Peace

St Augustine said that "peace is the tranquility of order". Because peace is ordered towards Christ and the eternal Good, it is unlike worldly peace which is more like "a break between wars".

Romans 14:16-19 (NASB95)
     Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

I worry that many have abandoned the pursuit of peace, other than their own personal peace.  Many are confused about this subject, for this world has convinced most that peace is something that is all about us and has nothing to do with anyone else, if fact we don’t want any other worries right? We have enough of our own.

If we as Christians believe that the Bible is our authority for healthy spiritual living then these words from Paul are a good dose of medicine for us all to take. Paul says happiness is not found at Outback Steakhouse, serving myself, but is found in my serving someone else.

We are to be securing peace for each other, and in that exercise true peace with be found. Someone will be loving you and you will be loving someone else. Knowing that someone else feels we are needed in this world, somehow makes us more secure, and it builds peace around us and others. This is what we are to be chasing… and not the rabbits of self-desire that destroy us all. God Bless

Pastor William

Justice

“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.”Blaise Pascal

Deut 16:19
“You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

I had, what the judge called a privilege, to be called to present myself to the Federal Court house for juror duty this past Monday. It was a completely different experience from state court duty which I have been called to many times.

I was reminded by the Federal Court judge, and a video presented by the Supreme Court judges, of how our court system is a foundation of our democracy. It is a right to be judged by a jury of our peers, and I was amazed at the effort made to be fair to the defendant on trial.

For whatever reason I was not chosen to sit on the jury, only 13 of 31 were chosen, but the experience reminded me again of the foundation on which our nation stands. It stands on Biblical and Godly principals, and if our nation leaves that standard it shall suffer.

Compare that to the news today where the Arabian courts, under Islamic Law declared it legal for a man to beat his wife and children…and that system awaits to overtake our land…God’s  Blessings

Pastor William

Honestly!

No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Psalm 24:3-5    
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul 1to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (NASB95)
Truth is something that requires special handling. It is simple and yet it can be harmful, or helpful. God’s Word gives us an insight in Eph. 4 15, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” 
Scripture tells us that we are to place the truth in a vessel of sacrificial love patterned by Christ. We find also from the beginning that God has placed us slightly behind His majesty in His commandments to us, which are commands and not just suggestions, as others have said..
We are commanded to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and body. The second commandment…to love our brother as ourselves.  Ok, it’s pretty clear. We are to weigh our words carefully on the scale of “Agape Love.” Our words may sometimes cut, but you must also bind their wounds…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Washing Feet

“Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance...is a celebration of that miracle.”

Martha Washington quotes (American First Lady (1789-97), wife of George Washington, 1st US president. 1732-1802)

 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. 4 So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. 5 Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him

I don’t know if we will ever get the full implication of what Jesus did here. One of the greatest things we need to see is that He, Jesus, Son of God, washed the feet of His Betrayer also.

Washing feet is an humbling experience for both involved. I had the privilege to practice this the other day and it has really stuck with me. It is yet another way that Jesus instructs us to help and support one another.

As Martha said, consider the magic of the foot, that which bears you up through all things. Jesus considered it, and left us this to ponder when we get so spiritually pure and proud that we will not humble ourselves to minister to others.

We never get so big that we are disqualified from this task. If God Himself will use it to humble a proud Peter, and to shame a traitor, we too should make this something that we include in our lives to keep our “pride” caged…God Bless

Pastor William

Cooling Down

I awoke this morning to temperatures in the sixties, and I must confess my disappointment. I am one who loves the Spring and Summer and tolerates the times between. Winter gives me two blessings, it is remembrance of my Saviors birth, and a chance to hunt.

By the way, God loves hunters, I ran across this scripture yesterday in my study of Genesis 10: vs 8-9. Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

It made me feel a little more peace about my love of hunting, but just as much, my respect of the animals I hunt. We must also remember that we must use this authority we have over them well. We are not to kill needlessly or just for fun. I eat what I hunt and not just for a wall mount.

God placed a fear of us in animals, and that is to their good, and ours too. We must respect that fear for it keeps us from being gluttons as men are so bent to be. We see this in the whale, and in anything where we do not harness our desires. Isn’t that what being a Christian is about, harnessing desire…God Bless.

Still Here

It’s been awhile since I last invaded your mailboxes, and it has been a busy time.  We have painted and scrubbed, remodeled and rebuilt this house in Gainesville, and I have more time to do the important things that I really enjoy, and that is ministering.

Ministering, for me, is not just about preaching and visiting, but it is about reaching as many people as I can for our Lord and Savior in every way that I can to honor the life He gave for me. I know that you feel the same way.

Our problem is distractions.  We get led off of the narrow way by life, simply because it is so real and the necessities of everyday living so pressing. I am ready to get back on track and again try to help begin your day focused on what is really real, and relevant for our eternity with God.

Frankly I have missed you. As I listen for the Lord’s word for us each day, your faces come across my mind and my heart. I pray for you, and for your loved ones. It is like a renewal of friendship and faith, for we are one in that time. Jesus gave His life so we could all be one with Him and His Father, and each other…and so will we be forever…God Bless.