Pray For Self

Every now and then when praying with someone who is suffering, I find that they refuse to pray for themselves. They are very fastidious in praying for others; but, they feel it would be selfish to pray for themselves. The problem with this is that we need to be healthy and strong in the Lord in order to serve God or others. It is not selfish to pray for our own health and wholeness. Every member of the Body of Christ needs to be well in order for it to serve in its greatest capacity.

As I discussed this topic the other night with some friends, I realized that I, too, fall into the category of someone who does not pray for themselves very much at all. My "prayer list" is so long that I rarely get to me, at least nothing personal, except for this one petition that I make daily at least in some form.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Amen (Psalm 19:14 NRSV)

May God help us to stay in perpetual prayer for others as well as for ourselves that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rev 3:14-22 Sitting on the Fence

Revelation 3:14-22 NIV

Get off the fence! The warning to the church in Laodicea is that they are lukewarm and because they are neither hot nor cold, they are about to be spit out of the mouth of God. This message could and should surely be heard by a goodly number of those who claim to be members of the church, the Body of Christ, in North America. They are not on fire for the Lord; yet, they are not totally cold either; as they will profess to love the Lord when pressed on the subject. Thanks be to God not all who profess to be Christians are lukewarm; but, there are way too many. The time is now for all who profess to the love the Lord to get hot! Get off the fence!

He stands at the door and knocks. Don't be talking to him through a crack in a slightly opened door. Open the door all of the way and let him in and you will no longer be able to continue on lukewarm. He will set your heart on fire. Open the door and let him in!

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Zephaniah 1 - Fence Sitting Complacency

“I will sweep away everything
    from the face of the earth,”
declares the Lord.
“I will sweep away both man and beast;
    I will sweep away the birds in the sky
    and the fish in the sea—
    and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” (Zeph 1:2-3a NIV)

Just imagine, for a minute, God with a big broom sweeping clean the earth. That's the picture Zephaniah provides this morning. The prophecy is a warning to those who worship false idols. It is a warning to those who worship false gods as well as feign to worship God. It is also a warning to those who are complacent; to those who think that God might be complacent.

"At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
    and punish those who are complacent,
    who are like wine left on its dregs,
who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing,
    either good or bad.’" (Zeph 1:12)

There is only one God, either we are for Him or against Him. There is no in between. Therefore; worship the one true God with your whole hearts, soul, and mind. Do not be distracted by the pleasures the false gods would tease you with, which end up being not pleasures; but, troubles. For many years, I believed that to say that "I believe" was enough to save me. But, saying something isn't necessarily believing it with our whole hearts, minds, and souls. Complacency and sitting on the fence is about as useful to salvation as non-belief. At least that is the conclusion I came to for myself years ago, after reading, in the Revelation of St. John, the letter to the church in Laodicea.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." (Rev 3:14:19)

 

Maybe, it's time to consider whether the church on earth (we) has become complacent. Are we sitting on the fence? 

 

May the God of all grace and glory fill us with a desire to worship and serve Him above all others.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

 

Jeremiah 47 - As Relentless As A Tsunami

"The word of the Lord that came to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:

Thus says the Lord:
See, waters are rising out of the north
    and shall become an overflowing torrent;
they shall overflow the land and all that fills it,
    the city and those who live in it.
People shall cry out,
    and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,
    at the clatter of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels,
parents do not turn back for children,    so feeble are their hands." (Jer 47:1-3 NIV)

The word of the LORD is promising destruction to the Philistines. He will send an army like an overflowing torrent of water. They shall overflow the land; all that fills it, the city, and those who live in it. People shall cry out, and all inhabitants of the land shall wail.

We have seen the destruction of tsunamis. There is nothing that can stop or even slow down the wall of water as it destroys everything in its place. The LORD has promised to destroy the enemy of His children and nothing can save them. He will send an army from the north to put an end to their attacks on others.

What the LORD sends out, nothing can stop, nothing can slow it down, except that the LORD, Himself, will change His mind. There are no magical incantations, no offerings, no false gods, no works of man's hands that can change the flow of the tide once the LORD has ordained it.

This last week we had confirmation classes at Zion for our Junior High Youth. We talked about God calling and ordaining His people. I reminded them. with a smile on my face and a shocked look on most of theirs, that when God calls you to service, He will keep calling no matter how long it takes for you to say, yes. May as well stop saying no to God now; because, sooner or later you will listen and follow. It is much easier to say yes to God when you are young than fighting against it 'till you are old when you will turn and say yes, anyway. God calls whom He will call. He will ordain whom He will ordain. What He promises will come to pass.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it."  (Isaiah 55:10-11)

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Jeremiah 20 - Can't Keep His Mouth Shut

There are times when we think I should have just kept my mouth shut.

In the face of much persecution, Jeremiah keeps doing what he is called to do. He continues to warn the people of their impending captivity in Babylon. But, they will not listen. Instead, Jeremiah is beaten and thrown into a dungeon for speaking the word of the LORD. Yet, he will not, he cannot, stop speaking God's message to the people. God's word burns in his heart like a fire. It will not be stilled. He must speak it.

In spite of the personal danger, Jeremiah does not pull back from doing what the LORD calls him to do. He laments even his own birth; yet, he stands firm in faith, committing his cause to the LORD. He assures himself that the LORD will declare those who persecute him as unrighteous. They will incur much damage for persecuting the prophet of the LORD. They will suffer greatly for not listening to God's word.

The servants of the LORD are still persecuted, even today. At least, in this country (U.S.A.) we are not beaten or imprisoned for our faith. Yet, in many subtle and overt way the faithful are shunned or persecuted. Yet, even as Jeremiah kept faith and continued to proclaim His word, we continue to proclaim the truth. We do not keep our mouths shut. We proclaim His wondrous deeds even as we sing praises to God and bless His Holy Name.  

"Sing to the Lord!
    Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy    from the hands of the wicked." (Jer 20:13)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 1 - No Excuses

Moving on to a new book... Today, we begin reading Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was not exactly enthusiastic about being called as prophet of the LORD. After all, prophets can become pretty unpopular, pretty fast, and you have to make sure you're not making stuff up out of your own head. If you're called to proclaim God's Word, it better be God's Word you are proclaiming and not your own desires. It's really not a good idea to be running around saying "Thus says the LORD," if the LORD doesn't say it.

Jeremiah's response to the LORD calling him as a prophet was: “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” (Jer 1:6 NIV) Sound familiar? How many excuses can we create to not go and do what God would have us do? To not say what God would have us say? To not be what God would have us be? How many excuses have we made not to answer the call of God?

 

The Lord's responded to Jeremiah: “"Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord." (Jer 1:7-8)

 

Don't bother the LORD with excuses. He knows you and He knows the truth. Answering God's call is not always easy, as Jeremiah and multitudes of prophets, would attest. Not everyone is going to like what they hear and you will find a few more enemies along the way. But, God is with you. He will put His words in your mouth. He will rescue you.

 

Have a blessed day... sharing the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ with the world around you.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

 

P.S. By the way, a good place to start in knowing exactly what it is that the LORD says is by reading your Bible or attending worship services so that you might hear it during the reading of the daily lessons.

Solomon's Song of Songs 1 - God Is Sweeter Than Wine, More Fragrant Than Perfume

Song of Songs is a poem about love. It is a lot about the passion and love between a man and a woman. It's verses cycle from courtship through wedding to consummation. When I first read it so many years ago, it came across to me as a little racy. I wondered why it would even be included in the Holy Scriptures. The explanation I received was that it is an allegory of the love between God and His people, Christ and the Church, the Bride and the Bridegroom. It's been awhile since I've read it, so I will see what understanding I get from this reading.

It begins: "Solomon’s Song of Songs." (vs 1) The Song of Songs is attributed to Solomon and continues with the female oration:

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers." (Song of Songs 1:2-4 NIV)

Is this woman truly in love or is she merely desiring something or someone that other women love, just because he is desired by others. Is it merely a case of what others have, I want? I'm afraid, to me, this sounds more like a young woman or girl lusting rather than in love. Or, maybe that is what is just a part of the dance of love. Are desire and love the same thing? Maybe, it is that they are just so totally intertwined that you cannot have one without the other. It is up to the individual to be able to know the difference between pure lust and genuine love.

On the other hand if we look at it from the view that this is an allegory of Bride and the Bridegroom (Christ and the Church) would it not be wonderful if we could all be so excited about being loved by God? For me, this ends up being a very weak allegory. The love of God is way more pleasing than any wine or the fragrance of perfume!  It is difficult, for me, to equate the joy that comes with being in relationship with God to that of pursuing a man. Let us see, what the rest of the book has to say. Keep reading... See you tomorrow.

May the peace of the LORD be with you now and through all your tomorrows. Pr. J

Psalm 145 - Rest Is Found In Him

I was exhausted as I lay down to sleep last night.  I've done a bit of traveling the last four days. What was even more exhausting was planning today and tomorrow as I try to catch up on work and prepare to take another trip. Tomorrow afternoon, I leave with the youth from our congregation for a retreat.  Now, my mind tells me that retreats are suppose to be restful. But, there is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into them.

So, as I tried to reconcile in mind the fact that our friend Eddie or "The Fisherman" would make his final voyage out to sea to be laid to rest today, while scheduling the next two days in my mind, I was exhausted. I realized that I would not be sleeping well last night if I did not switch my focus.

So, I did. I spent my final moments awake praising God and trusting that Eddie's, as well as my spirit, was in the hands of God. In this I rejoice. In this, I find peace. In this knowledge, I found rest.

Look to the LORD and you will find peace. In Christ, you will find all that you need.

God's Peace - Pr. J

"My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:21 NIV)