“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “‘May those who love you be secure.”
~ Psalm 122:6
Hi James and Ellen,
Where is your city of Jerusalem? A city of Jerusalem is a place where joy is experienced. Where is your place of joy? Where do you go to worship God? A guy who was making a pilgrimage to the city of Jerusalem to worship God scribed a psalm hymn – Psalm 122. This psalm hymn reflects on what it was like for the pilgrim to go to and to worship God in the city of Jerusalem. Where have you gone to to spend time worshipping God? What does it mean to you to be able to freely worship God? What is it like to you to sense the presence of the spirit of peace? What is it like to you to sense a feeling of uncontrollable joy? Do you like to get together with groups of guys, gals and kids who are Christ-followers? Do you really enjoy singing praise hymns and songs to God?
A city of Jerusalem can be anything and anyplace. A city of Jerusalem can be a life. A life becomes a temple or a citadel when a guy, gal or kid invites God – as God the Son, into his or her life and heart by making a decision of faith that is based on an absolute belief that something divinely powerful happened when God – as God the Son, let Himself be hung on and nailed to a cross so that His blood could be an atoning ransom payment for the sins that have been made and will be made by every guy, gal and kid who God – as God the Father, especially elected and adopted before He created planet Earth. When a guy, gal and kid makes a decision of faith – which includes a purposeful confession and repentance of having lived a life that has been filled with and driven by sinful thoughts and acts and the intentional internalizing of accepting Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior, his or her body becomes a living temple or citadel for God – as God the Son, to live in to minister through to other guys, gals and kids. When a guy, gal or kid makes a decision of faith – which has him or her passing through the faith/grace door from the sin polluted wicked world where he or she had been living and into an encapsulated environ that is being filled with fellow Christ-follower guys, gals and kids, a spiritual cleansing and a sanctifying of his or her heart and mind has begun. The guy, gal or kid will have his or her mind and heart tuned into the presence, power and passion frequency of God – as God the Spirit. The guy, gal or kid will be led by God – as God the Spirit, to unconditionally accept his or her new creature life as a city of Jerusalem and to appreciate each new city of Jerusalem worship experience. Verse 6 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “‘May those who love you be secure.” To live with a city of Jerusalem peace is to revel in sensitive, loving relationships with other Christ-follower guys, gals and kids, go to designated sites or structures where Christ-follower guys, gals and kids meet to communally worship God, corporately pray with other Christ-follower guys, gals and kids and to be genuinely concerned about the welfare of his or her fellow Christ-follower guys, gals and kids. The body shell in which a Christ-follower guy, gal and kid lives will continually enjoy the constant reassuring presence of a loving God as his or her priority city of Jerusalem.
Besides a city of Jerusalem being the body of a living Christ-follower guy, gal or kid, a city of Jerusalem can be a specific place or places where a Christ-follower guy, gal and kid has been to once or for a period of time where he or she genuinely praised God or a city of Jerusalem can be moment or moments when a Christ-follower guy, gal or kid has sincerely praised God. A Christ-follower guy, gal and kid through the personal relationship that he or she has with God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Son, a guy, gal or kid has embarked on pilgrimages that are going to take him or her on life paths that are filled with enticements and ordeals. A guy, gal or kid who has been led by God – as God the Spirit, to become a Christ-follower is going to be glad for each city of Jerusalem that he or she will encounter resulting in the guy, gal or kid to look back at the ‘door’ of each city of Jerusalem and he and she will thank God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Son, that He had God – as God the Spirit, lead him or her to this city of Jerusalem place or moment. Your grandmaa and grandpaa are very grateful that God through ways that belie coincidences had your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad move to Aberdeen, South Dakota in the summer of 1972. A benign request from Beneficial Finance – which was who your grandpaa was working for in Sioux Falls, to transfer to Aberdeen to manage the Beneficial Finance office that was in Aberdeen was the reason why your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad ended up in Aberdeen. Your grandmaa and grandpaa had no way to know that there was for them a city of Jerusalem in Aberdeen. The Aberdeen Christian and Missionary Alliance Church was the city of Jerusalem for your grandmaa and grandpaa. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – from the time that they were married, wanted to be involved in a Christ-follower community of guys, gals and kids. Your grandmaa was able to teach in a Sunday School class in the church where your grandmaa and grandmaa were married – which was the Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church that is in Wilmington, Delaware. Your grandpaa was not asked to do anything by the Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church leadership. Not long after your grandmaa and grandpaa began going to the Aberdeen Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, your grandmaa and grandpaa were asked to teach Sunday School classes, encouraged to start a couples’ club and be the impetus for a systematic door to door evangelistic outreach. Your grandpaa was asked to lead Wednesday evening prayer services, write skits for special functions, be an elder and preach a couple of times. A city of Jerusalem for your grandpaa today is your grandmaa, editing ‘James and Ellen’ devotional missives, walking, observing God’s everchanging handiwork in the skies, . . .
Psalm 122 (722)