(NIV) John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Today is Memorial Day, a federal holiday designated as such to honor those men and women who died in military service to the United States. While many consider Memorial Day to be nothing more than the official start to summer, we would do well to remember the sacrifices made on our behalf.
I recall the first time I drove through the gates of Arlington Cemetery and seeing row after row of small white headstones. And I remember the story of Gen. Robert E Lee’s home being surrounded by the graves of Union soldiers as a punishment for his involvement in the Civil War.
Today’s scripture promises peace, and Jesus clearly says that His peace does not come from the world. Honoring our fallen dead is, to me, not inconsistent with our Christian values, but instead is an act of thankfulness.
May we remember that our true peace is not found on the battlefield but in Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Abiding
(NIV) Ps 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Psalm 84 reveals to us the intimacy of dwelling, or abiding, with God. When we abide with God, and our praise becomes constant, then our strength increases as we boldly declare that one day in God’s presence is better than a thousand days apart from Him.than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Sometimes we overlook the power behind staying in relationship with God. There is a constancy in God’s presence that permeates our being as we read and meditate upon His word. Because everything in this world feels so temporary, it is assuring to be reminded of the permanence of our God.
May we today lean not upon our own understanding but rely upon the one, true and living God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let The Redeemed Say So
(NIV) John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(NIV)Rom 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
We met a young man this week who shared some of his story. Married with a small son, his wife no longer loves him. She took their son and left.
But the saddest part of his story for me was this: he had been attending a church with a female pastor. Spoiler alert: I am a female pastor. He said the pastor told him he was irredeemable and he was told to leave the church.
I don’t know the background of the conversation, but he was convinced the reasoning for the pastor’s behavior was solely because she was a woman. I assured him that every person is redeemable. How do I know? The Bible tells me so.
Does John 3:16 mean everyone will be redeemed? No, but it does mean everyone is redeemable. Paul says in Romans 10:9 that we access salvation by declaring with our mouths and believing in our hearts that Jesus is Lord. Faith plus repentance brings salvation.
As a pastor, I was called to proclaim God’s Word and provide comfort to God’s people. I was not called to declare people unfit—as I told a young gay man, I’m just here to share the gospel—anything else is above my pay grade.
Do I water down the Bible? No. Do I assure people God would not condemn anyone? No. But neither do I try to move God over so that I can do His job.
As part of your morning routine, I suggest that you ask God to send someone across your path that you can help. And then get ready.
May we today consider the impact of our words and actions upon all those we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Do We Have Choices?
Have you considered how many choices we make on a daily basis? What to wear, breakfast or not, which route to take to go to work or school. But what about the way we react to situations around us? Choices.
So I thought I would share some scriptures celebrating choices.
Choose life
(NIV) Deut 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Choose Hope
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Jeremiah 29:11 ~ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Romans 12:12 ~ Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer
Romans 8:24-25 ~ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
1 Peter 1:3 ~ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Choose love
1 Corinthians 13:13 – And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Choose joy
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(NIV) Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
(NIV) Psalm 16:
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Are we victims of our circumstances or can we make choices that will affect our outcomes? If we do not have power over anything else, we can choose the way we respond to those things that would cause us pain or fear. The answers are found in God’s Word.
And one final choice:
(NIV) Joshua 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
May we, beginning today, cease being victims but instead become victorious through Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wisdom of a Virtuous Woman
“She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” — Prov 31:16
The Amplified Bible reads, “She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.
Today we conclude our study of the virtuous woman. I pray you have found inspiration as we have visited the stories of some amazing women.
Proverbs 31:16 speaks of the wisdom a woman needs in taking care of her responsibilities. There is a wisdom that comes from man and there is a godly wisdom.
I can think of several examples of women in the Bible who exemplified an uncommon wisdom, some of whom are well known, but others who are not.
I immediately think of Rahab, whose story is found in Joshua 2. Rahab had heard of the Hebrews’ successful conquest and knew her only chance of survival was to align with the Hebrew spies. Her decision saved her and her family.
Consider the story of Jael found in Judges 4, whose husband, Hever, was an ally of the Canaanite army. Sisera, the General of the army, had led 900 chariots into battle, and one by one they were destroyed.
Only Sisera remained, and he ran for cover toward Hever’s encampment, where Jael met him and invited him to her tent. There he believed he would be safe.
Sisera fell exhausted on the ground and Jael covered him with a rug. She gave him warm milk and when he was asleep she took a tent peg and drove it through his skull.
Why? God had given Deborah, the only female judge, a glimpse into the outcome of the battle with the Canaanite army, and she knew a woman would win the battle. That woman was Jael.
I am sure Jael did not awaken that morning, thinking she would kill the leader of the Canaanite army. But obedience led her accomplish God’s will.
Esther, a Queen to Artexerxes, learned of a plot to exterminate all Jews in Babylon. Esther cleverly trapped Haman, the perpetrator of the plan, and rather than the Jews being killed Haman was executed.
Miriam, the sister of Moses, saved her brother from the infant slaughter that had been ordered by Pharaoh. She orchestrated his rescue by Pharaoh’s own daughter, who raised the child as her own.
Women who may not have lived as Proverbs 31 women, through their obedience to God, attained righteousness. These women did not work their way to salvation, since salvation is a free gift. Rather, God shaped them into virtuous women, and He can accomplish the same thing in us today.
May we allow the God of the Universe to mold us into the people of virtue He called us to be.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 