Finding Peace
John 16:33
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(NIV) Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Peace, the feeling of well-being regardless of our circumstances, is sometimes elusive. But when we look to Jesus for our peace, we can be certain He will not leave us anxious and alone.
In 2001 I experienced my first heart attack. As I awoke Larry that morning I had a supernatural peace. I knew my situation was serious but peace enveloped me. Likewise, sixteen years later when I went through cardiac by-pass the peace was overwhelming, and as they readied me for surgery, I encouraged every person I met, thanking them in advance for their care.
Arkansas has been struck by several days of extreme weather. Tornados, torrential rains and flooding have inundated parts of our state. So at a time like this, how do we access the peace that truly passes understanding? It helps if we have developed a practice of going to God first, regardless of the circumstance. When we can know, understand and believe that God truly is our refuge, then peace is not far away.
I leave you today with the lyrics of “Wonderful Peace” by Warren Cornell published in 1889.
- Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
May we keep our eyes on the One who promised to care even for the sparrows, proving the breadth and depth of His love.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Being Strengthened in the Faith
Colossians 2:6-10 (NIV) 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
Paul wrote to the church at Colossae after hearing that they were struggling under false teaching that Christ was not divine. Such teaching began shortly after the crucifixion, and new churches were especially vulnerable to these ideas. So, Paul wrote from prison to encourage the Colossians to live out their faith.
It is still important both to our growth as disciples and our witness to others that we purpose to live according to the precepts of our faith. The false teaching we are hearing is not about whether Jesus was truly God. Instead, we are given a watered-down version of the gospel where Jesus’ love accepts sin, and we will “find ourselves on the wrong side of history” if we do not do the same.
Brothers and Sisters, there is no question that Jesus’ love is boundless, but the holiness of God precludes Him from accepting our sin. And as disciples it is our responsibility to live out the faith in our daily lives. If we have problems with honesty, pride, anger or greed, then our witness for Jesus is greatly diminished. In other words, all sin separates us from God and impacts our declaration that Jesus is our Lord.
Does God require perfection? No, not perfection, but submission and obedience. When we live out our lives as intentional disciples, delving into the Word, praying, spending time with other Christ followers, following solid preaching from those called to exegete the Word and refusing to equivocate, then we are living out our faith. And that is what God requires, and what we should each desire.
May we focus our attention on living not as slaves to the culture or to our emotions, but as people devoted to the one Who loves us so much that He gave His life for us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Giving Thanks
(NRSV) Ps 108:1 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make melody.
Awake, my soul!
2 Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
3 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples,
and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4 For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Give victory with your right hand, and answer me,
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
(NRSV) 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(NRSV) Hab 3:17 Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.
We have had another tumultuous night, with a large swath of tornados and hail spanning from Arkansas through Tennessee and Kentucky. Many awoke this morning to cataclysmic destruction. And yet we praise Him.
How can we praise God in the midst of storms, whether they are literal or symbolic? We praise God regardless of our circumstances because we understand the steadfast nature of God and His great love for us. And we know that whether we are afflicted with sickness, or we find ourselves in the path of tornadoes, that God is not the source of evil. Instead when we, like Habakkuk, can come to the understanding of Who God is, then we can praise him whether we are in good times or bad.
May we purpose in our hearts to focus not on our difficulties, but instead keep our eyes on the One, True and the Living God. And when nature seems to spin out of control, pray Psalm 91, that wonderful psalm of protection. Remember, there is no more powerful prayer than praying the scriptures. So read these words aloud, letting them soothe your fears and strengthen your faith.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Ambassadors for Christ
(NRSV) 2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.
17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Spring, when the earth has a chance for renewal—grass gone dormant turns green, flowers spring up and trees, stark and barren against the winter sky, bring forth buds, then a canopy of leaves. And we, God’s children, are given that same, sweet regeneration as we seek God’s face, and as He renews our faith, He calls us to be His ambassadors of the faith.
Do you see yourself as an ambassador for Christ? As we are renewed in Him, we are called to be an envoy on His behalf. We are disciples seeking holiness, and then sharing what we find with others. There is no great mystery to discipleship—we simply walk where He has walked, letting His footprints lead the way. The heart of Jesus becomes our heart as we spend time with Him, and the more we are together, the more we are conformed to His image.
May we follow the footsteps of Jesus, never straying from the pathway of holiness, but instead living lives that bear witness to Him in all we do.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. .
His Mercy Endures
(KJV) Psalm 118:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
because his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear the LORD say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
Enduring—long lasting. With all of our advances, few things are enduring in the 21st century. Appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and even vacuum cleaners endured for decades. Yet, the 21st century not only has failed to design and manufacture household appliances that last, some would argue there is a built in obsolescence in many things we purchase today.
Not so with mercy. The psalmist says “the mercy of God” endures forever. And aren’t we grateful! Mercy, that wonderful gift of God where we are spared His judgment even though we deserve it, is, according to Jeremiah in Lam. 3:23 “ …new every morning.” I like to think of mercy as either light and refreshing like the morning dew, or enduring just like God’s love.
May we be as quick to give mercy to others as we are to expect mercy for ourselves.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 