Guardian of Your Soul

 

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return, while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

For you were continuously straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

1 Peter 2:21-25

We have Jesus as an example of how we are to respond to those who try to humiliate or harm us because of our Christianity.  

Jesus uttered no threats but trusted God that He would judge Him righteously.  Even as Jesus hung on the cross He offered no vile response to His captures, but instead promised salvation to the repentant thief who hung by His side.  (Luke 23:42-43)

Know this, if you have strayed from the Gospel, you can return to Jesus and ask and receive forgiveness because He is the Guardian of your soul. 

Boldly Offer To Pray

 Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. 

They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. 

Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He  said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 

And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Mark 7:31-37 

Everywhere Jesus went He demonstrated that He cared for people.  He ministered to the sick and to those with handicaps.  He did not differentiate based on who the person was or where he/she was from, but with each one demonstrated the power of God to change lives.  

Jesus did this for the man who was deaf and unable to speak clearly, when He healed him, not for His glory but by the power of God.  Afterwards, He ordered the people not to tell anyone what had happened.

But, the people who witnessed the miracle could not contain the news and word of the healing power of God through Jesus spread,  

The lesson here is that we should not lose hope, but to continue to pray for those who are sick or suffering.  Praying with someone gives them hope and improves their outlook on life, both of which help with the healing process.  

Boldly offer to pray for healing with those who are sick or suffering because it is what Jesus would do.

The Money Changers

Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple grounds.   

And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 

Mark 11:15-17

Even today we still see some pastors and churches selling and buying.  They may be promising salvation or healing for a price or  selling faith objects that offer protection to the buyer.  It might be a special "Bible" with extra non-scriptural text which offers information no one else knows.  Or, at its worst, in my opinion, are worship events that require an admission fee.  And, then there is the matter of charging a fee for children to attend summer Bible School.  It is all about the dollars, not about reaching people with the Gospel.

Those who promote buying and selling in the church defend their actions by saying it costs a lot to operate a ministry or a church.  In my opinion, they are out to wring as much cash out of people that they can get.  They are not operating to meet the needs of people or to promote the Gospel. They are operating for profit.

So, what do we do?  We do not lend support to the money changers.  And, given the opportunity, we can call them out.  

Most of all, we can preach the the truth that salvation is the free gift of God through His Son, Jesus, and all anyone has to do to receive this gift is to acknowledge they are a sinner, ask forgiveness and accept Jesus as their Lord, Master and Savior.        

Time To Be Silent

 

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;

When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Proverbs 17:28

I am a person who talks way too much.  Sometimes so much that I am annoying.  I own this, and learning to control it was a hard learned lesson, which I mastered after a couple of smack downs and "shut ups" from people who I respected.  

Then a few years ago, I started a new job and after a week or so, one of the employees commented that I was really quiet.

And, I responded by quoting this scripture.  They said that that was a good one.  

If we don't know what we are talking about, we shouldn't be talking.

Lord help me keep my mouth shut.

Grace Is Not Rationed

 

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-17

God's grace is not rationed, it is available to everyone.  He sent Jesus for the redemption of the world.  And, with redemption comes the power of salvation to everyone who believes.

What is this power?  It is the power that changes us from thinking we are on our own to knowing that God is with us and cares for us.  We are not left unattended, but have God's full attention as we become righteous, that is morally right.  

Righteousness leads us to live by faith, knowing that God will take care of us.

We are not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God. 

Shine A Light

 

For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

 

John 3:20

Evil people know they are evil and they tend to stay away from the church and from Christians because they don’t want it pointed out to them.  They may speak ill of the church and Christians and point out every possible flaw they can think of to make the Gospel look wrong and themselves look right. 

 

We have tolerated evil people for too long.  We look the other way and try to avoid confronting them about their evil words, ideas and actions.  The truth is that evil people hurt people.  No they may not themselves attack another person, but they will cheer on others who do.  They loose no sleep over causing human beings to suffer.  

 

I think it is time that we shine a light on evil people.  When we see evil, we need to speak up loudly and let them and everyone around them know what is happening.

Once publicly exposed they may think twice about displaying their evil deeds.  And, if they are not "evil" but ignorant of how to treat people, then perhaps they will mend their ways.

 

We have the light of the truth and we need to let it shine.

Take Courage

Immediately afterward He compelled the disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.  After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.  But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.  

 

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

 

Matthew 14:22-27

 

There are times when we are frightened by what the future may hold.  Things are not going the way we think they should.  We become paralyzed by fear of what may happen if things do not change.

It is in these times that we need to remember that we may not see the hand of God at work, but it is.  What we see as impending disaster, God sees as an opportunity to reveal His glory. 

We can take courage knowing that God is in control and we have nothing to fear.   

 

Doers Of The Word

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25

When we read the Bible we sometimes do not absorb what is being said.  We miss what God is telling us.  That is how it is when we are hearers of the word and not doers.

Years ago, one Sunday my daughter said, "I don't think I like what the pastor said."

What she did not like was that the pastor said, "The purpose of bad people in your life is to destroy your life.  Get rid of them."  

My daughter had some shady friends and she knew it and she still associated with them and was influenced by them, which caused her a lot of grief. 

This is what happens when we disregard what the Bible tells us about how we should live.  We are easily pulled into things that are not good for us or anyone else. And, our lives are less than the best that God has for us.

When we look intently at what the Bible tells us to do and actively strive to live Christ like lives, we will be blessed.    

  

Kindness - Get It Back

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

I Peter 2:1-3

Every now and then stuff happens and we get tangled up by our natural instincts which can choke the life out of our Christianity.  

 

We get a bad attitude.  We become mean.  We look in the mirror and don't like what we see.  So, what is the cure for this?

 

The cure is to renew our Christian behavior by spending time reading the Bible and in prayer - for ourselves and for others.    

 

We who have experienced the kindness of the Lord need to get it back and pass it on.   

Rejoice and Be Glad

 

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Every morning when I get out of bed, I recite this verse to help me set the tone for my day.

That is not to say that I am not sometimes crabby or angry or disappointed, but to say that even in those time, I can rejoice that the Lord made the day and made me.  

Being thankful takes effort because none of us have perfect lives, but the act of thanking God for all we have helps us keep a positive perspective and can improve our attitude.  

And, knowing that God in His infinite wisdom has everything under control, helps us see beyond that which is happening at the moment to recognize that it all is part of God's plan for us.  

So, rejoice and be glad! 

The Alpha and The Omega

 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” Says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelations 1:8

The Alpha and the Omega are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet.  They symbolize the beginning and the end of things.

God calls Himself the beginning and the end - because it was He who created everything, including us, and it is He who will be sitting on the throne when all things end.   

God wants us to know He is always with us. We are never left alone. He has said it, and it is true: He is the Almighty. And, He is on our side.  

When in doubt, shout it out, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," Says the Lord God. 

We Are All Loved By God

 

And He (Jesus) also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God I thank you that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me, the sinner!’

“I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus wants us to understand that we have accomplishments of which we can be proud, but when we come before God it is neither the time nor the place brag because God knows everything about us.  He knows none of us are perfect. 

We may do many things which are good and right, but we need to humble ourselves and acknowledge that as good as we may be, it only takes one sin to make a sinner and we all have at least one of those.

Let us remember to thank God for His forgiveness and for His blessings and consider that the ground at the foot of the cross is level.  We are no better or worse than anyone and we are all loved by God.   

When God Calls

 

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

From the beginning, God chose some of the most unlikely people to do His work. There was Moses the reluctant leader. There was Jacob who was a mama’s boy. There was the Apostle Peter who shot his mouth off at all the wrong times. There were the Apostles James and John who wanted to call the fire of heaven down on the Samaritans (Luke 9:54).

God took ordinary people, and used them to proclaim His message to the world. And, He still uses unlikely people today to do His work.

If you think that not being smart, or lacking a good education or having a messy life, excludes you from being of service to God, think again. You are just the one He is looking for.

When God calls, answer Him.

God's Righteousness and Justice

 

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to His deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory, and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil....

Romans 2:4-9

The righteousness and justice of God means that He treats His creation with fairness. He rewards those who follow Him and obey His commandments, and provides a means for salvation to all human beings through acceptance of His Son, Jesus, as their Lord, Master and Savior. God being righteous and just gave His Son, Jesus, as the final sacrifice for man’s sin, and the triumph of good over evil. The free gift of God is salvation through Jesus.

On the flip side, because God is righteous and just, He makes no bones about punishing evil. This punishment extends beyond any punishment which man may inflict on man, to eternity – in that there is no place in heaven for those who refuse God’s call to redemption.

The ultimate testimony to the righteousness and justice of God is His open invitation to all humanity to come to Him.

(With Acknowledgement to Henry Clarence Thiessen, Author: Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI. 1949.)

 

Love Your Enemies

 

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. 

For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ...

Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus asks us to do hard stuff.  And this, loving our enemies, is one of them.  

I think the reason why we need to love our enemies is so that we do not become like them.  Think about it.  Chances are our enemies have a lot of hate, not just for us but also for other people and things. 

Do we want to be filled with hate?  No.  So, the solution is obvious - love.  We do not have to like what our enemies do or how they behave or what they say, but we have to love the person.

And, I think this is also because God wants us to know that those people who are the least lovable are the ones who need His love the most.

Doing What Is Right

 And keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.  For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.   

1 Peter 3:16

What do you do when the boss or your spouse or your friend tells you to do something that is wrong?  

There are a couple of choices - you can say, "I am not going to do it." or you can do nothing and say nothing, or you can slow role your involvement and hope the issue corrects itself.  Or, you can come right out with it and tell them why what they want you to do is wrong.  

These may not help your standing, but at least you maintain your values.  And, standing up for what you believe to be right may cost you your job, or your spouse, or your friend.  Not to mention that it may result in some not to nice gossip about you.  I call it gossip because the truth about what actually happened may well be distorted.

Peter says it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong.  And he is right, because if you cannot look yourself in the mirror without feeling guilty, then you are in a sad state.   

 

The Words Of My Mouth

 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

I am a talker.  Some find my chatter amusing, others find it annoying and tell me so.  I am not mean about things, but I do like to keep the conversation going.  

Once in a while I overstep and step on someone's toes - like when discussing politics.  So, I try to avoid discussing politics with those who I know disagree with me.  Still sometimes.... 

Over all I try to keep things encouraging and above all kind. 

Whether you are a talker or not, you, like me, can keep in mind to keep your words acceptable in God's sight.   

And, in doing so, help bring a little kindness to those around you. 

Seek Knowledge

 

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Proverbs 18:15

We do not know, what we do not know.  

When I was working for a local government office, one of the more seasoned employees told me that when I was asked a question for which I did not know the answer the correct response was, "I don't know, but I will find out."  

This acknowledged that the person seeking information was heard and that their question was valid.  And, it served as an opportunity for me to learn something I did not know.  

Likewise, we as Christians sometimes meet people who are curious about our faith.  We can prepare to talk to people about what we believe by studying the Bible.  We can independently study or join a group to learn more.  A few minutes a day studying the Bible can greatly increase our knowledge of God's word.

We seek knowledge so we can become wise.

Things Will Get Better

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

Christians are not exempt from life’s ups and downs, but we are guaranteed that God is with us through it all. All we have to do is buckle up and hang on.

My friend, Georga, was always upbeat, even when her life was on the edge of being a wreck. One time when one thing after another was going wrong, she said, “Sometimes when you get something going; you just have to ride it out to the end.”

Georga was right.  God promises us that when life is a mess, things will get better. 

Even if we don’t feel victorious, we need to remember God’s promise: if we remain faithful to Him, we will triumph in the end.

Who Will Separate Us From The Love Of Christ?

 

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?  God is the one who justifies; and who is the one who condemns?  Christ Jesus is He who died, yes rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:33-39

 

When the Apostle Paul wrote this, he was most likely in jail.  Paul was constantly harassed and harangued and arrested because of his faith, and, ultimately martyred by the Romans.  

 

Paul tells us it is not our circumstances which define our relationship to God.  God defines our relationship and He says he loves us no matter what.  

 

Knowing this we can face anything that comes our way with confidence that God is on our side and we succeed not by our might, but by the grace of God through His Son, Jesus.   

 

"Who will separate us from the love of Christ?" The answer is no one.

 

Have faith, be strong, God is on your side.