From The Rising To the Setting of The Sun; Praise The Lord!

Sunset: Beaufort, SC

"Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord;
    praise the name of the Lord.

Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time on and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations,    and his glory above the heavens."

Psalm 113:1-4 NRSV

 

What else is there to say; but, in everything praise the Lord? God has made all things wonderful. He is with us not just from the rising of the sun to its setting; but, from its setting to its rising as well. He is with us always; in the good times and in those times that seem not so good to us. God is with us and His intentions are for our good. May God open our ears to hear His good will for us and "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6)

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Still And Know The Great "I Am"

The Lord of Hosts is with you.

"He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations,
    I am exalted in the earth.”
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge."

                                              Psalm 46:9-11

 

In the midst of the darkest days and the most tumultuous nights; when we find ourselves restless; and wandering aimlessly; let us remember that the God of peace, the great "I AM" is with us. 

 

We can have peace of heart and mind in the knowledge that no matter what is going on around us the Lord of hosts is with us. Through every storm and battle, God has a plan. It is a plan for good. It is a plan for peace. Even while the battle yet rages, we can know the peace of heart and mind that surpasses all understanding. Be still in His presence; trusting that He will make the battle cease,  break the bow, and shatter the spear. He is our refuge and strength!

 

When your heart and soul become restless; find stillness in the presence of the Lord and in the knowledge that the great "I AM" is God and He is with you and He is for you.  

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Corinthians 16:5-18 An On The Move Bishop

1 Corinthians 16:5-18 NIV
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is about to close. I would characterize Paul, among other things, as an on the move Bishop. He was out there moving among the people proclaiming the gospel, teaching and encouraging the followers of Jesus. As far away from someone as he might be, without the use of phones or internet; without the use of cars or planes, he stayed in touch with those whom God had called him to serve. Where he could not be, he sent others.

The early church grew because of men who were willing to reach out across the miles to all people. They were willing to set aside the comforts of a home. They were willing to be persecuted by those who hated them and Jesus. They were willing to give it all for the sake of the Gospel.

Go and make disciples of all people, of all nations. But, in order to do that you must first be a disciple willing to take up your cross, die to self and follow Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Malachi 3 - Annual Reports; Budgets

So much I'd like to cover in such little space....

First, the prophecy of the coming of John the Baptist:
"I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:1 NIV)

Next to consider the word of God when He says: "I the LORD do not change." (Mal 3:6) I'm going to let you think about that one on your own.

Thirdly; I have been working on annual reports and budgets and benevolence comes up a lot when I do that. So the following verses kind of jumped out at me.

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 3:-8-12)

It is no secret that I and many others in this community think that we live in a delightful land! It is a friendly and caring community. The people who live in this place are very generous when it comes to helping those in need. We do all that we can to help others in need. (See Mal 3:5) As a congregation reaching out to others we have grown in many ways over the years.

Back to the annual report.... Thanks be to God, our budget is also being managed quite well and even grows - slowly but surely. We have some very faithful stewards. I have to admit that I get a little antsy at times when it comes to budgets (maybe even a little cranky - especially if someone intimates that our storehouse is for us and not to help those in need). Our congregation budget, in the end, is one of those things that we (I) have to say, from year to year, that we will just have to trust the LORD to provide. He has, after all, an outstanding track record of consistently providing for us and for others, through us, in various ways. I was quite surprised to find out that almost 40% of our general fund offerings, this year, came from non-members and I want to take this opportunity to thank God, in all of you, for supporting our ministry. We are a small congregation and a small community; but, thanks be to Christ in all of you, the ministry in this place does not just exist, but thrives.

You have been good stewards of God financial gifts. How's your stewardship of the Word and word going? Are you actually reading your Bible so that you can know His word and Word? That, after all, was the intent of this blog to help you get more involved in daily Bible reading and studying. Make sure you read the rest of Malachi 3. There is much in just this one chapter to understand.

God's Peace - Pr. J
P.S. Just a little clarification for those who may be wondering why I refer to both "word" and "Word." When I speak of the word with a small "w", I am referring to the Holy Scriptures. When I use a capital "W", I am referring to the Word who is Jesus the Christ.

Amos 9 - God's Promise Thru Amos

After many warnings of destruction to those who do not listen to God, Amos ends with a promise.

“In that day

'I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins—
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,
so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
    and all the nations that bear my name,^'
declares the Lord, who will do these things.

'The days are coming,' declares the Lord,

'when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
    and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,
    and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.'" (Amos 9:11:14 NIV)

 

God's awesome promises - the Good News of His Kingdom - is for all nations who will bear His name. Shall we then bear His Holy Name - proclaim it to all people - that all might live in His loving grace?

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ezekiel 29 - I Am the LORD

“On that day I will make a horn grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 29:21 NIV)

Israel, had trusted in Egypt to protect and care for them; therefore, not only will Israel go into exile, but Egypt, as well. For forty years, the LORD promises, that the Egyptians will be scattered among the nations for thinking that they, themselves, were some kind of god, in control of even the river Nile.

God's hand extends way beyond just those who purport to be followers of Him. He is the creator of all things and all things are His. He will care for His whole creation according to His will. May He always be with those who have been exiled. May God guide those whom He has sent out into the wilderness for refining or for testing or for whatever reason He has sent us there for so that we might know that He is the LORD above all lords. We are not god. He is!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 79 - Thy Kingdom Come This New Year

O God, the nations have indeed invaded your inheritance! (Psalm 79:1)

And.. not just the nations, but, we, we who are His children, have defiled the temple of God.  We, have neglected the worship and praise due to One who loves us so dearly. We wait for a miracle or two or three and then we will believe, truly believe and trust in the LORD. We, who are His people, have turned our backs on Him and share in the sins of past generations. He will not hold against us our ancestor's sins.  However, sadly, we have inherited their sins.  We have learned them. We have repeated them and, yet, we say, we have no sin.

It is the eve of a new year.  Repent, turn to the LORD, live life more fully in His kingdom.  Make this year a sweeter one.  Make this world a more joyful and peaceful one.  Even as we trust that He answers our prayer: "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Turn back and rejoice in the LORD now.  Begin a new thing, something that has been lost for a few generations:  Praise the LORD now, even before you can see with your eyes the blessings that the LORD has given you, has given us.  Praise the LORD, all you children of God.  Praise Him and give Him thanks for those things which, through faith, you have received.

God's blessings on your new year. And... may the peace of God be extended through you to all people.

Pr. J.

Psalm 47 - He Is Who He Is

This is one of those Psalms that makes me smile.  Rejoice!  Shout to the LORD!  Sing praises to the King of Kings!

Now I know that there is a whole multitude out there who will not rejoice in the LORD.  They don't know Him and they don't want to.  But, regardless of our devotion, He is still the King of all the earth.  He reigns over all nations.  The kings of the earth belong to Him.  It doesn't matter if you worship Him or not.  He is still the King of Kings and LORD of Lords.  That's just the way it is!  God is God and you cannot change Him. No matter how much you deny Him, He is who He is and He is!

So you all may as well give it up and clap your hands, all you nations, shout to God with cries of joy. 

God's Peace - Pr. J