Are You Listening?

"Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise." Deut 6:6-7

I do a lot of reciting of both the law and the gospel. But, there are times when I just have to shake my head and wonder if anyone is listening? Do they not understand the there is only one true God and that God is almighty; all powerful; all loving; all merciful? It is not wise; it is not a good thing to worship other gods; to put anyone or anything before our Creator and Redeemer. I simply have a difficult time understanding how anyone would refuse to love and serve the only God who can save them from sin, death, and the power of the devil. How could anyone not love someone who was willing to die for them?

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart." Deut 6:4-6

May our Father in heaven, forgive us for not loving Him as we ought; for not loving Him even as He loves us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Galatians 5:1-12 Law or Grace?

Galatians 5:1-12 NIV
Abandon your life to the grace of God! There are so many laws and traditions, I find it virtually impossible to keep to the traditions and letters of the law that are set forth by humankind. Can anyone know them all? Can anyone abide by them all? We have barely entered the season of Lent (it is the day after Ash Wednesday) and I find myself unable to sleep at 3 a.m. begging God for His mercy and grace; for without Him I would surely be lost.

The church on earth, in Paul's time, spent a lot of time worrying about the law of circumcision; whether gentiles should be circumcised or not. Paul said no. Others said yes. Paul insisted that keeping this law would not justify one person. His claim was that if we are trying to be justified by the law then we are alienating ourselves from Christ. The only justification that we have is Jesus the Christ. He died on that cross so that we might be justified in our Father's eyes. The law had to be satisfied. He satisfied it for us.

Mistakes will be made; sins will be compounded, laws will be broken. Much time will be spent worrying about it and trying to justify our own actions. If we continue to attempt to be justified by our own good works in keeping the law (which none of us ever have) we have fallen away from grace. We must abandon our lives to God's mercy and grace! We must trust Him! Our help is found only in Him. Give thanks and praise that your sins are forgiven for "the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;  we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets." Dan 9:9-10

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 6:27-36 Love Your Enemy

Luke 6:27-36 NIV
When Jesus says love your neighbor, he does not mean that we just get to smile when encountering those who hate us. It means we really need to care about them; even when they're not looking. We are to do good to others. It seems it is difficult for those who consider us their enemies to understand that even though they slander us and concoct all kinds of harm against us, the Christian will help them and support them in their time of need.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (vs 28) "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (vs 36)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Zechariah 14 - Judgment and Mercy

     On that day... On the Day of the LORD... there will be both judgment and mercy. It will be an awesome day for those who worship the LORD. It will not be so good for those who reject Him. It will be a day of destruction, but it will also be a day to rejoice in the LORD.
     I pray often (daily) for the lost. Their suffering and pain is so extreme. Yet, there is nothing that I can do to help them; except, to pray for them and continue to encourage them to turn the LORD for He is our only Help and Salvation.
      Do not think that because all is not perfect in the world; that He does not exist. He is there with you. He sees all that we do; whether we worship and serve in His Way or not. We continue to try to assist those who are suffering. We hope that their hearts will be opened so that they might receive the love of God and truly live. Yet, many will not and we grieve. It is most grievous to witness the suffering that exists because hard hearts will not let the love of God live in or through them.
     On the Day of the LORD there will be both judgment and mercy. May God be merciful to you and grant you His peace.

God's peace - Pr. J

Zephaniah 2 - Day of the LORD's Anger

"Gather together, gather yourselves together,
    you shameful nation,
before the decree takes effect
    and that day passes like windblown chaff,
before the Lord’s fierce anger
    comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath
    comes upon you.
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
    perhaps you will be sheltered 
   on the day of the Lord’s anger." (Zephaniah 2:1-3 NIV)

The LORD has given His children of Judah many, many opportunities to repent and seek the LORD and do His will. They appear to be more than just a little slow in the repentance department. But, here's one more call to repent, for them seek righteousness, humility, and to seek the LORD before the day of the LORD's anger falls upon them.

We are all given more than enough opportunity to seek the LORD. How many chances do we really think we deserve? I guarantee you the LORD has already given us more than we deserve. But, for His Son, who suffered on the cross for us, we would all be destined to fall on the day of His anger.

Thanks be to God, for He has been gracious and merciful to us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 10 - Can A Dirty Dish Be Used To Serve?

Reminiscent of the Prophet Isaiah, Jeremiah compares the worthless gods we make with our own hand to God who created us. What a description, "Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” (Jer 10:5 NIV)

 

 Everyone strays, even the shepherds. "The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered." (Jer 10:21)

 

And, it appears that even Jeremiah realizes that he must acknowledges his sinful nature. He realizes it and asks for mercy. "Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing." (Jer 10:24)

 

It is not always easy to confess our sin. But St. John warns us "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9) We are reminded of this every Sunday morning during our general confession. Hopefully, we remember it every day and ask the LORD for forgiveness. We all, like sheep, go astray, "but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Pet 2:25) Now that we have returned, let us not go back to the desolate places we've inhabited alongside our false gods.

 

When we confess our sins (daily), God who is merciful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To those who believe in Jesus Christ, He gives the power to become His children and bestows upon us the Holy Spirit. 

 

Think about confession like washing the dishes. Would you eat off of the same dish over and over again without washing it after it's been used? We, too, need to be cleansed before we can be of any use to ourselves or anyone else. We needed to be washed by the hand of God, before we can be of service to Him. It is by the blood of Christ, God's own Son, that we are washed clean.

 

Jeremiah is a prophet and (like Isaiah and other prophets) he is called and sent to warn the people that their idolatry is separating them from God and will bring dire consequences. He often begs God to have mercy on them, even as he remembers that even he needs the mercy of Almighty God to be able to live and serve. Repent, is a major theme of the early prophets. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand is the proclamation of both St. John the Baptist and Jesus and those he sent out in the wilderness to proclaim the word of God. Acknowledge, confess your sins, turn your back on your false idols and be made whole...

 

Worship the one true God and live life!

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 139 - The LORD Sees You

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me." (Psalm 139:1 NIV)

Don't be trying to hide from God! It won't work. You can try to hide who you are or what you do from your neighbors or your family or your friends. They may even buy into the mask you wear. But, God does not.  He discerns your every thought, your every move. He is with you even now. He is with you every moment of every day no matter where you might be. He sees you. He knows you.

Return to the LORD, for He is merciful to all who have fallen away. Return and do what is good in His sight for the sake of the one who died that we might be forgiven and live life eternally in His presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 116 - Taxes

"I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" (Psalm 116:1-2 NIV)

I was not facing death, but we have been facing the steady decline of our small business for the past few years. As overhead, things like insurance and taxes, keep going up and up, profits go down and down. My husband has been anxious about it and I have been just a little anxious for him.  The good news is as one's income decreases so do the taxes! (At least the lower tax debts are good for the small business owners even if it's not going to help the U.S. budget much)

I have been up since 1 a.m. and just finished our 2012 income taxes. The good news for my husband when he wakes up this moring - the silver lining in the cloud - is that we don't owe the huge amounts we normally do. What a relief! Of course, we owe. One never gets away from taxes, I suppose. But, God has been merciful.

I do not like tax time one iota. Income taxes are relatively easy to do. It's just so time consuming to I try to find all the documents I need to do them in the first place. It is a troubling time - frustrating - as I try to remember where I filed what.  I use to take a week's vacation time to dig up all of the paperwork. This year, I did not. I'm just getting up earlier to do them.

So, this morning, I see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and I rejoice. The LORD has always seen us through. He has always provided. He has always met our needs. I remember days when husand was a very young U.S. Marine and there were nights when we would have pancakes, no bacon or ham or eggs, just pancakes made with water for supper. I had a budget of $20.00 per month for groceries. It was tight, but we ate. I remember his first W-2. Actually, I have it saved somewhere. It is unbelievable how much he didn't make and we had a son to support on it. It was less than most people get today for 2 weeks work. But, God has always provided for us, no matter how tight things seemed to get. God heard of our needs and answered.

Those early days of our marriage taught me to trust the LORD. They drew me into a closer relationship with Him. I can look back and know that we would not be where we are today, but by the grace of God.

In every need, do not hesitate to call upon the LORD. He hears your voice and answers.

God's Peace - Pr. J