Jesus the Man of Peace

Micah 5:1-5

For our mid-week discussion I felt the need to talk about peace as true peace rests in Jesus Christ.

….Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting….And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God…And this man shall be the peace….

The prophet Micah’s hometown was a small place known a Moresheth-gath in the southern region of Judah which was approximately 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem. Micah’s prophecy was pointing to God’s punishment of Israel long before they were carried into captivity, but Micah looked beyond that time and even their return to their homeland into the future when Jesus would come, rule and restore everlasting peace, He will rule with righteousness and justice will prevail.

When Jesus comes again, He will reign with true peace, which will be restored just as it was before sin entered the world. He will have destroyed all evil, and Israel and all believers will live in safety as Christ will then be established as the true leader of the world.

When Jesus came the first time He forgave sin and provided salvation to all who accept Him in faith and all believers’ salvation are assured. Remaining steadfast in ones belief and commitment to Christ will not face God’s condemnation. Jesus is the man of everlasting peace.

Comments are welcome.

wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
http://willie-writing.blogspot.com

Bedbug Pestilence in America

Is the outbreak of bedbug pestilence America's modern day locust plague? Listening to the news of the bedbugs that has now spread across the US brought the above question to mind. While reflecting on how blessed this country has been over the years and considering the many natural disasters that have come upon this country in recent years this question came to mind, Have America lost its first love?

After pondering our bug situation my mind began to travel back in time to recorded biblical history when God used locust as one of the plaques to get Pharaoh's attention to persuade him to let His people go. II Samuel 24:15 records God sending pestilence upon His people (Israel) to get their attention for the sins they had committed as many of them died during this time. Amos 4:4-6, God asked His people to return to Him and after failing to do so God reminds Israel of His withheld blessings of the very things they needed to survive (vv 6-9). Verse 10 speaks of the pestilence God brought upon Israel for their backsliding. God is always merciful to remove the pestilence and any other negative situation if true repentance takes place. Each time Israel repented and turn back to God blessings flowed the same applies to all who repent today. It appears as if we have forsaken our first love--God.

As I continued pondering the bug situation I asked myself where did these bugs come from? They used to be a thing of the past. The second question that came to mind was How did they spread across the US so rapidly? The last question that came to mind was Will any part of government, state, local or national step in to try containing or get rid of these bugs? While lacking adequate answers, I thought of precautionary measures that all should adhere to, which is to spray your homes and when traveling take the necessary bug killing spray with you and spray everywhere they may hide. My traveling custom is that I pack my clothes in plastic bags within my suitcase and spray before unpacking and leave personal items in their respective bags after spraying the drawers.

Bedbug outbreak or not we are one strong nation and united we stand.

The Healing of a Nation

II Chronicles 7:14

If my people who are called by mane, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

If the question were raised, What does it take to heal our nation? Our scripture verse provides the answer as the conditions are set forth by God Himself. God ask mankind to do four things and He will do three. God has proven Himself to be faithful to His promises.

God ask mankind to do the following:
Humble ourselves. The meaning here is that man must recognize our failures and then show sorrow for our failures and sins with a renewed commitment to God and His Word. By doing so believers will again make God first in his or her life and non-believers will begin to recognize God for who He is. Lastly, the spirit of humility is having the right view of self, others and most of all God.

Pray. What is prayer? Prayer is our communication with God. However, in this scenario man is to cry out to God in despair for His mercy. We must petition God in sincerity, honesty and in complete trust knowing that God hears and is faithful to answer as promised. Lastly, our prayers must align with the Will of God as it is His desire to be in fellowship with man and to be our God.

Seek my (God's) face. How must man seek the face of God? Man, God's people must read and study His Word daily with an open heart to hear and obey His Word. Also, man must have a heart-felt desire to be in the presence of God and live according to His Will and ways.

Turn from their (our) wicked ways. True repentance is required. This is turning from sin and all forms of idolatry. Man must avoid conforming to the world's standards as only God's standards are what man will be judged.

Let's segway to God promises--He promised to hear, forgive and heal. With that being said, the question now becomes, What is God saying?

God will hear. What God is saying here is that He will turn away His anger as He will have heard the desperate cry of His people. Remember Israel's cry while in bondage in Egypt. God moved with compassion and sent Moses to lead them out of bondage. The lesson to be learned is that when God delivers us (man) we must not forget His deliverance and remain committed to Him.

God will forgive. What does this mean? It means that God will cleanse us from our sins and restore His favor. His presence will return to us (mankind). We will once again find peace in Him and His truth, righteousness and power will once again reign among His people. In a word, turmoil and strife will no longer be the order of the day.

God will heal our land. In the healing process God will rain down His favor both physically and spiritually through the Holy Spirit. Even those who are spiritually lost will see God's favor and say "there is a God." O What favor! God said in His word that He would pour you (mankind) out blessings that there would not be room enough to receive (Malachi 3:10). I want His blessing what about you?

How do we heal our land? II Chronicles 7:14 has the answer. Let's continue in prayer and do what God asks, and then we will see a change--a restoration and revival.
Comments are welcome.

Author's contact:
http://willie-writing.blogspot.com
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

Harmonious Living Among God's People

Romans 12:14-21

What does it mean to live in harmony with one another? To live in harmony with one another each person must be at peace within his or herself as the definition of harmony means to be at peace, on accord or agreement.

The question now becomes, How does one obtain inner peace? To have inner peace one must have a right relationship with God, self and then others. Because peace is the absence of conflict and believers are no longer in conflict with God nor an enemy of God. When each individual comes to terms with the fact that God is our creator and sustainer, He then becomes our Savior then humanity is at peace with self and others. Being in harmony/peace with God brings the highest blessing from Him.

It is noteworthy to say that God is a God of peace and not confusion.
Another school of thought on harmonious living among God’s people is that when each person has peace then this peace reverberates throughout the community thus rendering a community in harmony with one another and God. What a blessed community!

Our scripture text outlines the essence of harmonious living which answers the question am I my brother’s keeper? Yes in that all believers are to provide need when required and love and compassion always just as Christ did regardless of social status or ethnicity.

Blessings abounds man and community in harmony- live in harmony and be blessed.

Comments are welcome and please share with friends.
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
http://willie-writing.blogspot.com
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

God's Power and Wisdom

Saints of the Most High God;

For today's weekly discussion I felt the need to talk about the power and wisdom of God taken from my monthly devotional, Heavenly Bread, which can be found on www.issuu.com/white8613. In the weeks to come will be posted on my website ar www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com.


God’s Power and Wisdom
1 Corinthian 1:17-31

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church he makes a profound comparison between the power and wisdom of God and that of the world. It is through the foolish preaching of the cross all men are saved who believe. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God because the world feels that humanity is the highest order of authority and with this kind of wisdom humanity will never come to know God for who He really is and what He has done and continues to do in the lives of all mankind. Preaching the crucified Christ is foolish to the world because it lacks the ability to conceive the magnitude of God’s love for mankind that He would give His only Son to take on the sin-debt of man.

Verses 25-29, Paul expounds of the fact that God has chosen the foolish things because His strength and wisdom far exceeds that of man as His moral and standards differ from those of the world. It is noteworthy to say that it is by God’s standards the world will be judged.

The question now becomes, will all humanistic philosophies, psychologies and other worldly systems last an eternity? Absolutely not, because God said in His word that His word will stand when all else passes away. If the world looks upon things as wise, then choose the foolishness of God because through Christ Jesus we have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption unto salvation. Be wise choose God.

Thanks for reading and as always comments are welcome.

Author's contact:
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
http://willie-writing.blogspot.com
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

Perseverance In The Face of Persecution

Ephesians 6:18; 2 Timothy 3:12

What is a believer to do when being persecuted by a fellow believer even if the persecutor is within your local congregation? Our scripture outlines the reason all believers suffer persecution and the answer is to persevere in faith while being dressed in the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).

In II Timothy 3:12, Paul explains very thoroughly why believers suffer persecution as this persecution will come in one form or another to all believers living a godly life. All true believers living his or her life according to God's holy standards and refuses to compromise will suffer persecutions

However, some persecutions can be faith testers as God is preparing the believer for an even greater works in His kingdom building.

While suffering persecution from a fellow believer can and will strike at the very core of your faith and love. What is the believer to do? First go to God in sincere prayer for your brother or sister in Christ asking God to create a clean heart in the person. It is important for the persecuted to stand strong in the Lord and let God fight your battle, because He is your deliverer and will deliver you every time. This is considered taking the high road. Second, the persecuted must reframe from taking matters into his or her own hands because "vengeance is mine saith the Lord." Reflect on Daniel and the three Hebrew boys and how they were persecuted for worshipping the true and living God. They faced imminent death at the hands of the king, but God delivered. Remember Paul and how he was persecuted for preaching Christ and while in prison the jailer and his household was saved. Prayer and faith in God is evidenced in both incidents. What a powerful God?

Believers as we are persecuted for whatever reason stand fast in the Lord, because our enemy cannot harm us. God has the situation worked out.
Comments are welcome.

Author's contact:
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com, www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com,

http://willie-writing.blogspot.com