Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

He will oppose and will exult himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. II Thessalonians 2:4-5

The church at Thessalonica was planted on Paul’s second missionary journey, but he was there only about three weeks before he was run out by Jewish leaders. The letters he sent to this church are some of his earliest writings and were written some twenty years after the resurrection.  In his short stay, Paul preached of Jesus’ second coming, but there was some confusion and unfinished teaching. The understanding of life after death was very primitive and these early christians were concerned about those among them that died before Jesus returned.

For the persecuted, those who lost their families and jobs because they chose to follow Christ, the hope of a quick end to suffering was reason to celebrate, but as the weeks, months and years passed by, it grew harder to cling to a religion unlike everything they had ever been taught. Paul bolsters their perseverance by telling of the things to come and what to expect from the evil one who wishes to rob the gifts of God’s great love. Satan will unleash every power and resource in his arsenal to destroy peace and hope.

Until the Lord returns and ends satan’s existence for all eternity, we are vulnerable to his wicked ploy to ruin all that God has created and given us.  But! Just as free will brings us to humble ourselves to forgiveness and salvation, it also lends us strength and resolve to stand firm in the face of fear and temptation. Righteousness until we see Jesus is a choice.

Love,

Gretchen

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He chose for His inheritance. Psalm 33:12

Those that worship the LORD are under His protection.  This Psalm is a song of praise.

This verse is used often as a call to national Holiness. That would indeed be a utopia, but the nation in this verse refers to Israel, God’s covenant nation, and when they turned to and followed God, miracles happened.  Tragically, it was never a lasting trend.

The word ‘nation’ is a collective noun, many parts making a whole.  Grammatically it is singular, but is obviously made of multiple pieces. As part of a ‘nation’ it is easy to give up hope for the future when righteousness is not the common objective, but that is a distraction brought to you by the one that longs to see you (and me) fail, one by discouraged one.

If ‘nation’ is collective, then each one of us has a part. Live righteously, encourage others with love and kindness, live as a witness to hope, not despair. Your assurance is in God’s everlasting Kingship, so worship, even if you must do it alone. It will make a difference to the whole.

Happy 4th!

Gretchen

For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly  slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and LORD.  Jude 1:4

Jude, the younger brother of Jesus, became a believer after the resurrection. Late in his life he was going to pen a letter of testimony to salvation when he heard of some people causing confusion in the church.  These disrupters had no desire for truth. They sought to argue, create division, question God’s authority and use grace as a free license and justification to chase the pleasures and lusts of this world.

Jude refers back to the history of the Jewish people to remind his readers of the consequences that await those who defy God’s Holiness. Judgement will not be a day of glory for those who allow sin to infiltrate and twist the Word, or Breath of God.

It is not the message that is hard to discern, it is the choice of the hearer to hear. God is peace,  not confusion. 

Happy Tuesday,

Gretchen

But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Mark 9:34

The brothers, James and John, were returning from the Transfiguration where they encountered the irrefutable deity of Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God. But they still had many questions about the Old Testament Law and Prophecy in relation to this Man of miracles.

Jesus’ time on earth was nearing its end and so He begins to turn His teaching away from the masses and to the disciples that have followed Him and shared in His ministry.  There is much for them to learn in regards to how the world should be when His mortal presence is gone. Jesus begins to speak of His death, but this further confuses James and John who have known nothing but Jewish Law and hierarchy all their lives. If Jesus is to be their Messiah, their King, then life should become more secure, not uncertain.

The brothers were trying to figure things out.  Every culture, society and family has a social order, so they would expect this new world order to have one too and they wanted their rightful place. But Jesus came to serve man, to save humanity, by pouring Himself out completely for each one of us.  Anyone that wants a part of God’s Kingdom must do likewise and others must come first.

Have a Great Holiday Monday,

Gretchen

Traveling is what we, the Rooney’s, do.  I once blamed my husband for our ’24/7 Go Fast’ mentality and lifestyle, but I have come to realize it’s me too.  I love new adventures and new understandings that being there gives. We recently had the pleasure of exploring the United Kingdom where we jumped on every tour we could find, and in most places we heard a reoccurring phrase, “We have new buildings older than your country!” Yes, indeed they do and the ancient connections to today’s generations caused me to consider my personal actions and reactions in a more thoughtful way.

My travels have always involved a great degree of human connection, but not face to face. Instead, my imagination takes me back in time as legend and fact weave stories of those long past.  What choices would I have made if their reality had been mine.  Would I have charged forward as a mover and shaker? Would I have been compliant in obvious wrongs that didn’t affect me personally? Would I have hidden and watched others suffer while thanking God I had escaped?  What if I had been born with different skin, gender or economic opportunity……would my character be something I would be proud to have someone find generations later?

Throughout the United Kingdom there are enormous monuments to inspiring great men and women. Along side them are equal statues of horrible and brutal marauders who harmed the innocent to intimidate those who would dare disagree. Many of these ghosts of humanity’s darkness carried a sword and a cross! Some of the most heinous crimes to man were done in the name of God. This is not breaking news, it just breathed a little stronger down my neck as  I walked through the Tower of London and rode through the Scottish highlands dotted with castles and battle fields. Beneath the grandeur and beauty there is sin in the heart of man that longs to dominate with no regard for the cost to another.   

Refection always has a purpose and outcome. My journey into ancient history up close and personal brought about plenty.  Faith and peace have been the goals of my adult life.  God is faithful and that gives me peace, but this holiday back in time also brought me to the realization that 99% of my life’s choices have focused on my distrust of man, NOT my absolute trust in an Almighty, All Loving God!  My life has been shaped by my fears, not my faiths.

Man’s historical relationship to man is the establishment of pecking order, with personal autonomy and convenience as the top priority.  In one cathedral alone, kings and church leaders with opposing theologies that started wars are buried within a stone’s throw of one another. What drove man to such carnage? The words of our tour guides repeatedly told tales of espionage, deceit, suspicion and superstition, all things rooted in one man’s doubt of another and none grounded in the certainty of a Good, Good Father.

As I arise each morning I have one first objective, to know that satan is groaning because I’m up.  But as I look into the mirror, I want to know that my confidence and hope rest solely in my Creator and Redeemer, my Savior, my Friend and the choices I make reflect His character and the things I know He can and will do. 

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139: 23-24.

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

II Corinthians 3:12

Love,

Gretchen

We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:4

Baptism is a sacrament giving witness to one’s personal salvation.  Submersion in water symbolizes death to the temptations and lusts of earthly/carnal existence and the burial of your mortal body. Rising out of the water signifies resurrection into eternal life for the one that believes.

In the city of Corinth, Paul penned this letter, Romans, to the church in the capitol of the world. He had not been there but those who had witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost had returned to their hometowns and begun churches, one of which was the predominantly gentile church in Rome. Paul’s objective? To teach the true Nature of Christ……life, eternal and victorious.

There is life and there is death.  There is Christlike behavior, and there is sin.  There are two different life styles. They do not intersect, they do not merge. In all of the universe they never come together.  There is nothing common between the two. Die to this world so that eternal life may begin today!

Love,

Gretchen

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look a that the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7

Saul was Israel’s first king. He began his reign humble, but after early success his humility gave way to pride and sin followed. God withdrew His blessing and rejected Saul as king. Samuel, God’s prophet, was sent to Bethlehem, to a man named Jesse, to secretly anoint Saul’s successor.

Jesse had many handsome, strong and capable sons. Samuel was sure the eldest would be God’s choice, but he was mistaken. God did not speak except to say, do not judge with your eyes. So Jesse’s youngest son, the shepherd boy David was sent for.  Ordained as a youngster to become Israel’s next king gave time for him to train and learn. God took David under His care, bringing him into Saul’s court as a musician where he came into association with the king and his counselors. Years before David would become king, God was preparing him in a perfect way.

God wove each one of us together and He knows how and why we were created for this place and moment in time. He knows our heart. His is not taken back by our questions and concerns, surprised by the way things turned out, or overwhelmed by our manmade chaos. He is preparing each of us for the next days labor. Do not worry about man’s opinions or words of despair. God has each breath beautifully prepared for joy and peace.

Have a Great Weekend’s Eve,

Gretchen

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Colossians 3:11

Paul was imprisoned in Rome when word of concern for the church in Colossae reached him.  It is believed that the church in this town on the border of Asia, was the result of missionary endeavors from the church in Corinth, a town 100 miles away. Paul wrote this letter to read aloud to the people gathered to worship and learn.  He sent it along with a letter to the congregation in Ephesus and another to Philemon.  Each letter is similar, but his words to Colossae are concerned with Christ like behavior beyond the fellowship of believers.

One of the struggles First Church of Colossae fought was the infiltration of opinion and philosophy with Christ’s teachings. Everyone has their penny’s worth of thought and feel entitled to share. However, those deep thinkers and talkers did not create anyone or anything, nor do they possess omniscient or omnipresent abilities or the power to forgive, restore and grant eternal life. Paul calls for a pure and transparent open heart that seeks ONLY to be like Christ, for He alone did all the things above.

The words of Colossians chapter three are very clear and need no additional commentary other than encouragement to put aside the popular editorials and manmade drama and seek solely to love God and one another just as Christ loved. That was Paul’s message then and it is very applicable today.

Love,

Gretchen

And, we who with unveiled faces all reflect the LORD’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the LORD, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

When Jewish teachers went into a city, they carried papers of introduction with them. It was their authority from Jerusalem. They marched proudly waving their importance. These teachers kept the early Jewish converts to Christianity in constant conflict with Paul’s teachings. When faith led to evidence for these new believers, the Judaic leaders insinuated Paul was a fraud because he had no letters of recommendation. To the young, persecuted and questioning church member, this was a serious problem in developing sound faith AND it must be recognized as satan’s attempt to destroy and invalidate the grace and mercy of a loving Savior.

The work of the Holy Spirit and disciples growing in wisdom and number is a greater defense of Paul’s call than someone’s written statement. Read all of chapter three to get the true since of Paul’s commendation to the Corinthian church as recognition of God’s power to transform all people and their circumstances into a perfect reflection of God.

Paul, with unshakable faith, saw the connection between the past, present and future in the Story of God and turned every event of his journey into glory to God. He suffered deprivation and humiliation far beyond human endurance but knowing the Old Covenant was replaced with the living New Covenant and an assurance of life everlasting made every breath, no matter the struggle, worth it.  So, be transformed, all day, every day!

Love,

Gretchen

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:4

As king, David did not live a life of leisure and pleasure.  He was a sinner and reaped a bitter harvest for his transgressions.  His eldest son Absalom knew that David’s successor would be Solomon, David and Bathsheba’s second son. Absalom spent four years planning and finally led a rebellion that divided the population. He was finally subdued and killed, completely breaking his father’s heart.

Through victories, losses, sins and forgiveness, David always returned to seek the Heart of God.  This song of praise is very much like his own Psalm 18 and Moses’ song in Deuteronomy 32. As king, David had political enemies but he was a brilliant strategist and patient adversary.  As a father and husband, David failed on an epic scale. However, whether joy or sorrow, David chose to put God at the center of his mindset.  At the end of the day, what God had to offer, was all David wanted.

CALLING to the LORD faceted action.  It expresses unfailing trust, humble gratitude, submission to God’s authority and leadership. It is an important practice to the health of your relationship to your Creator and Redeemer and is exactly what God wants you to do.  Along with calling out to God, praise was the mainstay of David’s spiritual life. It should be the central sustaining element of your life too.

Love,

Gretchen

P.S. As children we are taught to not ask for everything. It is selfish and abuses the limited resources of parents or other adults. We carry this mindset into our maturing spirituality and superimpose this parental discipline onto God’s relationship with us. The fact is, God is NOT limited  and He wants us to ask for everything with a heart passionate to glorify His Kingdom. Call out and miracles will happen. Praise is the natural response.  God is Good!