How is your walk, your work, your speaking, and your taking?

The word of God says that we must walk uprightly and work righteousness, that is, we must have a righteous action in all that we do.

The word of God goes on to say that we must speak the truth and that we must not take up an offense of another person or believe something shameful about them.

Backbiting, gossiping and evil speaking are probably three of the most hideous 'socially acceptable' sins within the church of Jesus Christ.

While these sins are repugnant to God, they are among those that many Christians would classify as 'no big deal', or 'not that bad'. There are many Christians that would go as far as trying to justify their backbiting and evil speaking.

We wouldn't think to justify lying, yet we come up with all sorts of 'situation ethics' that would justify our speaking evil of others. Sometimes it's even couched in spiritual jargon, such as "So and so really has a bad problem and we need to pray for them."

What does the word of God say?

LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
(Psalms 15:1-5)

People who have a healthy walk with the Lord are not moved by the storms of life as they have their lives built upon the rock of Jesus Christ.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Saturday Night, Saturday Night

There's an old song,
Saturday night, Saturday night, we all get together on a Saturday night,
on a Sunday or a Monday you can't do it right,
it's just gotta be a Saturday night.

Well, we have our new PSJ Saturday night service at 6:00! It's casual and it's contemporary, and it comes complete with coffee and snacks and fellowship afterwards. The youth meet at 7:30 afterwards and have a great time playing, doing worship music, talking, and having Bible study discussions.

Please take today and pray for this outreach, and if you're local, make a point to drop in.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:24-25)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

What is God working on?

There is a plan that God is working, and it includes all of the saints, that is, all those that have been set apart for His purpose. Are you one of those?

If so, how do you fit into His plan? Do you know what His plan is? The Bible is very clear that God is, among other things, conforming a called out set of people to the image of Jesus Christ.

Are you one of those that God has called out?

Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
(Romans 8:27-29)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

God will bless the righteous

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
(Psalms 5:11-12)

Just who are "the righteous"? This is a million dollar question, as there are many blessing and promises of God that are made for the righteous.

But Romans 3:10 tells us that there aren't any righteous!

As it is written: "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE;
(Romans 3:10)

Many of us who have accepted Christ call ourselves 'saved' but wouldn't necessarily think of ourselves as righteous. And then there are those Pharisees in the temple that thought of themselves as righteous, but Jesus indicated that they weren't justified (in right standing) with God.

The good news (i.e., gospel) of Jesus Christ is that through Christ many were made righteous before God!

Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
(Romans 5:18)

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, "HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD."
(1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

Praise God! Christ is our righteousness, our sanctification (i.e., holiness), and our redemption. He not only made us 'saveable', but He actually redeemed us from the curse of the law, and gave us right standing (i.e., justification) with God through His blood atonement.

From one that is righteous in Christ,
Pastor B.

God will surround you with favor!

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. (Psalms 5:11-12)


You're surrounded! With the favor of Almighty God.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
(Proverbs 3:3-4)

God will richly bless you with favor as you put your trust in Him, shout in Him, rejoice in Him, stand in the righteousness of Christ, stand on the word of Christ, and stand in the mercy of Christ.

Like Samuel, Jesus, and the early church, you will grow in favor with God and man.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Don't Grow Weary in Well Doing

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
(Galatians 6:7-10)

It is interesting to note that sowing and reaping goes along with not growing weary in well doing. If we grow weary in well doing we can take our hands off the plow and miss our harvest. We must not lose heart if we are going to sow and reap God's blessing. The apostle Paul knew what it was like to grieve in his heart as he ministered to people.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.
(2 Corinthians 2:4)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)


And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.
(2 Corinthians 12:15)

The key in the above passages is to keep our focus on Christ.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
(Colossians 3:1-2)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Tasting the Blessing

This is the view Moses had of the promised land from Mt. Nebo shortly before his death.

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 34:1-5)

If we are not careful we can sometimes see a blessing without being able to experience the blessing. The old saying that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush is a reminder that the blessing is not ours until we have embraced it.

Moses was a humble man that that failed to experience the promised blessing of a great land because of his lack of faith and/or obedience. Elisha the prophet prophesied of a great miracle in 2 Kings 7 and the king's messenger did not believe God could or would do such a thing. Elisha told him that he would get to see the blessing, but not taste of it (2 Kings 7:19).

God has a banquet laid out before us of great blessing, but unfortunatley there are many that never get to taste of the greatest blessings on the table because of their lack of faith. Hebrews 4:2 tells us that the Israelites failed to enter into God's rest because of their lack of faith in His Word.

Are you trying to embrace God's richest blessings without trusting in and living by God's Word?

If so, you may get to see them, but you won't get to taste them. Taste and see that the Lord is good, and His mercies endure forever.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.