually live with. $50,000. a year is not poor. One can feed and clothe and shelter their families on $50,000 a year.

 

Personally, I get weary of people who have I-Phones and I-Pods; have more bedrooms than children; and, take vacations two or three times a year complaining that they don't make fair wages or are broke. We need to remember that we are representatives of Christ. He calls us, even as he called Peter to feed his sheep.

 

May God help all of his representatives to feed his sheep; to help carry the burdens of others so that they might find rest. The followers and representatives of Jesus the Christ must step up and do this as it seems quite apparent that our elected representatives don't have much of a clue as how to do this.

Pr. J

Rev 15 Seven Bowls of Wrath

Revelation 15 NIV

Now that's a novel idea: God's wrath. It seems to me that many who say they believe; but, lift up other false god's (priorities) and do not actually worship God have kind of discounted God's wrath.

I know that I am accepted by many as long as I say and do everything to please others. But, when I speak a truth that does not condone worshipping other gods, I am not at all accepted by many. If a word of truth that comes from God through me or others who proclaim His Word is not accepted, then how much less is He accepted as He is? God is not to be mocked. He is more than a benevolent spirit. He is who He is and He will do justice. Justice includes judgment. It includes His wrath as well as His mercy.

John's vision of seven angels about to pour out seven bowls filled with the plagues of God's wrath upon the earth reminds us that those who do not worship Him will endure His wrath even while those who have been victorious through the blood of Christ will praise His Holy Name.

God have mercy upon us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Peter 2 Not Everyone is Saved

2 Peter 2 NIV
Peter is pretty straightforward in his warning to the people to beware of and not follow false teachers They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done." (vs 13) that come among us. They are ungodly people; people who secretly introduce heresies and blaspheme in matters they do not understand; following the corrupt desires of the flesh; and despise authority. "

Do not follow them on the road to destruction. Do not fall into their trap. God will take care of them. Justice will be meted out. Not by our hands; but, by the hand of God. Just as God did not spare the people of Noah's time (except for Noah's family) or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (except for Lot and his family), He will visit justice upon those who would teach others to follow in ways that they should not go even as He will uphold those who love and trust in him on the day of judgment.

So many would consider this warning a judgment in itself. It is not. It is a reminder and a warning that God is the judge and he will indeed judge all people. There is time to change (although, we do not know how long). Jesus died so that all who believe in him might be saved and enter into the Kingdom where he reigns. We are saved by faith in Christ alone and faith inspires us to do God's will, not our own. Faith directs us to build up the Body of Christ, which is the Kingdom of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 5:1-6 Justice in Labor

James 5:1-12 NIV
Justice in regards to pay can be a balancing act. On the one side there are those in this world who get rich off of the unfair wages and labor of others. There are those who do not get paid fair wages for an awful lot of work. The rich get richer on the backs of the poor who get poorer. However, on the other side there are also those who would have everything given to them without a fair days labor given for those wages.

As some employers get rich while paying their employees minimum wages; others lose their businesses because they cannot keep up with the continual rising costs of having employees. The cost of unemployment taxes, workman's compensation, and other insurances can be prohibitive for many small businesses, eventually leading to not only loss of jobs for employees; but, for the employer, as well. I know more than one small business; although their employees do not get rich, the owner actually makes less than their employees while contributing more time and work. Just because someone owns a small business we ought to be careful not to consider that they are getting rich on the backs of their employees. Some suffer in order to provide their employees employment.

At a small group study yesterday, we reflected on how many of the first immigrants came to this country in the pursuit of freedom of religion. Today, the gods that bring people to this country are often more economic in nature. They come for many reasons. Some because of religious persecution. Others also come because of economic oppression in their own countries. Say what we will about the economic conditions of this country, we are still one of the richest in the world. We thank God for this economic freedom; but, at the same time we must beware that this economic freedom does not become a god in itself for us. As individuals, as Christians, we must strive to pay fair wages in exchange for fair labor. As individuals, we ought to strive to provide fair labor for the fair wages we are paid. We need to try to ensure that our corroded gold and silver don't become testimonies against us.

Whether we are employers or employees; whatever we do, we do it unto the Lord; so that God is glorified. Do justice for your employee and your employer so that all may eat and none should suffer.

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 4 Fights, Quarrels, Injustice

James 4 NIV
I watched the news, the unpeaceful protests in Baltimore, late into the night last night. Sadly, that is just a tiny fraction of the unrest in the world these days. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people will use the excuse that they seek justice to commit more injustice. Breaking the law and throwing rocks and bottles at cops is not going to promote anyone's agenda for the good. How can looting and setting other people's property on fire be justice in anyone's mind? Yet, there are quite a few who think that it is.

There is so much dissension in this world. St. James asks: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (vs 1-3)

We are taught by scripture that we are to love our neighbors and that doesn't mean just the people in the church. We are to love even our enemies. We are to care for them. To unjustly attack our neighbors or even our enemies is sin. To cause harm to them whether it be intentional or unintentional is sin. What we do or what we ask God for should not be for our benefit alone; because it might be pleasing to us; but, for the good of all people. 

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." (vs 17) "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (vs 7,8)

May God help us to learn to better trust that His will is for the good of all of His children.. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Hebrews 13:1-19 - Unaware of Angels

Hebrews 13:1-19 NIV
Oh my! To do any justice with these verses one would have to take them one at a time. But, that is not the intent of this blog. Read the scripture linked above!  

The author is winding down his letter and reminds the readers to love and respect one another and to live honorably in every way.  I am particularly partial to verse 2. "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Whenever I read or hear that voice I am reminded of "Michael on The Way." Michael was a visitor to a congregation that I served years ago. I had only been there a couple of month. Michael was homeless, traveling, on his way, from North Dakota to Florida for the winter. (These northern states are really not good states to be homeless in the winter.) He stopped to worship with us, coming in after the service started with his paper bag and guitar case in hand headed straight for the front pew - definitely not Lutheran. I was a little nervous. No, not because of him. But, because my sermon repeated verse 2 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Would we see the sermon lived out by the congregation that day, I wondered. Michael fidgeted a lot and during the sermon got up. It appeared that he was leaving. I stopped and introduced myself and asked him to stay so that we could visit after the service. When he told me his name was Michael, I got even a bit more anxious given the context of the sermon. My first thought on hearing his name was "archangel." He stayed. The congregation had proved to be very welcoming, indeed. He got lots of hugs during the sharing of the peace! He and I went out to breakfast afterwards to a place he had been asked to leave a couple of hours earlier. He had also visited another congregation in town that morning; but, only for a few minutes. He had not been welcomed there. I brought him down to the main highway after breakfast that morning so that he could continue his journey to places much warmer.

I asked the council at our next meeting if we could pray for Michael's journey. They agreed to also add him to our prayer list where he stayed for a few years. Not all of the council had been aware that Michael was really a homeless man. Since, they did not know me that well; they had thought I had set the whole thing up to go with the sermon. But, only God can mastermind events that well! It was a good lesson for me. I learned that day that the congregation I was serving truly did love and respect their neighbors, even the strangers. I also learned (again) that God is truly in charge and works things out for the good of those who love Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Thess 1 - Trials Then Glory

2 Thessalonians 1 NIV

Toksovan Lutheran Church, Russia (2002)
A church, then communist meeting hall,
now a church. There is always hope for
those who persevere.

In the face of persecution by friends, family, community; how easy it would be to just give up and follow in the ways of the world! But, for those who are confident in the Lord and in His justice, we do not give up. Our hope is in the Lord and in His promises. We know that in the end God will work all things out for the good to those who love Him and He will be glorified.

Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians begins with words of encouragement. He commends them for their perseverance and faith. They are enduring many persecutions and trials; yet, they remain faithful.

We are tried, daily, in many ways. We suffer many injustices here in this world. Yet, we know that our trials will bear fruit for the good of all of God's children. May God help us to persevere in faith 'till the day that we will see His glory in all its fullness.

God's Peace - Pr. J

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Yoked

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NIV
Our reading today does not mean that we should not minister to unbelievers. It does not mean that we should not make all attempts to live peaceably with the unbeliever. It is a reminder that we should yoke ourselves to other Christians and not make lifelong commitments with unbelievers.

If you doubt this, then ask a Christian man or woman who is married to an unbeliever how that's working out for them. It does work out in many cases. But, it can be most difficult. It can be terribly trying for the believer who has Christ as the priority, while the spouse has another focus. Sometimes that other focus might be something that goes directly against the will of God. Sometimes it is more subtle and can drag the believing partner down.

Take St. Paul's warning against being yoked to the unbeliever. Love your neighbor, do justice... but, be careful that you are not tempted to live in such a way that Jesus takes a back seat in your life. You are a child of God. Live as a child of God within the family of God. However, if you have yoked yourself by marriage to an unbeliever; do your best to be a witness of God's love for them and for you so that in the end they too might be saved.
God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 18:1-8 Persistent Prayer and Justice

Luke 18:1-8 NIV - Judge Delivers Justice...
LOL (laugh out loud)! I laugh because God is absolutely amazing! I have seen Him deliver up justice when none thought it possible. Surely, He answers the prayers of the faithful. He listens and He answers! Don't give up! Keep on praying for those in need. Keep on praying for justice and it will be given you.

Justice is definitely included in His will for mankind. If earthly judges will deliver it up; surely our God will deliver it. Blessed are those who believe this and woe to those who are the adversaries of justice. God is good. He will deliver you from your adversaries. But, it would be good to make sure that you are not the adversary that is trying to deny justice to one of his little ones...

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 11:37-54

Luke 11:37-54 NIV
Woe to the Pharisees who heap law upon law; who hold to their traditions and have no real comprehension of justice or the love of God.

I am late writing this today as I spent the night at "the shack" in the town I grew up in so that I could get flowers on the graves. This is Memorial Day weekend and "fixing" the graves is somewhat of a tradition. I did not get to the graves of all my ancestors in the area this year; only about seventeen of them. I did not even know some of them as they died decades before I was born. I am not even sure where a couple of them are in the Paynesville Cemetery; except that they are under a lilac bush. The twins are in unmarked graves. A few years ago, I noticed that no one took care of them any longer, so I started to. It is a reminder to me that we are not islands in the midst of the sea. We are attached to the people around us, as well as those who have gone before us and those will come after us. We are a part of something much greater than ourselves. It is a reminder to me that because we are connected; we should live according to the love of God doing justice; not harm to those around us.

Woe to those who cannot show love or do justice to others.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. No time to not serve, love, and do justice this weekend. One graveside funeral on Friday and five burials after worship tomorrow. Memorial Day weekend provides no less opportunities to love and do justice than any other day :)

Micah 6 - Walk Humbly

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8 NIV)

It would be very good indeed in this world, if we all just did the good that the LORD has shown us. Can you imagine what the world would be like if every professing Christian actually made it a priority to act justly and love mercy as we walk humbly with our God?

One of my favorite descriptions of humility was written by Washington Allston. He wrote: "Humility is also a healing virtue; it will cicatrize a thousand wounds, which pride would keep for ever open."

Let us then set aside our pride as we walk humbly with our God, so that justice and mercy might prevail.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ezekiel 13 - Peace When There Is No Peace

“‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, "Peace," when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,  therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth." (Ezekiel 13:10-11 NIV)

God's peace be with you. Every Sunday morning we greet one another with words similar to this. When we do this, we are breaking down any walls that may have stood between us and the persons we share this peace with. Ezekiel likens false prophecies of peace to a poorly constructed wall. This false peace will break down walls, as well. But, instead of truth and the genuine heart felt peace of God; it will open up the gate so that false idols might enter in.

These false declarations of peace, when there is no peace, does not actually create unity. It divides as it creates more victims. This false sense of peace whitewashes the injustice that is being done so that the doer of injustice is given a free pass to continue persecuting others; to do what is not right in the eyes of God. I'm OK. You're OK. Everything and everyone is OK. But, everything is not OK. There are still multitudes who are hungry, multitudes who do not know justice, multitudes who are lonely and afraid, multitudes who live without the knowledge of God and His great love for them, and the list goes on.

There is only one way to everlasting peace. That way is through Jesus the Christ.

May His peace be with you always. Pr. J.

Jeremiah 22 - Have Compassion And Do Justice

Have compassion and do justice... and, you will live. You will live in peace. 

 

Sadly, the King of Judah lacks compassion. He does not do justice. He is too busy building up himself a kingdom. He is busy amassing wealth for himself. Because of his self-serving life, the king has led the people in a wrong way. He has led them to destruction. They are about to be kicked out of the kingdom.

 

Sadly, we have many kings today. So many of us thing we should all be able to live like kings. We have built up for ourselves tiny castles which we must protect and build up no matter what it costs us or others. You have probably heard the saying a "man's home is his castle." Think about how much you have put into that home and why. Think about how much the labor that has gone into making it the envy of your neighbor's eye may have cost you in relationships with family and friends. Think about how it may be costing you your relationship with the LORD. Think about how the time spent in making that home your own little castle has directed you away from living and enjoying a more fuller life that God intends for you to have. You want you own kingdom and refrain from entering the Kingdom of God. I am not saying that we should not have nice, comfortable homes. I am simply saying, how much is it really costing you? (See Luke 14:28) In the end, the compulsive desire and attempts to acquire great luxury will lead us down the path of destruction.

 

In the end, on that final day, the house will be gone. All acquisitions will go to someone else or maybe to the dump. On that final day, we will stand at the gate of the Kingdom and we will either be welcomed or sent away. Will we follow in the path of Jesus, living lives according to God's will, and ultimately enter through that gate that He has opened for us?

 

The choice to do justice or injustice is ours. The choice to live life to its fullest or spend our lives envying others and striving to have all that they have and more is ours. Heaven is not something just for the afterlife. It can be lived and experienced now. Even as we pray, "Thy kingdom come," it has come. We can live in God's presence even now. As I have often asked before, why would you desire to live in God's kingdom after you pass through the gateway that is death, if living in His Kingdom, His presence, isn't good enough for you today?

 

Even as our Lord Jesus had compassion on us, may God help us to have compassion on others and do justice that we might live in His presence together.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 12 - Justice

Jeremiah wants to know about God's justice. He's not a happy camper. He wants to know why the way of the wicked prospers and the faithless live at ease. This is an age-old question. We continue to ask why and when God will put a stop to the injustice in the world.

It is difficult to watch people whom we love suffer from the injustice of the world - of not being loved or cared for - when they are alone or hurting. It is most difficult to see those who do not worship the LORD trample on the hearts and minds of those who do.

But, if we think that the LORD does not see and will not act (Jer 12:4); then we are mistaken. The LORD will act. He will uproot us and send us far away from Him, from the land (vs 14), from His people. But, if we repent... He will restore us and bring us back. He will establish among His people those who were once estranged from Him. (vs 15-16)

The LORD sees... let us, as this new year begins, return to the LORD and with compassion help and do not harm our neighbors.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 12 - God's Justice

Jeremiah's starting to sound a little fried. Yes, I know what "fried' is. Been there... Many of us have. Jeremiah is sounding just a little unhappy with God's kind of justice. He's not thrilled that the wicked prosper and the faithless live in ease. He's not thrilled that while he is busy doing the LORD's will and being persecuted for it, the persecutors go about doing as they please. I think Jeremiah's getting just a little tired of being "refined" as he does the LORD's will. For, indeed, the LORD will refine even His children so that they can endure every trial and be made even stronger through each of them. Trials build character - or so I've been told. Could Jeremiah possibly be tired of all this character building? There seems to be just a tinge of self-righteousness in him today.

Like Jonah (unhappy that the people repented and were saved) and many others, Jeremiah just doesn't seem to get that God's justice, His will, includes welcoming those who are not His people, as His people. The LORD reminds Jeremiah that even to those who go against God's people, all who turn from their false gods and call upon the name of the LORD, He will show mercy. He will make even the enemy His own. "But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people." (Jer 12:15-16 NIV)

God's plan and His mercy is for all people. Jeremiah's role and the role of all whom God has called is to seek out the lost, seek out those who do not know God, and introduce Him (by proclamation) so that they too might hear and believe, and be welcomed into the Kingdom, the family, of God. And... that, my friend, includes even you and me. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1Pet 2:9-10)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 9 - We Are Not Him!

"This is what the Lord says:

'Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
    or the strong boast of their strength
    or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
    that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth,
    for in these I delight,'

       declares the Lord." (Jer 9:23-24 NIV)

 

Well, this one is a good one. I'm thinking of all the people who do not want to hear anyone boast in the LORD. People really don't seem to want to know that you know the LORD. Frankly, I think it scares them. It is better (some think) to boast in what we have done and stay far away from any talk about a God who does all things through us.

 

I have made a lot of friends in my lifetime. I have also made a lot of enemies. Not all those enemies were made because of my boasting in the LORD. Some of them were made simply because they know who it is that I know and; frankly, they fear Him. They do not want to know Him because getting to know Him might just upset the high opinions they have of themselves.

 

There is a God and we are not Him.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 9 - What's Justice Got To Do With Sagging Pants?

Through the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, the LORD calls women to weep and wail. The people are a mess! They have turned their backs on God and on one another. They worship the Baals and they lie to one another. Even the land has been made desolate. The judgment to come is well worth weeping and wailing over, even now.

"This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
    or the strong boast of their strength
    or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
    that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth,
    for in these I delight,”declares the Lord." (Jer 9:23-24 NIV)

It appears humankind has sought after it's own desires, turning their backs on God and all of God's creation. And..... they boast about it. They brag about it without ever recognizing the damage they have done. Everyone is right in their own eyes. But, the LORD says, if you really want to brag about something... brag about me. Tell the world "I am." If there is any wisdom, it is in those who have the understanding to know Me. And... when you know Me; when you understand Me; when you are in a right relationship with Me; you will know that I desire justice and righteousness on earth.

OK... so that's what probably a good majority of us say... that we want justice for all people. Really? Pretty much what I hear on the news is that we want our own brand of justice, what is good for us, and not justice according to God's will. The people clamor for more laws. The politicians are busy creating them. One law on top of another until no one can even understand them all, let alone try to obey them. And... take a good look at those laws. Some of them are pretty discriminatory favoring one group or class of people over another. That, I don't believe is very conducive to justice.

I could not help but laugh as I read a news article about a parish in Louisiana that wants to make it illegal to wear sagging pants (you know wearing your pants so your underwear show). Now, I'm not a big fan of those sagging pants. I usually break into a smile whenever I see them. I once followed a group of teenage boys as they ran up a flight of fire escape stairs, carrying school books in one arm and holding their pants up with the other hand. They were really struggling to get up those stairs. I haven't quite figured out why anyone would want to spend their days holding their pants up with one hand. It seems like it would kind of impede their opportunities to live life. But, on the other hand... Is justice really all about dictating what kind of clothes others are to wear? Don't we have better things to do than make one law upon another law upon another? How can those sagging pants be distracting to others (except to cause us to smile)? All the sagging pants I've seen have had some fully covering boxers underneath and if we're honest we would acknowledge that boxers cover a whole lot more than some of the shorts and shirts we've seen out in public.

We're so busy making new laws to fit our own senses of morality, that we forget to just love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. The lack of love that is evident in this world is enough to make one weep.

Well, I guess those sagging pants did distract me. After all, I did get a little side-tracked here today... But, I am smiling thinking about those sagging pants!

Wisdom is this: having the understanding to know God, that He is the Lord and it is He who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Isaiah 56 - Justice of God

"This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice
    and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand    
and my righteousness will soon be revealed." (Isa 56:1 NIV)

God's justice is not like our justice. If we refer back to Isaiah 55 we remember that His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. We like to think or pretend they are. We like to twist scripture so that even our unfaithfulness can make us look righteous. But, God knows the truth. He sees.

His justice blesses those, no matter who they are, who are faithful, with eternal life. Isaiah 56 reminds us that He will bless even the foreigner and the eunuch who choose what pleases God. According to today's reading, God blesses the foreigner, the stranger; but, many shepherds He accuses. The very ones who are called to protect His flock are accused of being self-indulgent rather than caring for the flock that the LORD has entrusted us with.

"Israel’s watchmen are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.
They are dogs with mighty appetites;
    they never have enough.
They are shepherds who lack understanding;
    they all turn to their own way,
    they seek their own gain.
“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!
    Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,    or even far better.”  (Isa 56:10-12)

I'm thinking that it will not be far better for those shepherds who desert their flock to feed their own desires.

The stranger and outcast should not think that God does not hear them. Have faith. Trust that He is with you and that He hears and He sees and He will bless all who listen to Him and follow in His Way.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Isaiah 32 - Fruit Of Christ's Righteousness Is Peace

Our Worship and Music Committee spent a little bit of time after Worship yesterday selecting hymns for the months of July through September. "When Peace Like A River" was selected as a favorite hymn for most of the month of September.  A few of those lessons during September are pictures of anything but peace. Even as we thought about changing the hymn, we remembered that the peace that Christ brings is not the same peace that the world strives for. The peace of God is more like a calmness of heart or spirit in the midst of a storm. There may be trouble in the world, but there is peace within the one who knows Jesus.

It doesn't sound so good for Israel. Isaiah prophecies a storm. There is trouble brewing. The Assyrians will definitely bring chaos to the complacent people of the land who have felt secure in themselves. They may as well get rid of their fancy clothes now and beat their breasts for a storm is about to rage in on them.

But, there is hope. A king is coming (in our case has come and will come again). He will reign with righteousness and justice. He is our refuge in all storms. And... as the LORD promised through Isaiah:

"The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert,
his righteousness live in the fertile field.
The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
Though hail flattens the forest
and the city is leveled completely,
how blessed you will be,
sowing your seed by every stream,and letting your cattle and donkeys range free." (Isa 32:16-20 NIV)

Peace is the fruit of the righteousness of Christ. We know peace within when we know Christ, even if and while the world is in a raging war.  

God is our refuge and strength. He is the peace that has reconciled us to Him and the whole Body of Christ. The world cannot do this. Only the righteousness of Christ can.

God's Peace - Pr. J