Month: August 2025

Psalm 119:165 tells us that, “Great peace have they who love Your Law, and nothing can make them stumble.” All our anxiety, fear, and stress and be rolled up into one word…distrust. But when we put our faith and confidence in the Lord, even when we stumble, we won’t fall, for the Lord upholds us in His hand.(Psalm 37:24) God welcomes all who are reconciled to Him with love, guidance, and protection from the staggering burden of anxiety we’ve carried around… thus making it possible to obtain real peace as we live in the light. (I John 2:10)

This verse comes from the Beatitudes that Jesus taught from the Sermon on the Mount. Likewise, Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We only have to reach back into the Old Testament to Isaiah 61:2-3 to see this future time that Jesus was pointing to when God will comfort all who mourn over the sinfulness surrounding them. From the daily death and destruction and senseless killings, to the very personal losses we go through…we grieve not only for others, but for ourselves living in this very broken world. But we are promised here in Isaiah that we will be consoled when the Lord comes to redeems His people. This precious promise is again echoed in Revelation 7:17, reassuring us that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes caused by unjust suffering.

This entire Chapter in Jeremiah is a personal message from God to Baruch, Jeremiah’s loyal secretary/scribe. Baruch had faithfully written down all the stern words against Jerusalem dictated by the prophet Jeremiah, he had read them to the king, and taken the abuse of the court for even daring to utter such words. Consequently, both Jeremiah and Baruch greatly suffered the rejection of the people who refused to believe the Lord’s warning. God’s promise to Baruch is what Jesus spoke about in Matthew 6:25-27…don’t allow anxiety and worry to take your eyes off Jesus…rather seek Him first, for He will meet all your needs. And we also can cling to this promise today…for even in our darkest times, we can have hope, because we are under God’s Divine care and protection.

Paul didn’t mince words to the Church in Corinth in his letter to them…having received a report of improper conduct amongst the congregation. I guess you could call this a “Tough Love” letter as he rattled off exhortation after exhortation. “Be on your guard” – Be watchful, open your eyes and don’t be duped by the world creeping into the Church for the sake of being politically correct or inclusive. “Stand firm in the faith” – Hold firmly to the Word of God, read it, study it, memorize it, so that you can not only encourage others but also refute those who oppose it, showing the wayward their error. “Be men of courage” – In other words, act like men and be courageous. “Be strong” – Ephesians 6:10 says to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power…the same power that raised Jesus from the grave…so draw your strength from Him. Finally, “Do everything in love” – This is true Christian love one for another, allowing you to show God’s love through you to others.

As Ezekiel 37:24 tells us, there is only one Shepherd King, and His name is is Jesus Christ. Thus here in John, Jesus is speaking not only to Jews, but to Gentiles with the invitation unto Salvation by God’s Divine Providence…gathering them all together into one community. That’s because, God has revealed Himself to humanity in nature and in the conscience. So in this verse, Jesus highlights His care and concern for all followers with a message of unity and belonging…for all of mankind is inherently without hope & without God… except for the sacrificial blood of Jesus, and the gift of Salvation.

The peace of God that the righteous receive is not extended to the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22) This profound and perfect peace can only be found in Immanuel,(God with us) from Isaiah 9:6. However, wicked do not know the way of peace, thus they are constantly wrought with the consequences of their sinful behavior and great spiritual unrest. But for those whose minds are steadfast in the Lord, there is perfect peace…guarding their hearts and minds even the midst of intense trials. (Isaiah 26:3)

Beware of downplaying and deemphasizing sin and the consequences of it… for compromising the true gravity of sin in our life only jeopardizes our soul and devalues the great cost Jesus gave in our stead. In II Corinthians 5:21 it tells us that, “God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” In other words, Jesus received the punishment that we rightly deserved as He died for our sins once for all. And as I John tells us, by His sacrificial death, it satisfied the demand of judicial wrath by God…as Jesus became the Savior of the world. The old Hymn goes, “Jesus paid it all, and all to Him I owe.” …so there’s no watering down what He did for us…it cost Him everything.

It’s called a double standard when you have two sets of principles…one you preach to your kids, and one you actually do. No wonder children are confused, when their parents instruct them to follow certain fundamentals rather than imitate their own actions. The hypocrisy being, that the parents fully expect their kids to adhere to the set rules and standards that the parents are unwilling to follow themselves…only leading to unclear expectations and the idea that the kids don’t really have to follow the parent’s rules. Either way, it’s the parent’s inconsistencies that nurture deception within the house…which is never good.

In comparison to our very narrow vision for ourselves…God’s vision is limitless. That’s because God’s power is boundless and always carrying out His gracious and all-wise plan and purpose in our life. The Lord only wants what’s good for us, (Psalm 119:68) and if we yield our will to His, He will instill His vision in our souls…regardless of how powerless, unfit, or helpless we may feel today.

John the Baptist knew exactly his role in ushering in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. For as Jesus’ Ministry grew…John’s Ministry would diminish, for the people could not follow him and Jesus at the same time. So as John’s disciples argued about the importance of their work, he quickly reaffirmed once again that his entire role was to prepare the way for the Messiah, not take His place. (Matthew 3:11) This again emphasized John’s humility and total recognition of his role in relation to the greater purpose. However, we love to hear our own applause! But the point of any Ministry is to not make the minister look good, but to help others in their walk with Jesus…pointing them to Him. For there is only one Savior…and we’re not Him.