bierkergaard

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Peace (or shalom) was--and probably still is--a greeting among observant Jews. So it is a wish. One can see why...the Jews have had many things in their history as a race, but peace is not one of them. Peace, as Jesus taught, is based on obedience to His teachings (really His Commandments, to call them only teachings make them sound kind of voluntary). Kind of like when people call Jesus a "great teacher." Sort of like my great teacher in high school Mr. Craney...but not more than a great teacher. And if Jesus teaches that He is God, and the person doesn't buy it, could that person reall...

This time of year, we hear a lot about giving thanks....it should be easy to give thanks for the good things. The fact that we often don't, and instead take God's provision for granted, shows how piggish we can be. How about giving thanks for the hard things--adversity, trouble, sickness, weakness? Not that I'll candidate any time soon for Job-like status based on my qualifications. Don't think this is true? We flatter ourselves...often when we ask "Why?" we are really charging God with infidelity to our two greatest commandments..."I don't think I want this so you should not give it to me." Really, who sounds like the boss and who sounds like the underling? The primary sin of each human is Pride. It is an inversion of ourselves to a lofty estate of deity where what I think and what I want are the two greatest commandments. God, is demoted to servant status. I am not saying that it is easy to say "Thy will be done" and then watch ou...

Gen 50:15-20 "And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." Godly men don' t strike others in spirit of self-indignation...even if others richly deserve it. Instead, they entrust to God the justificat...