Psalm 150

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Take time to praise God today! Be Well, Love PJ

Amazing Grace!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Today's insight is simple. Carry with you the fact that it is God alone who saves through grace and mercy. Grace is the gift of unmerited blessings and anointing. While mercy is God's forgiveness for sin and failures that would be just but God dismisses because of love. 

Travel well today in God's Amazing
Grace and Mercy! Be Well.

The option to choose!

^{Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV)}

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”


I have chosen today's text as a brief aside about the necessity of free will. In the book of Genesis God decided to give us the option of choosing right from wrong. Intentionally God places the tree of knowledge and the tree of life in the garden, brings it to Adams attention and says do not eat it. This is considered the first test in scripture. Adam is now forced to make a chose between right and wrong because he has the option to choose. 


You and I have the same option to choose right from wrong daily, and I believe that if you are honest with yourself many times the choices are hard. Keep this text in mind today as you remember that our choices test our relationship to God and our character.


Thanks be to God for giving us the mind and option to choose, we pray that God gives the courage and determination to make the right decisions. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


Be Well, Love Pastor Sirchester 

What are you walking away with?

Sunday after Sunday awesome preachers from around the world  preach and teach the truth about God and the victory of Jesus Christ. When the sermon is over and the service dismissed what are you really walking away with? What are the millions of people leaving with when the church service is over? The text for today taken from 1st Peter reminds us of who we should have become after  years of hearing great preaching and years of incredible worship services. Our lives should be different and we should be living examples of Jesus Christ love and victory in the world.

1st Peter 1:13-25

Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. ²³ For you have been born again,not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.²⁴ For,

“All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
²⁵     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.

Today, Be Holy. Not perfect but Holy. Love P.J.

A Song in your heart

speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV


Be Well, Love P.J.

What can we expect next from God?

²⁹ Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
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.

I believe that it is now safe to say that we are living in an unstable society where national tragedy have become part of our daily lives. Each and every day there is a new national story of Government shutdowns- Nevada school shootings- Celebrity Scandals- inner city killings and natural disasters. So today we turn to the prophet Isaiah to see what can we expect next from God.Preacher John Claypool preached a sermon titled "Life Is a Gift" after his daughter's death in which he ask the question what can we expect from God. 

In times of trial, tragedy and uncertainty we must relay on God's word our scripture. As Isaiah writes the words in chapter 40, the prophet has experienced great loss and enslavement. Despite all that has transpired the prophet still expects God to show up and show out. Despite all of the loss of life and property Isaiah still says that God will give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak.Therefore I humbly submit to each one of us today that no matter the state of our world and the mass number of tragedy's we are experiencing. God will renew our strength. Even in our personal everyday struggles, God will allow us to run and not grow weary. When we are at our whits end, God will allow us to walk and not faint. 

So what can we expect next from God? We can trust and believe that God is going to give us everything that we need to make it to tomorrow! God never promised that trials would not come, however God has promised that God will always be with us. So we can expect God to constantly renew,revive, and replenish us seeing us through the tragedy so that we can shout our testimony to all who will hear.Today live in expectation of what God will do next!

Dear God we are a people of expectation awaiting a new surge of strength from you. Let your spirit fall fresh on us today. In Jesus name. Amen.

Be Well, Love P.J.

Here and Now

Matthew 6:25-34

(NIV)

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This morning I awoke with a song in my heart, Luther Vandross "Here And Now". Not a gospel song but a song I  was singing to God.This song is about loving in the present moment, so much so that it has become a signature wedding song in the African American culture. The song's word's include these phrases

"Here and now

I promise to love faithfully
You're all I need
Here and now
I vow to be one with thee, hey
Your love is all I need".

Jesus words taken from the text of Matthew 6 above come shortly after he has taught on the Beatitudes and the Lord's prayer. Now he is speaking about living in the present. Living in the Here And Now. Jesus reminds us that a present and right relationship with God is most important. In verse 34 Christ say why worry about tomorrow, it will bring problems of it's own instead deal with today! Live and love God today in the present, in this glorious here and now. 

Dear God, today I promise to be one with you and love you faithfully. Truly God you are all that I need here and now, your love is all I need. I will live for you today. Bless me as I go. In Jesus name. Amen.

Family and friends live in the present-today. Be Well P.J.

The Best News I Could Hear All Day!

^{Matthew 27:59- 28:7 (NIV)}

⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 28 Jesus Has Risen

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

In the scripture above taken from the Gospel of Matthew chapters 27 & 28, are right on time. These chapters contain the best news  that I could hear all day: that Jesus is Risen! Thank God that Jesus has already conquered life, death and sin on our behalf. Therefore despite the physical weather and chill outside or the spiritual warfare we face in our daily lives, we that believe in God have already attained victory! 

In today's text we see that Jesus has died on the cross and his body was laid in a tomb. The tomb was sealed and heavily guarded. However somehow despite the huge bolder placed in-front of the tomb, somehow despite the tomb being made as secure as the Pharisees could make it complete with guards placed all around. Somehow Jesus was not there when the women arrived to anoint the body. In Jesus place was the angelic presence of God saying EXTRA EXTRA the Jesus that you seek is not here HE IS RISEN, go and tell all who follow him! 

The best news that you and I could hear in-spite of our worries and problems of this day, is EXTRA EXTRA the Jesus we serve HE IS RISEN! Extra Extra! We serve a God who is more than a conqueror therefore take heart and be encouraged that the same God who died, was dead and buried; but rose again can help you do the same in the deadly situation that you are currently facing right now! So EXTRA EXTRA, turn to God today with a radical praise of thanksgiving because we know that God is already working and providing on our behalf, we know that somehow God will make a way for us also.

Dear God, all around your earth people are searching to answers and solutions  for things beyond our control. So now we turn to you on our behalf and theirs asking that you would work miracles in all of our lives just like you did when you got up out of that tomb over 2000 years ago.We are praying seeking a direct and divine word from you that will help us through and past our problems, so that we too can go and shout extra extra come and hear all bout what God has done for me today. O God hear our prayer in Jesus name. Amen.

Be Well, Love Pastor Sirchester.

Be Humble, Be Prayerful, Be Grateful

Luke 18:9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Today's text taken from Luke 18 is another reminder of how God calls us to remain humble at all times even in prayer. Sometimes our religious walk can get the best of us and we began to think how great of a person we are or how awesome of a Christian we have become in comparison to others. When the truth of the matter is we don't know anyone-else heart or their story. So therefore the best thing for us to do is stay in our lane and humble ourselves before God at all times, which includes being humble before others at many times.

Be Well, Love Pastor Sirchester.

Critical Choices

John 10:11-18 (NIV)

^{11 Jesus said} “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Today's text from the Gospel of John reminds us of  a shepherd's loving relationship with their sheep. In the same way Jesus love and commitment to a relationship with the followers of God led Christ to choose death on a cross for the salvation of the world.

The text taken here from John 10:11-18 is fundamental to our understanding the love of God through Christ for all humankind. Jesus death on the cross was NOT punishment, instead it was a CHOICE made out of love. Jesus laid down his life ,it was not taken from him. On the other hand Jesus had all of the power and authority to control the situation. Because of Jesus relationship to his sheep/followers/the church, Christ chose to offer us eternal salvation.

What choices are you making today, this week and even this year that will change the lives of others despite the pain and grief you will encounter because of them? What choices are you making on behalf of the brothers and sisters that you don't even know to make their lives better despite your current condition and needs? Family during crucial and chaotic times God is calling us to remember the choices of Christ. In crucial times we are called to make crucial and critical but selfless choices.

So today dear God we pray that you implant in each of us the compassion and love to place others before ourselves. We humbly ask that you give us the vision of where our efforts should be directed and the strength to fill every void and tend every need. In doing this we trust that as we tend to others you our divine shepherd will tend to us. Amen.

Be Well, Love P.J.  

THINK- Before you speak...

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NIV

Whom ever created the saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" needs a good talking too. Almost anyone who has ever been bullied, in a relationship or is a younger sibling would probably agree that words can and do indeed cause pain. I understand that words can cause harm and pain, because I have at times been both the victim and perpetrator of  hurtful and ill-intended words. 

So today I am reminding myself and all of us that have used words to hurt or those of us who have been hurt by them to internalize Psalm 19:14. We must speak life, love and peace these are the things pleasing to God. When ill-intended words or thoughts arise in our minds and are on the tips of our tongues we must remember to think before we speak. We must remember Psalm 19:14.

Dear God guide our speech challenging us through your Holy Spirit to THINK before we speak. So that when we open our mouths we will be speaking truth, love and peace to those whom we encounter daily. Forgive us for the times that we have uttered words of hate, harm, envy and malicious intent and encourage us to forgive those who have done the same to us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

BE Well, Love P.J.

When it seems no one else understands God does!

Psalm 23

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

This scripture reminds me that when I feel alone God is always there like a bridge over troubled water. God is love. Amen and be well!/

The Rinse Cycle

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV

While washing clothes recently I was constantly interrupted by the washing machine starting and stopping over and over again.Every time I thought that a load was done is was just pausing for before beginning the second rinse cycle. After about the third load I began to think about how the second rinse cycle is the assurance that the clothes are thoroughly cleaned.Then I began to get excited of course as I thought about Christians relationship to God through Christ. We go through life getting dirty, dingy and disgusting. However despite the dirt, dust and grime we collect over time Christ comes in and washes us clean, all we have to do is ask for forgiveness and redemption. Therefore today I am so thankful that God has more than one or two rinse cycles. God keeps on washing our sins away so that we are forgiven and our slates are clean as new. 


Thank you God for allowing us to be constantly renewed and transformed through Jesus Christ.This day let us do what is pleasing and good according to your perfect will. Amen.

It's Time To Let Go!

Micah 2

New International Version (NIV)

Human Plans and God’s Plans

2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.
² They covet fields and seize them,
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.

³ Therefore, the Lord says:

“I am planning disaster against this people,
    from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
    for it will be a time of calamity.
⁴ In that day people will ridicule you;
    they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;
    my people’s possession is divided up.
He takes it from me!
    He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

⁵ Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord
    to divide the land by lot.

Today's text is from the prophet Micah, who reminds us to not be hateful or bitter towards one another, we must remember vengeance and revenge is not for us to take into our own hands. Indeed we have a protector in God.

Dear God today help us to let go of old stuff and heavy baggage from the past to live in the present serving you. Amen.

Crossroad Moments

 

^{Romans 8:26} In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

 

There are times in our lives where we find ourselves at a stand standstill, not knowing exactly what decision to make or chance to take. I like to prefer to times like these as Crossroad moments. The times when we are unsure about career choices, relationship path's, and times of uncertainty in our lives are all Crossroad moments. When I experience days or even weeks walking the line of decision making, I turn to Paul's words to the church of  Rome 8:26-27. 

 

Sometimes we just don't know what's best for us or the others in our life and during these times. Then we must trust our faith and lean on the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf taking the intent of our prayers directly to God, so that the utterance of our heart get's through.  There is a song by Donnie McClurkin called called STAND. The song reminds that when we are at the Crossroads of life there will be times when we have to  stand and pray until we hear from God. I trust and believe that the Holy Spirit takes our confusing prayers then aligns them with the will of God, and the good news is that we serve a God who responds. All we must do is take time to stand and pray while at the Crossroads moments. 

Wherever you might be on life's journey today, know that God has not forgotten you. Be well today. Love. P.J.

To set free or lock up, who's holding the keys? part.2

On yesterday's blog I looked at  Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades  will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be  bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be  loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
 The Confession at Caesarea Philippi and after reading the text I was left with three questions that I needed to answer. 

1) Like the disciples why have I decided to follow Jesus and whom do I believe Jesus to be? In the text Jesus asked the question differently in each Matthew "who do people say that the Son of Man is", Mark (8:27-33) "Who do people say that I am" and Luke (9:18-22) Who do the crowds say that I am ?

I found it interesting that in each one of these Gospels Jesus ask the question differently the first time. But the second time in all three Christ ask the disciples "But who do you say that I am ?" This second questioning would be warranted in Luke's Gospel, because the first question was based on the opinion of the 12. Here in Matthew and Mark's account  when reading it you would be safe to assume that the disciples totally avoided the question and went on to repeat what they HEARD and not what they KNEW about the Jesus they served.  So I have explained all of that to say the reason Peter's answer was right on point was because of the amount of time he spent with Jesus. I follow and serve Christ because over time and experiences in my life I have developed a relationship with Christ. We can all follow behind a mega church pastor, or follow a rapper on twitter and still could not tell that person one thing about them. Jesus already understood that if you have a relationship with him then your are by association in a relationship with God... and that leads into  question two.

2) When was the last time your spiritual maturity and readiness were tested?. Jesus knew where Peter, and I assume James along with John were in their spiritual minds. However I believe this question was asked to test the rest of the followers through out time even as I am typing now.  My answer is that as people on a faith journey we get tested daily. I would question any Christian that says they are not faced with some trial or spiritual circumstance daily that does not test their faith. My personal feelings is that the Satan just as God has a spiritual radar and as Christians if we are not setting the radar off in a positive way daily then we  might need to re-evaluate ourselves.

3) What does all of this mean and why would Jesus make this covenant? In verse 19 Jesus makes a covenant with the disciples about locking up and setting free, whatever is decided by the 12/ the church here on Earth would also stand as law in Heaven. Wow, right! I mean could you imagine Heaven being shut down over eternal care? You arrive at the gates of Heaven and it's a note saying closed due to shut down indefinitely. 

Anyway I digress, but the reason Christ feels so confident in making this covenant with Peter, the other 11 and all the way down to us today is because we have faith and trust in him who is God. Christ knows us because we have a relationship with him. Since we are in constant relationship with God then God knows that we would only lock up what God wants locked up and we would only set free what God wants free.

 So who holds the keys? God holds the keys because the keys are our hearts, our tongues  and our minds. As God like individuals we love endlessly, speak life, and think peaceful deliverance and eternal salvation.

As I close this blog today I want to put some thing else on your mind looking at verses 20-22
 ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus tells the 12 not to speak a word of this to anyone not because he was in hiding, but so that for the next person or twelve or three hundred would come to Christ not because of what they heard from others. Instead they will come to Christ because of  what they learned  about life and God through being in a relationship the 12 disciples, you and I, as well as the church universal.

In vs. 21 & 22 Jesus begains to tell them why they must prepare to win others for the sake of God as the time for Jesus death and resurrection  approaches. I am reminded of the church today,  Peter who just called Jesus the Messiah is now trying to protect God... Wow, after all that has transpired in this text is seems as if we are still learning how to let God be God. After all that God has delivered us from over our lives at the first sing of trouble we have the tendency to take over personally, communally and even socially in the church to fix the problem ourselves instead letting God be God. Who's holding the keys, God is because God is holding us!

I pray that these thoughts/ excerpts from  my sermon series "Keys to the Kingdom"  were a blessing to you. "Who's holding the Keys?" is sermon 4 of 4 from the series which is why the blog was so thorough. 

May God bless you this and everyday.Be blessed and well, Love Pastor Sirchester.