Jesus Has Got Our Back!

As I walked into Walmart with my youngest granddaughter yesterday; the lights began to go out, one bank after another. My immediate reaction was to look around for danger and for a safe place. This is the way I think. Not sure why. Well, actually, I have a good idea. But, that would take a book to explain. 

I noticed after the lights went out and back on a couple of times, others in the store seemed a little more wary, as well. I wondered what everyone was thinking. My granddaughter expressed concern, a couple of times, that all of the meat in the store would spoil. She hoped that they had a back-up plan so it wouldn't get wasted.

My family gets a little irritated with me at times because of my need to consider all possible outcomes when certain things crop up; but, I just happen to think that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure and after this many years that attitude is not going to go away.

When considering our path to a greater relationship with God, I do not think it imprudent, to consider the steps we are taking or the dangers that surround us. Are we going in the right way? Have we stepped into a pit of snakes? Will we lose our way if we take the step we're considering. There really are no back up plans; there are no alternate routes to the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the only way. He is God's original back up plan. Be prepared. By faith alone, in him, you shall be saved.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Wind Blows

"The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  John 3:8 NRSV

It has been cool and windy for a while here. My husband decided that he would like some warmer weather so headed for South Carolina on his trike on Monday. I think he chose the wrong week. Soon he will be experiencing the winds and rains of Hurricane Joachim as it travels north off of the coast. The wind will blow where it chooses.

And, so it is with the Spirit. The Spirit moves in unexpected ways when we least expect. There are two things that humankind cannot control: the blowing of the wind and the movement of the Spirit of God. All that we can do is go with it making the best of the experience. Regardless of the turbulence we might encounter as we ride the winds; we know that wherever the wind blows or the Spirit moves; God has a plan; a good plan for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

You Shall Have No Other Gods

The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.  (http://catechism.cph.org/en/10-commandments.html)

I spent many, many, years as a wife of a U.S. Marine. They have a saying: "God, Country, Corps." That is in proper order. God always comes first. There can be no other gods. There can be no other priorities. When faithfulness to God comes first, faithfulness to our other obligations just falls into place, with the help of God. But, if we cannot be faithful to God, then we will not be faithful to anything or anyone else, either.

As a Marine Corps wife, I spent a lot of time alone raising two sons, as my husband was deployed for far more than half of his career. I had no family near. It was a good thing. Through this time, I learned that there is one I can trust all of the time; that is God. Through this time, I learned that there was one who loved me like no other. God was there when no one else was. I wasn't always thrilled with the way He worked things out; but, I came to know and trust that no matter how He was working them out; they were being worked out for the good.

The best thing we can do for our loved ones, for our country, for our world, is to fear, love and trust God above all things and to Him first and to follow in the way He would have us go. His plan is perfect for us; ours is not.

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 God Knows

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 NIV
There are times when things just don't seem to be going as they should be. It is times like these when it is good to remember that what we think we see isn't always how it actually is. Do not be too quick to judge. We may not be able to figure out how good will come from it all. But, be assured God knows what good He can and will bring from these circumstances. Do not lose heart. God is with you and He has a plan for you. (Rom 8:28)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 29 - The LORD Has A Plan

The prophet Jeremiah and the false prophet Shemaiah are sending letters between Jerusalem and Babylon. Shemaiah continues to lie about what the LORD says and seeks to do harm to Jeremiah. Jeremiah advises the people who have been exiled to Babylon to settle down and help the city in which they live to prosper for in doing so they too will prosper and in seventy years their families will return to Jerusalem. Shemaiah on the other hand does not offer such wisdom. He gives the people false hope in telling them they only have two years in Babylon and then they will return. If they listen to him, they will be wasting some very precious gifts, not the least of them being years of their time as they do nothing but rebel. Jeremiah promises that the LORD says because Shemaiah persists in preaching rebellion against the LORD; in witnessing falsely to the will of God, that he and his descendants will suffer.

It is sometimes very difficult to accept the LORD's will. Very often, His will is not what we would desire for ourselves. But know this:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”" (Jer 29:11-14 NIV)

Take that leap of faith and trust that no matter what you are going through today, the LORD has a plan for you and it is a very good plan - the best!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 27 - Planning And Boasting Not The Same Thing

Planning ahead has never been part of my husband's routine. He's finally come around to letting me know what is on his schedule for the next day so that I can plan my schedule so that we will have time together.  I have planned many vacations just to go on them alone or with our children or our grandchildren. He built an addition on our house a few years ago. It's a real nice addition. But, he had not planned anything in advance. There was no blueprint of any kind! At least none that he would share with me. We went to the hardware store and lumber yard as each step of the project advanced and he decided what he needed at the time. There was no estimating the cost in advance of the project. I don't think my husband had ever read or heard Luke 14:28-30 (NIV). “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’"

From childhood, he; however, had this first verse from Proverbs 27 engrained into his being. "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." Somehow, for him, boasting and planning had become synonymous.

The verse says "do not boast." It does not say, do not plan ahead. Proverbs is a whole bunch of wisdom sayings put together, one after another. But, as with all of scripture, we read need to read them in the context of all scripture. When we take a look a the story from Luke it says we indeed should be planning ahead, and Proverbs would be reminding us not to boast of things not yet accomplished.

I'm a planner. I like things organized so I know what is coming up. I like things done quickly and efficiently. Planning helps me with this. After 40 years, I am finally getting use to not knowing what my husband is planning and he's finally coming around to wanting to have some kind of plan.

Planning with others what you will do tomorrow is not the same thing as boasting about what you will do tomorrow.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Proverbs 16 - Plans of the Heart

It seems a good thing, even a wise thing, not to let our emotions control us.  Proverbs 9:1 tells us "To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue."

So often, I can feel my emotions rise to the surface. It takes a bit of self-discipline to slow them down, ignore my emotions and listen to what the LORD would have me do. My first instinct is often to react rather than listen to God. That first instinct of listening to my heart and reacting has sometimes gotten me into a bit of trouble.

I am one of the fortunate grandparents that gets to see at least one of my granddaughters quite often. I tend to react quickly when it comes to things that I perceive as possibly being damaging to her life in the present or future. Although, sometimes, it is necessary to act quickly, sometimes, I react too quickly. I have to remember that the LORD sees all that she does. He knows all that is in her heart. He has a plan for her and sometimes my reacting too quickly may not be included in His plans. Sometimes, she just has to go through what she must go through. She must endure what she must endure. She will, as I must, learn to listen to the LORD and respond in the way He would have us respond. She will have to learn this for herself. As much as I love her, my emotions cannot control my reactions with her; I must learn to depend on the LORD for my tongue's proper answer.

When responding or reacting to any given situation, it is wise to slow down and ask ourselves if our response is coming from the pride within our hearts or is it from our knowledge and/or wisdom of the LORD's will for us and others.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 146 - Purpose of Life

I woke up this morning wondering, again, what the purpose of life really is. We are born. We live. We die. Life, here on earth, is so short! And... there is so much pain and suffering here in this world. The truth is the pain and suffering is mostly brought on by our own desires to be more than we are. It is brought on by our desire to be our own god. We think we can do this or that. The reality is, without God, there is nothing. Our plans will come to nothing. But, God has a plan...  He has a plan because He loves you. We can't always know what that plan is. But, we can trust that He has one.

Those who trust in His plan and not our own, praise the LORD all the days of their lives and they will find peace in the midst of the most confounded times. Praise the LORD! That is enough purpose for any of us. Praise the LORD; sing His praises as long as you shall live!

Thanks be to God. "The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord." Psalm 146:10 NIV

Pr. J

Cross references:

1. Psalm 146:1 : Ps 103:1; 104:1
2. Psalm 146:2 : Ps 104:33
3. Psalm 146:2 : S Ps 105:2
4. Psalm 146:2 : S Ps 63:4
5. Psalm 146:3 : Ps 118:9
6. Psalm 146:3 : Ps 60:11; S 108:12; Isa 2:22
7. Psalm 146:4 : S Ge 3:19; S Job 7:21; Ps 103:14; Ecc 12:7
8. Psalm 146:4 : Ps 33:10; 1Co 2:6
9. Psalm 146:5 : Ps 33:18; 37:9; 119:43; 144:15; Jer 17:7
10. Psalm 146:5 : Ps 70:5; 71:5; 121:2
11. Psalm 146:6 : S 2Ch 2:12; Ps 115:15; Ac 14:15; S Rev 10:6
12. Psalm 146:6 : S Dt 7:9; S Ps 18:25; 108:4; 117:2
13. Psalm 146:7 : S Ps 37:17
14. Psalm 146:7 : Ps 103:6
15. Psalm 146:7 : Ps 107:9; 145:15
16. Psalm 146:7 : S Ps 66:11; S 68:6
17. Psalm 146:8 : Pr 20:12; Isa 29:18; 32:3; 35:5; 42:7, 18-19; 43:8; Mt 11:5
18. Psalm 146:8 : S Ex 4:11
19. Psalm 146:8 : S Ps 38:6
20. Psalm 146:8 : S Dt 7:13; S Job 23:10
21. Psalm 146:9 : S Lev 19:34
22. Psalm 146:9 : S Ps 10:18
23. Psalm 146:9 : S Ex 22:22; Jas 1:27
24. Psalm 146:10 : S Ge 21:33; S 1Ch 16:31; Ps 93:1; 99:1; Rev 11:15