Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author
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Scripture Reflection: The Lord Understands Every Plan and Thought!

4/30/2015

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"‘And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve him with single mind and willing heart; for the Lord searches every mind, and understands every plan and thought.’" I Chronicles 28: 9

Think about the middle part of this verse for a moment, the Lord searches every mind, that means all of us, no one is beyond God’s reach. The Lord additionally understands every plan and thought, so no matter what we may think about doing, or what we may think of others, or how we rationalize our past or future actions, that’s right---God is aware of them.

If your mind is like mine, sometimes it goes quickly from one topic to the other and back again, covering everything from world events, things going on around me, family situations, work stuff, or what will I eat or wear today. Sometimes I tend to judge people in my mind by how they look, what they wear, or how they are behaving. I know that I shouldn’t be doing this, for I wouldn’t want someone else to do the same thing toward me. The funny part about this is the other person may not know what I am thinking, but God knows.

Since all of us are fallible humans with many faults and worts, I realize that it is very challenging to constantly control our thoughts and thinking, however thinking about this verse may cause us to pause for a minute if and when our mind goes where it shouldn’t be going. Being on this spiritual pilgrimage doesn’t take us to a perfect place where we never do or think anything that we would later regret. However, taking part in spiritual practices may give us some tools and habits that could help us on our journey.

Regular prayer can get us in the habit of praying at all times, even when our minds want to take us places we would rather not go. Asking the Holy Spirit for guidance on a daily basis doesn’t keep us from making mistakes, however knowing that we are comforted and supported helps us get through whatever we are facing. When we study the Bible, we read and learn about how Jesus lived as a human, and what God expects of us on this earthly walk. Reflecting on our pilgrimage and reading about how the desert mothers and fathers lived can also help us deal with our day to day events.

Hopefully, when we realize that God knows our minds, and what our plans and thoughts are, this fact can and should influence what we allow to be the dominant thinking that daily guides us!

Prayer, Lord of all knowing, may your Holy Spirit guide my thoughts and actions, so that I can become the person that you want me to be today! Amen. Vernon T.

Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved


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Scripture Reflection: One Body!

4/23/2015

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"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many." I Corinthians 12: 12-14

The Apostle Paul would have been great in whatever field he would have chosen to take part in. In today’s world among the things he may have been good at would have been a sports coach. He seems to have had the ability to describe how different units work best together. Part of a good coach’s role is getting everyone to buy into the concept that all team members have to put aside their egos and do things for the greater good of the team. That everyone’s function was vital, as long as it contributed to the overall goal of the team. This is some times challenging because most of us would rather be the one up front getting all of the praise and glory. However, under a true team concept, what’s good for the team comes first, and everyone’s individual need and glory come second.

In this passage Paul is noting how the body of Christ is to function. That the body has many members, however they come together to form one body in Christ. Like the parts of the human body, Christ’s body has many different parts that do a variety of things and have separate roles to fulfill. Thus, it doesn’t matter if male or female, young or old, rich or poor, where we were born, or who our ancestors are, we have something that we are called to do for Christ’s body, his community.

This function or role can change over time, depending on where you are at in your spiritual pilgrimage. The main thing is that it contributes to bringing the kingdom of God into this present time, while at the same time helping you to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ. May you be open to where the Holy Spirit may be leading you in this regard. Please be willing to accept your part with a humble heart not looking for praise for what you do, just knowing that you are doing what you have been called to do on this journey. Any glory belongs to the Lord!    

Prayer, Lord of all creation, may your Holy Spirit guide, comfort, and support me in what I have been called to do for Christ’s body in this present time and in the process help me to become the person that God wants me to be! Amen. Vernon T.

Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved


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Scripture Reflection: The Lord Listens!

4/16/2015

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"For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me." Psalm 86: 5-7

This short passage places a real importance on being heard. Words like call, ear, listen, cry, and answer indicate that the writer is confident that what they will be saying will be heard by the one being addressed and that their pleas will be answered. I have often said that a person who had good listening skills was well on their way to having good relationships with anyone that they were involved with.

Before going to Trinity Lutheran Seminary, for more than twenty-seven years, I worked in the insurance industry, primarily in marketing. One of my main tasks was visiting the agencies that sold insurance for the companies that I worked for. For me to be effective in what I did I had to be fully aware of what was being said. On those calls I had to be a good listener to what were the concerns and issues that were raised so that I, could correct any misinformation that was out there, help to solve any service problems, uncover why our products were not being sold, or deal with any number of assorted things. If I couldn’t clearly understand what was being communicated I couldn’t fully address what was needed to be done with the agency or with my company.

Of course good communications are vital in any relationship, in a marriage, in family situations, in communities, in work environments, in governments, among nations, etc. This passage lets us know that God is also a good listener beside being forgiving and abounding in steadfast love. When we come before the Lord God with our prayers and supplications they will be heard, and we can be assured that we will be answered especially in our day of trouble. May you be bold in speaking to God about anything that you need forgiveness for or help with, knowing that when you call you will be heard!

Prayer, Lord of steadfast love, help me to come to you knowing that you are the listener of everlasting love, and you welcome and hear my prayers and will answer them in your own time and fashion! Amen. Vernon T.

Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved


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Scripture Reflection: God’s Grace!

4/9/2015

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"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe." I Corinthians 15: 10-11

Think for a moment about events in your life when you have been given something that you didn’t expect, or been given time to complete a project or assignment that you didn’t think you would be granted, or allowed to move ahead with something that you didn’t think you would be permitted to finish. All of these examples and many more that you could think of are all forms of grace in one way of the other. Grace is about getting something unexpected or undeserved.

In my own life I have been shown grace countless times for various reasons, and hopefully I was aware of this and able to acknowledge how fortunate I was then. I remember when I was going to college part time and working full time that I was shown my share of grace. A couple times I thought I was able to take more courses then I should have taken and had a very hard time keeping up with all of the course work.

At the same time my grade point average was lower then it should have been and I was subject to being put on probation. At one point one of my professors showed me tremendous grace by working with me to keep my grade point average high enough to continue in school. However, I didn’t learn my lesson then and later on was put on probation. Over time I realized that I had to slow down and deal with what I could handle. I did get off of probation, and completed my course work to earn my degree. But a lot of people helped me and grace was shown me in many different ways.

Please be encouraged that the grace that was described in this passage is still very much available to us today, when we come before the Lord with a sincere and contrite heart. May you like the Apostle Paul be able to state that the grace from our Lord God was not given in vain!

Prayer, Lord of love, help me to come before you asking for forgiveness for all my shortcomings, knowing that your infinite grace will be given me and that your love will surround me! Amen. Vernon T.


Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved


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Happy Easter

4/5/2015

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HAPPY EASTER

FROM

SHIRLEY & VERNON T.


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Scripture Reflection: Have No Fear!

4/2/2015

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"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31: 8

These words were from Moses to Joshua as the nation of Israel was preparing to go into the promised land. They were words that would give them the faith to trust that the Lord would be with them in this new place. Part of the challenge of being on this spiritual pilgrimage is that we also may be asked to go to a new place, or be guided to step out in faith to enter a different phase in our lives and be asked to take a risk, and passages like this one may help us to move forward. When I was younger, I was asked to do something similar.

My late wife and I met while we were students at Youngstown State University, in Youngstown, Ohio. I grew up in Youngstown, and Judy was from a town less than 60 miles away. Neither of us had ever lived anywhere else but that part of the country. When I finished my degree, I had hoped to find a job in the area, and we were willing to stay around, because both of our families were near. However, over time, I was offered a job with a national insurance company. In order to take the job, we would have to move far away.

Thank goodness Judy was willing to take the risk to move far away from our families. I am not sure if I wasn’t married to her would I have been willing to move away by myself, or if I had been married to someone else would they be willing to make the move. Judy had an open and trusting inner spirit which was beneficial to me then and countless times later on.

The company moved us to Denver, CO, which was great place to train for the new job, but a huge step for both of us, because we would be so far from our family and friends. Of course the move worked out for us. Thank goodness we were willing to make the move, in hindsight it doesn’t seem like a really big deal, but at that point in our lives it was a tremendous step with many unknowns!

Please be open to what the Lord God through the Holy Spirit may be asking you to do next on this journey, it may involve risk, it may take you out of your comfort zone, and it may take you to places you have never been before. The important thing to remember is that the Lord will go before you, and will be with you and will not fail nor forsake you. May you have the faith to trust in these promises of God to be with you!

Prayer, gracious Lord, help me to trust in your words of comfort, that no matter what I may be asked to do that you will go before me, and will be with me every step of the way! Amen. Vernon T.

Copyright © 2015 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved


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    Vernon T. Jones earned his Master of Theological Studies Degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary after a lengthy insurance industry career. Jones has assisted people with incorporating into their faith journey the discipleship practices that are outlined in his upcoming book and his presentations. 

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