The Meek will Inherit the Earth

Matthew 5:5 - Blessed are meek for they shall inherit the earth.

These are some of the most known and yet most misunderstood of Jesus words. It seems that many people mistake the word meek as meaning weak. Yet few are aware that Jesus was referring to the words of King David in Psalm 37: 11; "But the meek shall inherit the earth." To understand Jesus' words we must first understand David's words.

Psalm 37 itself is home to some beautiful and oft quoted scriptures. Verse 4 says "delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Verse 5 continues to say, "commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass." Verse 23 tells us that the Lord orders the steps of a good man. In verse 25 David tells us that, though He is old where once He was young, he has always seen God provide for His needs. In short, the whole chapter is about trusting in the Lord.

This David who talks about trusting in the Lord was not a weakling. It was He who killed the giant Goliath with a sling and stone. It was He who killed both a lion and a bear when they came after his sheep. The people said of him at one point, "Saul has killed thousands of men, but David has killed tens of thousands." David was no weakling; He was a warrior at heart. Yet this David knew what it was like to trust God.

Because David was so popular with the people, King Saul decided to kill him. He was afraid David would take his throne, not understanding that God had already decided to give it to David. David had no choice but to run from Saul. Once as Saul was pursuing David, David hid in a cave. Saul came into the cave not knowing that David was there. David could have killed him but he chose not to. Another time David slipped into Saul's camp in the middle of the night. Again, he could have killed him but chose not to. He was afraid to touch someone that God had anointed to be king. This was meekness personified.

Meekness is knowing that I can do something to avenge myself but choosing not to. It goes hand in hand with temperance or self control. Meekness and self control are listed together in the list of the "fruit of Spirit in Galatians" because they are two sides of the same coin. When I understand that I can do something about my situation but don't need to, then I must have the self discipline to restrain myself knowing that God will avenge me when the time is right.

It can be said that meekness is the attitude behind self control. When I understand that I am nothing then it is easier to control myself and not be easily angered with others. When I give my situation to God I can be assured that He will always come through for me. It may not be the eaisest thing now but it will have great rewards later on.

Will the meek inherit the earth? Absolutely, because God will give it to Him.

Have patience, my friend. The Lord always comes through for His own.

Trusting Him Daily,

Spanish Pastor Jones 

The Ear That Hears and The Eye That Sees

Proverbs 20: 12 - The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.

I am continually amazed at how accurate God's word is. This morning, as I was reading Proverbs 20, I came upon the above verse. It leaped out to me because I have just finished taking Biology and one of our main focuses was the theory of evolution. I wrote my final paper on "why a Christian should not believe in evolution." 

We are told in Proverbs 20:12 that the lord made the ear that hears and the eye that sees. The human writer of this verse could not have known that thousands of years later these two things would particularly baffle scientists that believe in evolution. Again and again I have heard how there is no way that an eye  could have evolved. More than any other part of the body, the complexity of the eye is a problem for evolutionists. Yet it is not a problem for those who believe in the word of God. The writer tells us very plainly why the eye and the ear function so well; the Lord made both of them.

Although the Christian does not need outside sources to confirm his faith, there is undeniable evidence of the scientific validity of the Bible all around us. When I consider all the care God put into making us, it reminds me of just how special each of us is to him. If you are in a struggle today just remember that the Lord who made the eye to see and the ear to hear is listening now. You can take your needs to Him and He will hear. Not only will He hear, He can do something about your problems when no one else can. Give Him a try! He sees all, knows all, and can do all!

God Bless,

Spanish Pastor Jones 

Successful vs Unsuccessful

The holidays are coming up and we know that everyone will be thinking about partying, eating, and exchanging gifts. Even though the meaning of holiday is Holy Day, very little thought will be given to the things of God during this season. For this reason our church has dedicated this week to be a time of fasting and consecration prior to the start of the season. Some are fasting food, others media and entertainment, etc. Basically it is a time of self reflection. We all need times to allow the spirit of God to search our hearts and show us how we can draw closer to him. I have a sheet of paper on my bulletin board above my desk that really spoke to my heart this morning as I was doing some soul searching. I thought I would share it with you since God used it to speak to me. 

Successful People	Unsuccessful People
Are Thankful	Have a sense of entitlement
Forgive	Hold in Anger
Take responsibility for their own mistakes	Blame others and circumstances
Congratulate	Criticize
Talk about ideas	Talk about other people
Want others to be successful	Secretly wish evil on others
Share information	Withhold information
Show joy	Exhale bitterness

Now is the time … Analyze yourself, correct yourself, and change!

God Bless,

Spanish Pastor Jones 

Grace- what is it?

Grace - that all encompassing word that seems to mean different things to different people. To some the thought of grace reminds them of how good God has been to them. To others it brings back memories salvation from the bondage of sin.

Mercy is defined as not getting what we do deserve and grace is defined as getting what we don't deserve. Let me give and example. A teenager is caught speeding. The young lady goes to court. The judge is sitting behind the desk looking very stern. He looks at the young lady and says, "do you realize I could take away your license, give you community service or a jail term, and impound your car?" Naturally, she is terrified. Instead he reduces her fine from several hundred dollars to fifty dollars. Then he steps around from behind the desk, takes off his robe and pays her fine? Why? Because the judge is her father.

This is the perfect picture of God's grace. The fact that he reduced her fine is mercy. She didn't get the judgment she deserved. When he paid her fine that was grace. He gave her something she was not worthy to have.

Notice what he did not do. He did not give her a free pass to keep speeding. Speeding was still against the law and against this fathers wishes for his daughter. It was still just as dangerous. There are some who seem to think that grace is a license to live however I want to live and have God overlook it. Whatever else Grace may be, it is not a license to sin. Grace is better defined as the power of the Holy Spirit living in me to keep me from sinning.

Impossible, you might say. No once can live free from sin. I know that all of us are imperfect. But as Christians we are on a journey of perfection. Our daily desire should be to become a little more like Jesus. Naturally we will never reach a place where we have no struggles with our flesh while we are in these imperfect human bodies. But the more we grow in God the less we should struggle with certain things. If we are still struggling with the same anger, unforgiveness, or temptation we were struggling with five years ago we need to reevaluate. Have I really surrendered it to God? Am I truly doing all I can to let Grace work in my life.

Jesus told the woman who was caught in adultery that he would not condemn her. But he didn't stop there. He told her to "go and sin no more." This is grace. He wouldn't give a command if he didn't also give the power to keep the command. Instead of thinking of all the reasons why we can't chance, why don't we begin to thank God for helping us change? Instead of making excuses, why not give God a chance to work? You might be surprised what He can do. If we do fail, there is mercy. But let's not use mercy and grace as an excuse anymore. Grace is not an excuse to do wrong but a reason to do better.

Phillipians 4:13 - I can do all things though Christ who give me strength. 

One Complex Whole

Truth is one complex whole. - Unknown

Have you ever heard the saying, "the truth shall make you free?" Did you know it is a direct quote of Jesus in John 8:32? I have heard these words repeated so many time that they almost sound like a cliche. Many times people use these words when they want to say something they know the other person is not going to like. It is as if they believe they can use Jesus' words to cover the harshness of their own. If it is true I can say it because truth always makes us free. Yet this is not the intention of Jesus' famous words.

When Jesus said this He was speaking of himself. He was telling the crowd that day that ultimate truth could only be found in him and in his teachings. We know this because immediately before this He told them that they could only truly be His disciples if they continued in His word (John 8:31).

Truth today is considered to be speculative. We live in a  global environment where people are exposed to more information about the world at large than ever before. Yet that information comes at a price. The media, the writers in hollywood and many others have an objective. That objective is to make the lines of truth disappear and get us to accept every other teaching out there as equal (or even superior to) the teachings of Jesus. For a Christian, this simply can't be.

Jesus claimed to have ultimate truth. We must either accept this or reject it. As C.S. Lewis said, either He was telling the truth about Himself as being the Son of God, He was a deceiver, or He was insane. Let's look at the evidence. His teachings are not the teachings of a mad man. They are some of the most awe inspiring, wisest words ever written. Neither or they the teachings of someone who was purposefully out to hurt others. The concepts he taught like forgiveness and turning the other cheek are not the writings of a conman.

That leaves only the first option; He was telling the truth. He really was and is the Son of God and in Him alone and His word can we find ultimate truth. It is that truth that will set us free. Truth is one complex whole and if we leave off any part of it we will not have it. Even a small lie makes a witness invalid in a court of law. How much more so should we apply these same rules in our spiritual lives. If you want philosophy there are many teachings in the world where one can find it. If you want a feel good religion, those are available as well. But if you want to know truth, there is only one source. As Jesus said, read the words of Moses and the prophets, for they testify of Him (John 5:39). He is the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to God any other way (John 14:6). He is the truth!

Truthfully,

Rev. Sullivan Jones 

I believe you're my healer

I woke up this morning with a song going over and over in my mind. Part of the lyrics are:

I believe you're my healer
I believer you are all I need
I believer you're my portion
I believe you're more than enough for me
Jesus you're all I need

I have been taking a Biology class and for my final paper I have chosen the topic "Why a Christian Should not Believe in Evolution". As I began to think on this topic this morning I realized something. It is is easy for me to believe that God created man but now always easy to  believe that He will heal man. The same scripture that says He formed me from the dust of the ground says He will heal me when I am anointed with oil and prayed for by the elders of the church. It is a promise. If one is true then the other is true.

I have nothing against medical science and am thankful for access to good medical care but there is always a limit to man's knowledge and abilities. God's knowledge and abilities have no end. He created the body and He knows how to repair it if something is wrong. I believe the reason we don't see more supernatural healing today is because we don't expect them. It is too easy to go to the doctor or take a pill. If we would believe for more healings we would see them.

I am determined to start a one-man mission to convince people that God can and does heal today. If you need healing, I challenge you to claim the stripes Jesus took on His back for your healing. Jesus can and does still heal.

I believe you are my healer ....

Believing,

Sullivan Jones