The peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NLT
What exactly does it take to have peace?
I’ve often thought if I could avoid financial crunches, peace would result. Having enough to pay the monthly obligations with adequate left over for investments, hobbies, entertainment, and savings. Surely I’d be at peace.
A trouble-free marriage would surely bring peace also. Both mates getting along, never fighting, and having a couple of complacent kids to boot. What better picture of tranquility?
Of course, at this stage in my life, I’m looking for a peaceful retirement. Not having to work until I die. Social Security not running dry before I get the opportunity to draw out what I’ve invested during my working career. Hoping it will be sufficient monthly to cover what expenses I’ll still have. Doing what I want when I want with no one to tell me differently. Ah…the life. Peace.
While all of the above scenarios might bring peaceful circumstances, there’s no guarantee I would actually grasp serenity. Inner turmoil can still rage where there is financial solidity, marital stability, and retirement security. Jesus proposes a peace within such circumstances, but also apart from them. The above is the type of peace the world promises. All things must be in place to experience it. No troubles, trials, or stressors. Jesus’ peace is radically different. Some might classify it as odd.
Jesus’ peace has nothing to do with circumstances and everything to do with relationship and understanding. We were created for relationship with our Creator. When sin severs that connection—which it does for every person born, we are robbed of peace. We search for it—in financial security, relationships, substances, entertainment—but never find it. Or if we think we have, we soon discover it’s only temporary. Soon, we’ll want a different toy.
Jesus sends His Spirit to give us what no other play toys or circumstances can: true and lasting peace. A soothing calmness in the face of danger, adversity, and hostile situations. A peace unlike any the world can offer or understand. A gentle reassurance that all things are in His hands—and we are too. A peace we can’t understand or even explain, but when we have it, we aren’t troubled or afraid. We know He is in control.
Let God give you this different type of peace.
Prayer: Father, thank You for giving a peace that pervades regardless of our circumstances.
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Having once been a student, I can relate to those who share the same disdain toward learning I once did. “How is this going to help me?” “Why do I need to know this?” “Are we going to do something fun today…” as if traditional learning isn’t.
Prior to college, I despised school. Elementary, middle, high…I hated them all. Didn’t like any teachers and saw nothing beneficial in learning history, math, English or science. I studied just enough to get by and learned very little in the process. Homework was a bore and just the teacher’s way of inflicting further punishment. Read more...
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You must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 NLT
While growing up, it was one of the main attractions to come to any town.
Who doesn’t love a circus? Clowns weave smiles on people’s faces, and trapeze artists steal the breath of onlookers. Crowds hold their breath and tongues as lion tamers enter cages with beasts capable of tearing them to shreds. Laughter breaks out as dogs of all sizes leap through hoops or monkeys travel horses’ backs.
But the staple of any circus is the elephant. Powerful beasts that tower over their trainers but that gently obey every command. I’ve seen them shackled with a mere rope around one ankle as they await their time to perform. While performing, they clutch their trainers in their mouths, balance on one front or rear foot, or hoist the trainer onto their backs. Elephants are the epitome of gentleness—power under control. With one rampage, they could demolish the circus tent and everyone in it.
Of all the traits believers are instructed to display, gentleness is perhaps one of the most difficult. Paul echoes what Jesus says in the beatitudes, God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them (Matthew 5:5).
Gentleness entails submitting to God’s plan for me, my family, my church, and the world—but particularly me. God makes it possible for us to recognize His individual plan. His overarching plan involves allowing Him to develop us into His Son’s image. But it goes deeper. He has a personal plan for each of His followers. Through prayer, study of His Word, and earnest investigation, He’ll make it known to those who seek it.
Gentleness means having a teachable spirit. God doesn’t often teach me lessons the way I might enjoy learning them. My most important lessons have come through circumstances I’d rather not repeat. God tends to tutor by bringing situations into our lives where we have no other option but to trust and depend on Him. God teaches through circumstances that try our souls.
Gentleness also requires consideration of others. It’s easy for life to be about me; it’s more difficult to make it about others. Jesus’ entire ministry was about others, and ours should be as well.
What are you as gentle as? Jesus can teach you to be as gentle as He was.
Prayer: Father, help us be as gentle with others as You are with us.
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God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign country where they would be mistreated as slaves for four hundred years. Acts 7:6 NLT
“I got behind you today, and you were just poking along.”
I’m known as a slow driver. Actually, I don’t drive slowly; I merely drive the speed limit. I’ve been driving for 50 years, and I can proudly say I’ve never received a ticket—except once when a new set of oversize tires threw my speedometer off. Because I obey the law, my insurance company gives me a safe driver discount.
Not everyone appreciates my attention to the speed limit. One tailrider who thought I was moving too slowly stuck his hand out of his window and rewarded me with a vulgar hand motion. But I’m like the tortoise. I normally arrive at the same time the speeding hares do.
God’s children in Israel thought He was moving too slowly. They had languished in Egyptian slavery serving a cruel taskmaster for 400 years. Hadn’t God promised them a Promised Land? What was taking so long? Generation after generation was dying? When was He going to speed up their deliverance? But at the right time—and at the right speed, God sent Moses, and he led them out of bondage.
I’ve been with the Israelites on more than one occasion, complaining that God was poking along. If you called me into the ministry, where’s the church You want me to pastor. If You’ve promised to supply my needs, why am I having to borrow money to pay this bill? If You want me to attend this writer’s conference to hone my skills, why did You let the car break down so I’d have to spend $300 on repairs?
God’s movement in our lives may appear slow, but He’s always right on time. If we could see the future and His entire plan for us, we wouldn’t think He was sluggish at all. But we can’t. We must simply trust He’s moving along at the speed He is for a good reason: perhaps to prepare us as He was Moses, maybe to give Himself time to orient world or local events, or maybe to bring someone else to where He needs them to be.
We can know God’s mind, but we can’t always understand His speed. He never exceeds the limit, but neither does He ever go slower than necessary.
Trust the speed with which God is moving you along.
Prayer: Father, increase our faith so we’ll trust completely the speed You are moving.
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She developed as a tropical wave on October 22, 2012 in the western Caribbean Sea and quickly swirled into a tropical storm named Sandy. Seven short days later, she stepped ashore as a hurricane near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the Caribbean along with the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern portions of the United States, killing 253 people along her seven country strut and inflicting 65.6 billion dollars in damage.
Yet in the midst of suffering came hope and comfort. Disaster relief units descended on New Jersey bringing shower/laundry units, mud out crews, counseling teams, chain saw crews, and feeding units. Churches responded with “Buckets of Care for New Jersey,” providing tools, first aid, and safety item supplies for storm victims. Comforters in South Carolina alone filled 466 buckets. Read more...
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My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help? Psalm 22:1 NLT
I had a few chickens and a couple of ducks, why not add a goat?
The call came from a church member: “I have a goat whose mother won’t nurse her. Would you like to have her?
“Sure, why not,” I said. I’d bottle fed a pig some years earlier. Why not try a goat.
We made her a bed in our utility shed. My schedule was flexible—unlike the rest of the family, so feeding her fell to me: morning, noon, evening, before bed, and once in the middle of the night. When she was weaned, I placed her in the pen with the chickens and ducks. She was more of a pet than a farm animal. Gracie discovered being forsaken by her mom didn’t mean everyone would forsake her.
Why the psalmist felt forsaken and penned this psalm, I’m not sure. But Jesus used the same words while hanging on the cross dying for the sins of humanity. He said it because He was bearing the full weight of the world’s sins. Being the holy God that He is, His heavenly Father had to turn away in that moment. How the Divine could turn from the Divine is unexplainable, but it was only momentary. When the deed was done, God accepted what His Son had accomplished, raised Him from a grave, and received Him back into heaven.
I’ve felt the pains of being forsaken by others: peers who thought I was different and didn’t want anything to do with me, work associates who thought I attended to my responsibilities too intricately, church members who didn’t like the changes I suggested, and others who were turned off by my faith stand.
Being forsaken happens in life. Though others forsake us for various reasons, God will only do so for one reason: unbelief. Even then, He continues to prick our consciences with His Spirit, desiring that we repent of our sins and trust Him. As His child, He’ll never turn His back on us. Even when we’re unfaithful to Him, He’ll be faithful to us. He made the promise that He’ll never leave or forsake us. And we can depend on His word.
Gracie may have felt forsaken, but she wasn’t. We may feel God has turned His back on us, but He never does.
Prayer: Father, we thank You that we can always be sure You are by our side.
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All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. 2 Samuel 14:14 NLT
What’s spilled can be wiped up but not normally recovered.
A number of us were enjoying ourselves at our annual church picnic and campout. I had joined a local couple and their family at their campsite and was helping them prepare supper. As we tried to fit all the condiments on a small picnic table, a two liter bottle of Coke tumbled off and rolled down the hill. Not thinking, I picked it up and unscrewed the top. Coke spewed everywhere. Not one ounce of it could be recovered.
A wise woman once compared death to water being spilled on the ground. King David had a rift with one of his sons and refused to see him. His military commander sent a wise woman to tell the king a story which actually applied to his situation. In doing so, she used a simile to compare spilled water and death.
Death will be a reality for all except those living when Christ returns. It’s not an event I enjoy thinking about—even though the thought enters my mind more now than in the past. As I age, I know I’m closer to D day than I’ve been. Practical preparations should include life insurance policies and a will.
However, these items will only ensure my family is taken care of and possibly that my heirs won’t argue over what I leave behind. They won’t affect my eternity—which is more important.
Like spilled water, life is temporary. God spends His time trying to gather us to Himself since sin has separated us from Him. He’s not satisfied to wipe up our spills and toss the rag away. He wants more for us. Nor should we so carelessly toss others aside.
Repentance of sins and faith in Christ are the only things that ultimately prepare us for death. Once this initial step is taken, a life of spiritual growth and learning to trust Christ with every aspect of our lives should follow. As we near the end of our lives, we’ll not fret or fear. Confidence that we belong to God will usher us through the death event. Like spilled water, we’ll melt into the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.
When your time comes to go, will you be ready?
Prayer: Father, thank You that even though we must walk through the valley of death You will not forsake us.
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Series: The Side Effects of Suffering
We three brothers crouched snugly in a booth at a local restaurant rehashing old memories and considering life’s complexities and our current situations. We were doing what we hadn’t done in years-spending alone time together in the same place at the same time.
Though we were all younger than middle age, our list of sufferings seemed quite lengthy. Parkinson’s. Diabetic neuropathy. Heart malfunctions. Disability. Financial struggles. Several divorces. Rebellious daughters and angry sons. And we could identify with rebellious children. We had shared in a few uprisings ourselves. Growing up as preacher’s kids wasn’t easy. Pious parishioners and unrealistic expectations often pummeled us into areas better left alone-and the consequences were normally unpleasant. But we had mended our ways, so why the frequent anguish? Read more...
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Be dressed for service and well prepared, as though you were waiting for your master to return. Luke 12:35-36 NLT
Unless I live in a nudist colony, dressing is necessary.
Dressing for success is more along the lines of what I’ve been taught. Dressing down for work or for a night out on the town wasn’t the norm when I was growing up. Sundays meant a suit and a tie—sometimes even a vest. Shoes were shined on Saturday night. Going out on the town meant looking presentable as well. Shirttails were tucked, and at least dress blue jeans were worn.
Dressing for a job interview meant almost repeating what I did for Sunday. Work attire required suitable clothes for appropriate positions—jeans for dirty jobs and dress slacks, shirts, and perhaps a tie for professional positions. Dressing correctly was a part of being ready.
Jesus instructed His followers to dress for His return. He compared Himself to a master returning from a wedding feast and finding some of his servants ready and some not. The ones who were ready would be shown special favor.
Being dressed and ready involves wearing the helmet of salvation. Helmets guard the brain and mind. With the mind, we think, reason, and consider. Thoughts in turn produce actions. When we think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, we’ll act accordingly.
Next are the shoes of peace. Our world is filled with war and turmoil. It needs people who will boldly carry the message of peace, which the gospel brings.
Dressing for God’s work also entails putting on the breastplate of righteousness. God actually puts this around us when we place our faith in what His Son accomplished on Calvary’s cross. Through faith, we trade our sinfulness for Christ’s righteousness, thereby placing us on good terms with our Heavenly Father.
The belt of truth snuggles our garments. If we don’t stand for truth, we’ll fall for anything.
The shield of faith enables us to ward off the fiery darts of Satan. By faith, we can overcome the temptations he sends our way.
Our sword is the Word of God. By studying it, we receive power to dress in godliness, serve in sincerity, and act with integrity.
Are you dressed and ready to serve the King of Kings?
Prayer: Father, prod us to dress appropriately so we might be ready to do Your work.
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She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:39 NLT
We vowed we’d remain the best of friends, but distance was fighting against us. We attended church together, worked with the youth together, and ate at each other’s house almost every Saturday night. David and Lisa were our best friends.
Then one day, we received shocking news. They were moving. Lisa was from Denver, Colorado—almost clear across the United States. She and David had met when he settled there after helping a friend move. They had moved back to South Carolina for him, his brother, and a cousin to begin a construction business. Now the Denver National Airport—where he once worked, was offering him a job. We promised each other distance wouldn’t separate us.
Initially, the calls were frequent. They even flew us out two times for a week of visiting. Then the calls became more infrequent. We each got busy with our lives, and voicemail messages became more common than actual conversations. Once a month conversations are now the norm. Even then, it’s not the same. Presence is missing. Tech conversations can’t replace an actual body and time spent together.
Martha and Lazarus had a sister named Mary who had her priorities in order. She could hear stories about Jesus, she could even busy herself serving Him as her sister was doing, or she could simply revel in His presence. She chose the latter. This would nurture her relationship with Him more than anything else.
What Mary knew, I’ve had to learn as well. I can busy myself serving God in any number of capacities. Opportunities to do good abound. But the doing can’t replace what happens when I simply choose to sit in His presence. As I sit, I may pray, read His Word, meditate, or simply listen for Him to speak to my Spirit, but the key is just reveling in His presence.
Getting alone with God is essential for spiritual health just as experiencing presence is necessary for friendships to develop and grow.
Having a plan, a time, and a place ensures we’ll not neglect the power found from remaining in His Presence.
Prayer: Father, May staying in Your presence where we can be taught, loved, and nurtured be our goal.
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Series: The Side Effects of Suffering
After shooting his mother in the head four times while she lay asleep, Adam Lanza dressed himself in black, armed himself with a military-style assault rifle loaded with ammunition designed to inflict maximum damage, and shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Moments later, 20 children and six adults lay dead. Shortly thereafter, Lanza ended his life as well.
One week later, on December 21, 2012, chiming bells reverberated through this and many other cities nationwide to commemorate the 26 victims of Lanza. Some rang 28 times to honor the total number of deaths in the massacre. Read more...
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And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruing the skin. Matthew 9:17 NLT
If we didn’t prepare the vessel, the contents would spoil.
One year, my wife and I decided we’d make and can jelly. Our landlord had an apple tree loaded with apples he wasn’t going to pick. He invited us to pick as many as we wanted. For hours, we sat on our front porch in the old glider and peeled away.
Once the peels were eliminated, we boiled the apples, using the juice to make our jelly. But we had to prepare the jar. We didn’t have a canning system, so we boiled the empty jars in a pot of water. Removing them one at a time, we filled them with the prepared apple juice and sealed them. One by one, we heard the tops pop, signifying the seal had secured the contents which would shortly jell into jelly. Had we not prepared the vessel, we would have only had juice, and it would have eventually ruined.
Putting new wine into old wineskins that had already been stretched from the fermenting process would result in the skin bursting and the wine being lost. But Jesus wasn’t actually teaching how to make wine. He was warning against trying to put legalistic traditions into the truth skins He was re-instituting. A vessel had to be prepared to accept His teachings.
Enjoying the abundant life Jesus offers requires prepared vessels. Preparation begins with a relationship which is initiated through a faith step in God’s direction. Then our vessels have to be nurtured. We don’t automatically grow spiritually. Pouring His Word, prayer, relationships, other spiritual disciplines, and witnessing about His love into the vessel is necessary.
Preparation also takes place when we remember our vessel is a temple of God’s Spirit. Nothing should enter it that contaminates: addictive substances, unhealthy eating habits, unwise relationships, or focus stealing hobbies.
Staying away from tempting situations helps us keep our vessels prepared as well. God gives wisdom to know what we’re easily tempted by.
Acknowledging our weaknesses helps keep us away from situations Satan would easily use to create havoc in our lives.
Prepare your vessel daily so God can fill it with abundant life.
Prayer: Father, we dedicate our vessels to You. Fill them properly.
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