Building yourself up In Your Most High Faith
Jude 1:17-23 (NRSV) 17 But you, beloved, must remember the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 for they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.” 19 It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. 20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21 keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some who are wavering; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies.
Jude, identified as the brother of James the Just, probably wrote this epistle around 60 A.D. The purpose of this letter was to encourage believers to stand fast in the faith, not allowing false teachers to undermine the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you suppose the writers of the New Testament had the hope that their writing, inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit, would put an end to falsehoods surrounding the gospel? I would imagine that was certainly their goal.
Yet today false teachers abound, many of them emerging from our seminaries, teaching that the Bible is archaic, casting doubt on many of the writers of the Scriptures, and telling those of us who still hold the Bible as cherished that we are worshipping the Bible rather than the God of the Bible. Really? The Holy Bible is God’s revelation to us of Who He is, and each book carries the theme of redemption.
God has revealed Himself to us through the Scriptures, through His Son, and through nature itself. If we cannot believe the Bible, then it is not a matter of the Bible being wrong or out of touch with today’s culture, it goes strictly to the heart of faith. If we do not have confidence (faith) in the Bible, then how do we maintain our belief and relationship with the God of the Bible? How do we allow Jesus to be our personal Savior and Lord if we separate Him from the Bible? After all, everything we know of Jesus comes from the Bible, and we are told in John 1 that Jesus is the Word made flesh.
If you find yourself under the teaching that says the Bible is not for today, or someone who picks and chooses from the Scripture those words that make him or her comfortable, run. Instead of trying to receive inspiration from one who is devoid of the spirit of God, learn to do as Jude says and build yourself up in your most high faith.
Stay in the Word, and be sure you are reading an authorized translation and not a paraphrase of the Bible. What is the difference? A translation works directly from the Hebrew and Greek and translates into English (or your native tongue) the best words and meaning of God’s Word, and it is a word for word study that gives us the closest meaning to the original text. A paraphrase takes paragraphs or segments of the word and tries to make it more understandable, often in today’s language.
Fill your spirit not just with the Word, but with hymns and songs extolling God and His Son. Let your spirit soar as you listen to or join in to sing those songs that lift up God in praise.
Pray, pray, pray like there is no tomorrow, because brothers and sisters, we do not know how long we have on this earth. But however long we are here, we must align ourselves with the Truth, and that Truth can only be found by learning and adhering to the WHOLE Word of God. May God have mercy on the souls of anyone who tries to turn us away from His Holy Word.
In Christ,
Pastor Carol
Father God, we love you and worship you in spirit and in truth. May You remove the scales from our eyes and the hardness in our hearts, that we may become one with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen
As in the days of Noah
Genesis 6:5-13 (NRSV) 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.
Noah Pleases God
9 These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.
Matthew 24:36-39 (NRSV) 36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Living in Arkansas, it seems as though it has rained almost continuously since early Spring. When such downpours occur, they are generally accompanied by comments such as “I think I saw an Ark floating down the street in front of my house.” While we find some humor in these statements, there was no amusement in God’s decision to destroy not just mankind, and all of the creatures He had so lovingly made, but the earth itself.
I took pottery in college, and occasionally a potter will reach a point where his or her creation cannot be salvaged, and the only answer is destruction followed by re-creation. Such action was always difficult because no one wants to admit failure. Instead, we will work and re-work a piece of clay until we realize our creation will either not be strong enough to withstand the fires of the kiln, or there are too many imperfections to make the piece desirable. I cannot even imagine the anguish God must have felt when he made the decision to destroy all He had made.
And now, we have reached the time in HIStory where many of us believe we will live to witness the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ warning in the Gospel of Matthew tells us we need to be vigilant for no one knows the hour of Christ’s return. But if we compare our time to the days of Noah what do we see? We wake up to strains of violence each morning, corruption is rampant, and just as in the days of Noah we seem unaware of our culture and the downward spiral away from God and His precepts.
God saved Noah and used him to re-establish the earth. Why? Because Noah was righteous. In other words, Noah had right standing with God. You, too, can be found to be righteous. You will never be perfect, but if you seek after holiness you, too, can be in right standing with God. How? Through the blood of Jesus, for there is no other way.
In Jesus’ name,
Pastor Carol
Father God, may we open our eyes to the world around us, and may be be watchful of the times. Jesus IS coming soon. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God is Love
1 John 4:16-19 (NRSV) 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.
In today’s scripture, the apostle John is writing to believers. He reminds them that God is love, and if we are truly believers then God’s love has been perfected in us. I love this verse, because for those of us who are seeking holiness, we are told that although we will never reach perfection while on this earth, God’s love is being perfected in us. God’s love abiding in us is what holiness is all about!
The word abide means to dwell, to live among, to be continuous. In other words, abiding with God is not a temporary situation. Instead, the love that grows within us is the result of an ongoing relationship with God. There is no need for fear, because perfect love casts out fear.
There are many situations in our world today that can cause fear. Hurricane Michael hit the coast of Florida just this past week, and those who feared what a Category 4 hurricane can do moved out of the path of the storm. In this case, fear was not only justified but it resulted in prudence.
The fear of which John spoke is something that permeates our being and drives every decision we make. If we are living (abiding) in that type of fear, then we are not living (abiding) in love because there is no room for both.
In love,
Pastor Carol
Father God, may today and everyday draw us closer to You, so that we may be made complete in Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen
The Time to Walk Away
1 Corinthinians 3: 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1!
These verses have never been more meaningful to me than since I retired. As a United Methodist Minister after we leave the church, whether by re-appointment or retirement, we are expected to walk away. Why? We leave churches and our friends so that the new pastor can begin that bonding process that would be hindered if we stayed.
Paul was experiencing what should happen when our ministry changes–he laid the foundation and others followed him, building upon that foundation. Some of Paul’s followers were upset because new believers were following Apollos and Cephas instead of remaining with Paul. But Paul understood the dynamics of ministry–the focus is never on the minister, but upon God. We are each just working in God’s field.
Today, a friend is in the hospital undergoing a heart procedure. I cannot be there because she is not only a friend, she is a former congregant. Her current pastor is with her which is the way it should be.
In Ecclesiastes 3 we are told there is a season for everything. My season for being a working preacher is over, and so I have to continue to walk way. But, I can still pray. I can pray for my friends and former congregants, and I can pray for the new pastor who has no doubt that she is where she is supposed to be.
Thank God for seasons, and for giving us the strength to walk away.
In Love,
Pastor Carol
Father God, today is a new day, and part of a new season. May we pay attention to the seasons in our lives, and may we follow after you always, never trying to lead the way but being willing to walk away if needed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Do Not Worry
Philippians 4:6 (NRSV)
6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
My attention has been called to this verse twice today. First, by a friend who mentioned it on Facebook, saying she used this verse to pray that God would help her find the right surgeon for her knee replacement, which was successful. Secondly, it was part of my daily reading plan.
There is so much good instruction in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, particularly the final chapter. Verse 8 tells us to meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report and virtue. Why? Because the battle wages in our minds–we are going to think about something. Train your brain your think on good things! You will be amazed at the good it will do for you and for those around you.
Vss. 10-11 reminds us to be content in whatever state we are in. Do you recognize how much better each of our lives would be if we could take this message to heart? Sometimes we are up, sometimes we are down, but give God praise and learn to rejoice in your current situation. If you cannot thank God for the situation in which you find yourself, you can always thank God for walking with you.
And of course, Philippians 4:19 promises that our God will supply our needs according to His riches glory.
Read this chapter of Philippians today–underline what speaks to you. Plant the words within your heart, and you will reap the benefits of His peace.
In Christ,
Pastor Carol
Father God, May whomever reads this be empowered by your Holy Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Seeking Holiness 