This week as we continue to travel down this road of the Good Way. thank you for joining us. When I started writing this week or was beginning to look at things to write about and to share with you, the word covenant continues to come up in my mind. So I decided let’s take a look at covenant in the Bible and their importance in our scriptural journey. When you walk the good way, there will always be something that’ll come along to challenge your efforts to live as God would have us live so there’s something very important that we need to remember at all times. When the road gets rocky when there’s some potholes that are really causing us some hard times and loss of direction, we need to remember that God always keeps his promises and he is a God of promise and hope and will never ever let us down. With that having been said let’s pause a minute and give thought to what it means to serve a God of promise.

First of all, we need to understand exactly what a covenant is. And to keep it simple, which in truth, it really is is nothing more than a promise between two parties to perform certain actions. A covenant is very similar to a promise. When we get into our scriptures and study those we find that they are a very significant   part of the Scriptures. Consider this…the word testament is just another word for covenant. We can learn a lot about God, his plans, purposes for mankind, and part of that learning comes from understanding and knowing the history of Israel. There are several major covenants in the Old Testament in which God promises to do something. Again, I repeat a covenant is really nothing more than promising to do something. They were old Testament covenants, and there are New Testament covenants. In an ancient times, covenants were a well-known and accepted concept and they could be made between two equal parties or between a king and a subject. A covenant could be conditional or it could be unconditional.

Bible scholars recognized several major covenants in the Old Testament in which God promises to do something. One of the first unconditional covenants that was made can be found in Genesis it occurred right after the great flood, and God promised that he would never again destroy the world by a flood, and he also passed on basic principles for humanity to live by. We all know what happens through Bible scripture that the people descended into rampant disobedience. God kept that covenant made in Genesis, even though the people had rebelled there was not another flood. God made a covenant with Abraham promising him if you follow me and do as I’ve asked of you I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. The covenant is in Genesis 12:1–3. The covenant is reiterated again in Genesis 15 and 17. This also was an unconditional covenant. In Exodus 19 chapters 19 through 24 speak of the covenant made with Israel about the use of the promised land. This was the land that had been given to Abraham’s descendants unconditionally but the use of the land by any specific generation of Israelites was dependent upon their obedience to God. There were times that the people fell away from their obedience to God and because of that they were unable to fully enjoy the benefits of that land. You can read some of the trials of that time for the Israelites in the book of Judges. There came a time that the Israelites were exiled from the land due to their disobedience and idolatry, but God still made the promise to bring back a later generation to the land. We find that in Isaiah 11:11–12. We also read that he kept his word. 2 Samuel 7 recounts David’s desire to build a temple for God and God’s promise to establish David’s dynasty forever. This covenant is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

God promised a new covenant with Israel. You find that in Jeremiah 31. The fact was that Israel had repeatedly violated the terms of all the previous covenants of God but this one would be a little bit different because the hearts of the people would be changed and they would want to be faithful. This fulfillment, that of the hearts and minds of people being more receptive and faithful will take place in the New Testament through the coming of Jesus Christ and the dwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit. It would be through the Spirit that people learn how to obey God, but there’s a little surprise in all of this, and it is that the Gentiles were also included in this covenant.

And wrapping up our blog for this week, we know that the concept of covenant has been lost in modern society. People don’t keep their word like they used to, when circumstances change so do their promises. Contracts are broken, and the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman for life does not hold the strength today that its had in the past. The one thing we can take from all of this is regardless of how unfaithful people may be, God will never be unfaithful to His covenant promises.

Life is Good

jk

Source: gotquestions.org/what-is-a-covenant 

This week’s pew is one that was quite frankly, not even planned. My wife mentioned to me this morning a Bible reading that she had been doing, and it rang a bell. Matthew 27 details the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. If you’ve been following us for the past few weeks, you know that we haven’t really been following, so to speak, the church calendar. After discussing with my wife, what she had read, I was so impressed by what she had to say that I am going to pause here on the good way for just a few and read Matthew 27 and share my thoughts with you this week. 

Matthew 27 shares the details of the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. I occasionally refer to those little biblical gems that we sometimes overlook, and this is one of them. The chapter includes Judas suicide, Pilate sentencing Jesus to death while releasing Barabbas, followed by the intense mockery by soldiers, and Jesus’s death on Golgotha, accompanied by an earthquake and we don’t want to forget the tearing of the veil in the temple and tombs open all at the moment that Jesus took his last breath.It was Joseph of Arimathea who asked for and got the body of Jesus and buried him in a garden tomb. As most writers would say, there’s a lot here. So let’s get started by first acknowledging the fact that we all do what I call surface reading. If you’ve been in church any length of time many of these scriptures you’ve heard read many times and you’ve heard many sermons about them so you tend to simply read the words, so let’s go beyond the words.

There’s betrayal and regret, there’s a trial before Pilate, then  soldiers mocking Christ, calling him king of the Jews, and then whipping him with a bone tipped whip. Then Christ was made to carry his cross to his crucifixion at Golgotha. What follows of course is crucifixion and the death of Jesus Christ. He dies on the cross between two convicted criminals, one of which acknowledges his ministry, and he is saved by Jesus. We read that Christ was on that cross from about noon till 3 PM, during that time there was a darkness that covered the land. We read  that upon his death, the temple veil tears in two and an earthquake occurs and all the tombs open. 

Now, what about those little gems. We read in the Bible concerning Judas’ regret for what he had done and that he returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests, admitting his sin and then he goes out and hangs himself. We pass over at least I always have, although I’ve read it many times but I haven’t let it register with me that the chief priests had a discussion about that 30 pieces of silver and decided that it would not be proper to place it in the offering box because it had been used as and I underline this…“payment for murder.”  (NLT Matthew 27:6-8) the trial that in itself is of course another one of those little gems. Barabbas was a Jewish criminal and common thief. Pilate recognized the fact that Jesus had been brought before him because of the Jews jealousy of him. Pilate’s wife asked him to please reconsider and let the man go for he was innocent. But the crowd insisted and continued to demand something be done about this Jesus. Pilate while he still had his mind intact, decided that one way out was to offer a courtesy that had been extended by the Roman government every year at this time. He would release one of these prisoners to the crowd. Pilate was looking for a way to absolve himself of the responsibility of the death of this man. The crowd would have none of it and of course, as we’ve said above, they picked Barabbas to be set free. Jesus was then given up to the soldiers who, of course mocked him, and then Pilate ordered the scourging of Jesus. Here’s what we miss. It wasn’t a whip. It was a lash. I hope I got this right, but my understanding is the lash was a group of leather strips brought together at one end and tied off to a wooden handle. At the end of those lashes were sharpened bones, which cut the skin, slashed it with every swing.  The Mel Gibson movie “The Passion” got it right. They crucified Christ between two thieves, and of course we all know about what happened between Christ and one of those thieves, but I believe a little gem that we miss is that this punishment was reserved mostly for the most despicable, lowlife, criminals, and characters at that time. The crucifixion in itself was a humiliation and as people would walk by and they would mock Christ. They would be soldiers and even religious leaders that would come by and make fun of him. That other little gem would be that many commentaries, study guides often refer to the tearing of the veil in the temple during the earthquake, the opening of tombs the darkness of day all of these things at the time of the death of Christ were supernatural events. They use the word supernatural. Now the meaning of that word is simply something that cannot be explained something out of the ordinary, there’s something for which there is no scientific explanation. I preferred to believe that it was all from the hand of God.

Now these are just a collection of perhaps little things that we sometimes overlook, but here’s the connection that my wife made, and I believe she hit the nail on the head…

After All This Time we are still choosing evil over good. Just as a crowd that day chose the evil of Barabbas over the good of Jesus Christ we in this very day to do the same. Evil may have another name, but it is evil and we choose it over the good way. May God have mercy on us. Come back and join us in next week as we begin a short series on covenants, thanks for being here today.

Life is Good

jk

Welcome to the Pew, this week we continue on this road of the good way we look at humility and you can’t think about humility without remembering John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet, Jesus’ cousin, who preached repentance and baptized people in the Jordan River, famously baptizing Jesus and proclaiming Him the Messiah before being imprisoned and beheaded by King Herod Antipas at the request of Herodias and her daughter Salome, fulfilling prophecies as the forerunner of Christ. Jesus honored the prophet with these words truly, I tell you among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. As we read on through Matthew, we read in Matthew 3:13–14 where John acknowledges that he did not see himself as worthy enough to baptize Jesus and in Matthew 3:11 to even carry his sandals. He being a reference to John the Baptist. John has one job to do, announce the coming of the Messiah. John had one other distinction that we will mention here before moving along. God chose him to break that 430 years of divine silence that had existed since the prophet Malachi and it has been written that John built the bridge from the old to the New Testament. John was Spirit anointed, Spirit driven, and Spirit, faithful.

Now let’s take the time to share Biblical Humility. Humility in the Bible is defined as a heart attitude of loneliness, weakness, and   selfishness, characterized by a dependence on God rather than self exaltation. There are key scriptures like Philippians 2:3–8 that highlighted Jesus as the ultimate example, it’s commanding believers to value others above themselves and to act without selfish ambition. That’s examined for characteristics or keys or however, you want to put it for things about humility. There are key Bible verses on humanity. We find them in Philippians 2:3–4 about selfish ambition or conceit. Put those aside but help people with humility, count others more significant than yourself. In James 4:6 God does not look with approving eyes upon the proud, but he’s always willing to give grace to the humble. In proverbs 22:4, we read of the reward of humility and the fear of the Lord they are the riches of honor and life. First Peter 5:5–6 reminds us to clothe ourselves with humility towards one another we all remember, blessed are the meek for they will inherit the Earth, that’s from Matthew 5:5. Micah 6:8 encourages walking humbly with God and doing justice and loving mercy. God wants us to show humility, and he has specific ways in which he wishes for us to do just that. By submitting to God, recognizing our limitations and relying on God’s grace to get us through rather than just human strength. God requires obedience, absolute unquestioning obedience to the word of God. And of course there’s always arrogance not thinking of oneself more highly than necessary. There are certain characteristics of biblical humility, maintenance, honesty, gratitude, and poor in spirit, recognizing one’s total spiritual bankruptcy and need for salvation. First and foremost, God, promises to give grace to the humble and the Bible tells us that those who humble themselves will be exalted in due time. The path of humility leads to riches, honor, and life. Within humility, we will find wisdom and guidance. God teaches and guides the humble to what is right. Humility is presented as a crucial voluntary and daily practice for followers of Christ leading to a deeper connection with God.

Life is Good

jk

 Most readers of the back porch by now realize that the big thing here is we ponder a lot. And yes, we do have opinions, but we’ve agreed that we’re just going to ponder about these things and everybody has a chance to say what they want to say when they wanna say it. One of the things I laugh about on the porch is the fact that we’re not really too much interested in facts, we have arrived at that decision because it doesn’t seem anybody else is. The ponder today is a very appropriate one. So please, Ponder if you will…how is a sandlot football game like government today?

There was an old field, not far from most of our houses some years ago and we would gather there, we being the young kids, and get up a good old-fashioned sandlot football game. You know one of those games where everybody’s an official and everybody’s in charge. I remember one particular fella, I kind of nicknamed him Big Billy. Now there was plenty of kids in the neighborhood there and we could always pretty much manage two teams of 12, sometimes there wouldn’t be 12 on each team, but we tried to keep the teams even numbers. Now Big Billy he was the neighborhood darling. All the mamas loved him and all the guys looked up to him, to be on Billy’s team, well, that was a big deal. I was never on Billy’s team, in fact, my athletic ability at that particular time in my life was just pass the laughing stage to one of total disbelief. I was too small to be a running back and I was too fat to be a wide receiver, so always ended up somewhere on the line. Usually the spot that I settled in was a middle linebacker. Not because of talent, but because I was dumb enough to stand there, take the hit and get in somebody’s way. Anyway, without drawing this thing out the whole point of this particular ponder today is to use it as an example of government today. You see, we had some pretty spirited games and big Billy’s team always won. Then one day a new kid moved in we didn’t know much about him and neither did Billy. Well by the luck of the draw we got the new kid and he was what they called a sleeper. This kid could do it all, run, tackle, pass, catch, you name it. He was really very good natured, but he had one trait that Billy didn’t like. This kid liked winning and he’d not accept anything less than a full effort. Well, anyway, on this particular day we were winning and that was not supposed to happen. It was an afternoon game and all of us were well, pretty decent kids and when moms called kids went. Not only because it was time for supper, but it was also an act of respect for your mom. We held onto our lead and was doing real well, but time was running out as both teams were being drained of players by mamas calling the kids home. Remember now I told you we were all officials we were all referees. We all knew everything. It was decided and agreed upon by all that we would just simply play one more set of downs for each team and the score at the end of that would be final. I don’t know what Billy was thinking. We were ahead by one touchdown so if they could score on their set of downs and we couldn’t score on ours at least it’d be a tie. Well that’s what everybody thought except for that new kid on the block and we got in the huddle. The first thing he said was we ain’t gonna take no tie and promptly broke huddle and threw a pass to one of the other guys who scored! But now, who in the world would of  thought that was gonna happen, certainly wasn’t Billy. Now to make the game official Billy’s team had to have a set of four downs to end the game. Now, remember if they don’t score we win. Well, Billy had an answer for that, you see the football belonged to Billy. It was his, so he just took it and went home, I guess you might say the game was never finished and nobody won.

If you’re paying attention, you might be wondering how is a sandlot football game like government? Well, a few days ago up there in Washington DC in the hallowed halls of our government no decision could be reached or finalized on a particular funding Bill, so you might say the players after cussing, pushing and many speeches simply  decided they would  just go home. No decision was made.  Our nation and its people have been left unfunded  and certain government agencies that need to protect us and our borders can’t. Folks, the only comment I can make about this whole mess is simply… Ponder That!

Last week was a rough subject but we can no longer put aside the damage being done to us as a people as a nation, and particularly as a church by the hate for God in our country and world  today. While doing my devotions, I came across this particular one. In his 1985 book Generation to Generation, family therapist Rabbi Edwin Friedman, introduce the phrase. “a non-anxious presence.”I want to share part of that with you and these words were written by Rabbi Edwin Friedman and I quote…  it was his belief that the  “climate of contemporary America has become so chronically anxious that our society has gone into an emotional regression that is toxic to well defined leadership.” The Pew has always made an effort to be transparent in the sources of our information that we share with you. Today’s blog was inspired by a devotional from “Our Daily Bread.”you will find that URL to this article at the end of this blog, we encourage you to go and read it. The author of the devotional for that day referenced Psalm 4, the following is a verse from that psalm… 

Psalm 4:8 

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.

I don’t know or remember that much about 1985, but I do believe that the Rabbi’s statement about the climate of the country may even be more accurate today. Myself, I believe that it doesn’t matter what your politics, religion, or denomination might be, none of us want to live in a state of high anxiety. In 1997 Mel Brooks made a movie  titled just that, it was a fast paced and funny movie. I remember seeing the movie, enjoying it, but I believe  most of us would prefer to leave the anxiety on the movie screen. It’s just not something that we want to live with. Last week we shared with you,The Hate Factor and how hate is fundamentally changing our nation and the world. As we seek the Good Way, there are many things that seeks to interrupt our time with God and our journey to be closer to Him and anxiety is definitely one of those interruptions. Anxiety is a normal stress response to danger and hate, but then it becomes excessive and uncontrollable worry, separating us from the ones we love and our God. The Bible acknowledges anxiety as a common human struggle while offering comfort and practical advice and guidance to combat it through faith. What we read the 1st Peter 5:7 we’re urged to cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for you. That verse seeks to replace fear with prayer thanksgiving and trust in God’s sovereignty. Here are five biblical observations about anxiety. In Philippians 4:6-7 we are commanded not to be anxious about anything, but to instead pray about everything which brings “a peace of God which surpasses all understanding” to guard your heart. Scripture encourages us the believers to transfer the burden of anxiety unto God, trusting in his personal care, knowing that when we leave these things to God, we will have peace. Matthew 6:34 teaches us that worrying about tomorrow as unnecessary burdens, it instructs followers to focus on today’s needs and trust God for the future. We also should rely on God’s strength. What would be again feeling overwhelmed the Bible provides reassurance that God is a helper, and that the Lord is my shepherd who provides rest. Perhaps one of the more stronger things we can find in scripture is that we are not to have a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 tell us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind, allowing believers to combat anxiety with divine strength.

It is very plain, and simple, God is a refuge in times of trouble, you are invited to exchange your anxiety for His peace. You can take this with you and work to practice it… Philippians 4:8…

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

May the God of Peace be with you…

Life is Good

jk

Source’s:

https://ourdailybreadministries.ca/2026/12/02/a-non-anxious-presence/

This will be a very difficult blog for me this week. The Pew has always taken great care to keep politics out of the gospel, and I am proud of the fact that we have done a pretty good job at just that. We are not perfect and it’s highly possible in the past out of 680 blogs somewhere we may have slipped up a bit, but it’s only fair to tell you this week everything you read here is intended. We’re gonna get right into it, based on reports released in 2025 and early 2026. There’s been a high volume of hostility and violence against Christian churches with significant incidents occurring globally and in the United States. An Open Door report released in January 2026 found 3,632 churches were attacked looted damaged or burned worldwide between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025. The information that I share here with you this week is available on the Internet. You can Google it and that in itself is maybe one reason why it’ll be a little bit skeptical or you might want to check. But according to the report, there has been a record persecutions of Christians. The 2025 World Watch List indicated record levels of violence and oppression against Christians, with 15 countries reaching extreme persecution levels, in India alone there were 700 attacks on Christians in 2025 along with increased vandalism and disruptions of prayer meetings, particularly around Christmas. A look at Europe reveals a report covering 2024 with data that extends into 2025 which noted a sharp rise in violence against Christians in Europe, with 94 arson incidents against churches in 2024, a third of which were in Germany. Here in the United States   2024 into 2025 the trend has seen 415 acts of violence, that information was released by the family research council and it documented 415 acts of hostility against US churches in 2024, which included 284 cases of vandalism, 55 cases of arson and 28 gun related incidents. To try and keep things a little bit in perspective there were reports that indicated a slight decrease from 2023, incidents remain significantly higher than in 2018 and 2022. We continue to see in 2025 ongoing vandalism, such as anti-catholic graffiti, arson in states like Ohio, and attacks in Pennsylvania. There were 500+ attacks on Catholic churches those figures are covering May 2020 through early 2025 on US Catholic churches. When we get to the motives for such actions, many of those motives are really not known for sure, but they have been linked to ideological disputes over issues such as human sexuality, with a decline and incidents related to abortion according to the Family Research Council. All of these actions are not without consequences. Projections for 2025 suggest a potential record number of churches will be closed in the US, with estimates to go up to 15,000 churches, may close, driven by   declining attendance and financial issues. And now the hard part.

He is in the opinion of the Pew the result of the Hate Factor.  Society has a fancy word for what’s going on and that word is misotheism, I may have spelled that wrong if I did, I apologize, but it’s considered to be a conscious, active hatred of God, often manifesting and rebelling against divine authority. It’s linked to self and a desire to indulge in personal desires, with God perceived as a threat to ones ability to do it “their way.”Now, if we look at this from a biblical perspective, the scripture highlights that this is a hallmark of the unconverted and an, active, hostility towards God and his followers. It is seen as a violation of the first commandment. Now, in the interest of being fair, I have noticed over the years self included that a lot of good church people have the habit of wanting to do it..“our way.”This attitude usually takes the form of expressions that uses profanity, harboring, wicked thoughts, and a very cynical attempt to challenge the divine. These kind of people many times prefer the darkness over the light. We have a contrast here between the divine hatred versus the human hatred. In a theological context, God’s hatred is not viewed as a sinful emotional reaction, but rather a firm opposition to sin evil and injustice it is described as a protective stance against things that destroy us from flourishing. People of this ilk see that which is good and of God as being bad and hurtful. Now human hatred. We’re looking at hatred that includes hating God to be considered a sin, often fueled by pride and a selfish desire to ignore divine law. So what’s the answer?  honors God through obedience and service, so there you have it friends. Consider this…ordinary love is not going to get the job done. This may not resonate well with some of you, but we’re talking about a love that is not intended to foster tolerance. The church, has become enamored with the word inclusiveness. I invite you to look that up in the dictionary. From Matthew 22:37-40

 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.”

I am simply pointing out that to love God in the manner that is described in the above verses, requires more than just lip service and agreement. We must learn to live our lives in a fashion that emulates the life of Jesus Christ. This is not an easy thing to do, and there will be many instances when we fail, but if we continue to strive for that goal, salvation will be ours. So all I’m really saying is tolerance is not love, it is a failure on our part as Christians tolerate this type of behavior or we should learn from Genesis that when something bad confront us do like Joseph, don’t walk away… run away. If we learn and strive to live as God would have us live then and only then will these other verses come together.

39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

All the hate that we see in this world today, as Christians, we cannot continue to tolerate our excuse in any way this ungodly behavior in our world today.  The truth is that today…People Hate God…  and the people that believe. Join us in the Pew next week for a look at … A Nonanxious Presence.

Life is Good 

jk

A Quick Note: in the election year of 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson, use the phrase “I come to you with a heavy heart”…I simply go back to that time and add this little note for one very special reason. Our heart and what’s in it is the very essence of who we are. This was just one instance where someone laid bear the feelings of their heart. I hope you find something of importance or meaning in this blog today that will give you “peace of heart.”

We have examined many different factors that are part of not only finding the good way, but of walking in the Good Way. I will share with you upfront that the Pastor’s sermon this past Sunday at church led me to this subject for our blog today. We’re going to spend some time kind of traveling through scripture as we examine this. A lot of what we do along the good way is a matter of heart. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23… guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life. All through our life, we hear about matters of the heart and maybe we don’t fully grasp what’s being said, but from a  religious and believer’s standpoint it’s the very core of our inner life. It controls our thoughts emotions and our will. It is considered the “wellspring of life”. As I begin to read and study biblical perspectives of the heart, I found there was no lack of information available. From proverbs we learn that our heart is often deceitful and in need of transformation. In Jeremiah 17:9 we read…the human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked, who really knows how bad it is. Next we encounter Matthew 15: 19…these are words that Jesus spoke… from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. God is not misled by appearances, we as humans tend to do so, but God focuses on our hearts as we read in the following scripture.1 Samuel 16:7…but the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height before I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. To put it simply in Layman’s terms God looks at our hearts, this focus of our God weighs heavily in his judgment of us. You might say that the heart is the center of faith and love. We read in Mark12: 30…Love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. The importance of the heart is further emphasized in Romans 10:10… 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. Jesus taught that the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart. You can find that in Matthew 12: 34…You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. The simple meaning being that actions in words reveal the true condition of the inner person. After all of these words, we find ourselves back at proverbs 4:23. All of our actions and our words are indicators of our inner self. We can also make note of Psalm 51:10…create in me a pure heart oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. So how do we put all this together after reading in scripture how important the function of the heart is in our relationship with God and our fellow man? Perhaps the best solution would be a new heart. Now we’re not speaking of a heart transplant as we understand it but a Godly heart.That is possible only through our faith in the God we serve. We go back to scripture and to Ezekiel 36:26…I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you, your heart of Stone and give you a heart of flesh. There are many other scriptures concerning this subject and the best place to learn is in the Scriptures. But sometimes for some of us, it becomes exhausting, so I’m going to simply a list of a few things that are practical as a means of encouraging you to listen to your heart. You have been instructed to guard your heart to trust it, try listening to your heart more. We know that the Bible advises, trusting in the Lord with all your heart and leaning not on your own understanding, you will find that in proverbs 3:5… find peace within yourself, Jesus offers peace specifically for the heart telling his followers let not your hearts be troubled which we find in John 14:27. Thank you for joining us in the Pew, come back next week.

Life is Good

jk

I think we all had enough of this snow and ice, while the back porch is kind of thawing out a little bit, I’m kind of left to my own devices. I kind of thought I’d take some time for a few words about a personal event. The Zoom bible class that I am a member of lost a good friend this past Wednesday. I’ve had a couple of days now to absorb the meaning of that loss and it took me to a rather surprising place. The passing of our friend Jim Fedraw led me to the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book in the Old Testament traditionally attributed to Solomon, that explores the meaning of life under the sun. Jim and I, our paths crossed about 10 years ago, in a Nazarene morning Bible study. Stay with me now and don’t let me confuse you.The key themes in the book of Ecclesiastes center around a Hebrew word which can be translated as vanity or meaninglessness. It appears nearly 40 times to describe life as intangible, unpredictable and fleeting, and the teacher laments  the fact that all people, regardless of their standing face the same fate… death. It is his consideration that nothing under the sun provides lasting meaning. There is a futility of human effort the author of the book laments, the fact that the cycles of nature in life repeat, leaving no lasting impact on the world. There are some key takeaways from this book in the Bible… They are that life is unpredictable, and death is an equalizer, both wise and foolish humans, animals, whatever, share the same end. The author reminds us that the one thing that really matters is that life  life is merely like just chasing after the wind.

I thought of this book in the Bible because Jim Fedraw was exactly the opposite. Jim was a man that loved God and he looked forward to learning about God, and he made God the centerpiece of his life, and was truly a blessing to those of us who sat with him all those years as we studied God’s word. Jim’s greatest burden was that his children would know God, that they would know Jesus, and they would make that the centerpiece of their life. He prayed for and worked for the salvation of his children, he valued family very much. Jim Fedraw knew that the things of this life were only temporary, and he knew where his treasure lay. I really don’t know how to end this. I guess the best way might be just simply say, job well done Jim.

 So Ponder This…can any man or woman have a greater legacy to leave than that they loved the Lord their God with all their heart with all their mind and with all their soul.

Kurt

Returned to the scripture this week as we continue our journey. Addressing specifically the New Testament writings this week. We have what I call an example of God Speak. Now I stand to be corrected on this, but it’s pretty rare in the Bible, where we just see an ordinary conversation between Jesus the disciples are any of his followers. It is a biblical truth that Jesus was in fact God Incarnate among us. Through all of Jesus’s teachings and sermons he was able to paint a visual picture that people could understand, he used every day examples of places, and people in things to help those he spoke with and taught to understand.

The epistle to the Ephesians is traditionally believed to have been written by Paul around AD 62 during his imprisonment in Rome. This letter was addressed to the church in Ephesus and is recognized as one of the Pauline epistles. Early Christian writings also support this authorship. Today we will go beyond the words…the words full armor of God comes from our scripture for today. Ephesians 6:13–17… 

“Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand, stand firm, then with the belt of truth around your waist, with the breast plate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take out the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.”

Here in these verses, we see one of the things that are prevalent in a lot of biblical writings. Here we see some very common items that the people of that day would be very, very familiar with used to paint a picture that would be understood. Join us in the Pew and let’s go beyond the words.

Putting on the armor of God, described in the Ephesians 6:10–17, is a spiritual practice of adopting Christ like virtues for spiritual protection, involving the belt of truth, a breast plate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and word of the spirit through daily prayer, Scripture study, and righteous living to stand against spiritual challenges. It’s about equipping yourself with God’s strength, not human effort, to prepare us for spiritual warfare. Let’s break these words down.

First, we’ll look at the pieces of armor:

Here we will find the belt of truth, living in God’s truth and reality. Next would be the breastplate of righteousness, guarding your heart with Christ righteousness. And then we’ll put on the shoes of gospel peace, being ready to share the good news. We carry that good news with a shield of faith, trusting God to quench spiritual attacks. Our helmet of salvation will help us to remember God’s saving power. And the last the sword of the spirit, would be the use of God’s word, the Bible. 

Our next step would be to try and understand how to put it on and when to wear it. Well, there are six things that we need to remember as far as putting it on so to speak. We need to pray daily, asking God to help us as we put on each piece. We must study scripture, to internalize God’s word as our sword and truth. Of course, living righteously is nothing more than striving for a right standing with God, understanding his will in our life and carrying it out. In order to share the gospel, we have to learn how to walk in peace. One of our often overlooked points is we need to stand in the faith and rely on God, not our self for the strength that will be needed to do God’s work. And as we go through all this, we must remember salvation. We must keep in mind Jesus’s promise and his saving work. So now we come down to when to wear it. Well, it’s a daily spiritual discipline, often recommended to put on in the morning and evening to prepare for the days spiritual battles.

Life is Good

jk

To keep everything real and up-to-date, there’s nobody on the back porch. What little bit of pondering we could do was done on the phone with each other occasionally. I’m going to step in and give you my ponder for this day. It’s a Ponder that really and truly would require a follow up. We’re not talking politics here, although I’m sure they could certainly be inserted into some arguments but since we don’t argue here we just ponder we’re not gonna get into politics. But what we are going to get into and as nicely as we can… who are these people, where do they come from, and where did all this hate come from? This Ponder  requires one thing. To make this ponder today worth the time is to understand that the question has to be answered. Our nation is in some very serious trouble and I don’t have any numbers to support what I’m writing to you today. At what point in our nations history has it become fashionable to regard the rights of those who murder, rape, steal, deal in drugs, disrespect the religious beliefs of others and the diversity that exist in this country, and in general? I guess simply we could say make life miserable for everybody else. Who are these people that offer up their children for medical experiments in order to satisfy an agenda of some very very sick people. One of the things that comes to mind about this particular segment of our society is it loves to bring up Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and what they did. No one that I know of in law enforcement or government really have ever made that a point of operation. So here’s something else you can Ponder. During the period of the Nazi party and government in Germany, genetic experiments were quite common. So you explained to me what’s the difference between telling a boy or a girl that they are not what they believed they were. Who are these people that are advocating using drugs, surgeries, and support groups to fit their agendas.

The point of all this leads to this…God’s word says we should…

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (NIV). Philippians 4:8.  

SO PONDER THIS… The way we are going these days means if we follow the word, there is not much left to Ponder or Think about.

Kurt