And when the Lord Jesus has become your peace, remember, there is another thing: good will towards men. Do not try to keep Christmas without good will towards men.
Category Archives: Peace
If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!
Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.
“God, like a father, doesn’t just give advice. He gives himself. He becomes the husband to the grieving widow (Isaiah 54:5). He becomes the comforter to the barren woman (Isaiah 54:1). He becomes the father of the orphaned (Psalm 10:14). He becomes the bridegroom to the single person (Isaiah 62:5). He is the healer to the sick (Exodus 15:26). He is the wonderful counselor to the confused and depressed (Isaiah 9:6). This is what you do when someone you love is in anguish; you respond to the plea of their heart by giving them your heart. If”
No Coninsidences
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“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
This year has been as season of challenges and unplanned events. While on vacation in July, my wife broke her ankle which led to surgery and several weeks of not bearing weight on her left leg. Needless to say, it has caused challenges of various sorts for both of us. Additionally, we’ve just returned for a trip that was to be a relaxing time at the beach. Given the recent surgery, we considered canceling; however, as the trip included our aunt and uncle, we chose to proceed as planned desiring to take advantage of every opportunity that we have to spend time with them. What was not planned was a hurricane Irma heading straight toward our chosen location.
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Patient Endurance And Consoling Encouragement
Peace of Christ
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“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27
Life has a way of giving us unexpected events. Some are pleasant, some are trying and some can be terrifying. My wife and I have had a few of them lately and we had another one of those yesterday. Rather than the writing and the housekeeping that I intended to do, I spent the day in the Emergency Room with my older daughter who was in pain. The most obvious possibility of appendicitis was ruled out, so more tests which all came back negative. After roughly six hours, we left not knowing the origin of the pain. We knew several things that it wasn’t, but had no plan of action to relieve the symptoms or better, cure the problem. While the time spent yesterday was wearing, I can honestly say that I was not anxious. I was concerned as any good father would be, but I was not anxious. To some extent, I have learned not to let the “what if” scenarios rule my mind. However, and more importantly, I have learned that God is in control and He will see me through every situation as He always has. I have learned the truth and have matured enough in my faith to understand that I need to battle fear with trust in my Savior. While I haven’t perfected the skill, I am gaining strength and ability in that endeavor. John 14:27 gives a concise argument for putting our fears to rest.
“Peace I leave you.” It’s a gift with no strings attached. All we have to do is trust in our Savior and give our heart to Him. It’s always available when we need it and inexhaustible. Part of our sanctification process is learning to trust it and apply it as necessary, but it is always there for us. We can’t earn it, we don’t get extra, we don’t store it up, we just go to the source when we need it and apply it to the need at hand.
“My peace I give to you.” As I said, we know the source…it is God…God the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit working on our behalf to give us peace through the Son. 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Romans 11:33-36 remind us that everything in existence is from God, sustained by God and belongs to God. Psalm 86 adds to the picture. Verse seven reminds that when we call on Him “in the day of trouble” He will answer. Further verse 10 says: “For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” God cares for us, He is able, everything in heaven and earth is available to Him and He will provide the peace that He promises. He is in complete control of every situation in our lives.
“Not as the world gives do I give to you.” I fear that too often, this is the primary stumbling block to true peace within our souls. Instead of looking to what our savior offers, we look to what the world offers. God has given us many pleasant things on this earth that seem to provide a sense of tranquility. We have beautiful scenery and beautiful weather that can calm our souls. Most of us in the first world don’t have to be concerned with having food, clothing or shelter. Consequently we feel secure as all of these things provide some amount of tranquility and a sense of control. However, they can be removed in an instant. The stories of Job and Joseph are two great examples of how trials can come out of nowhere. Landscapes change with natural disasters, jobs end abruptly, the pleasure of food only lasts until we are hungry again, accidents as well as illness take loved ones from us and immediately our sense of peace and tranquility vanishes and we must readily admit that we are not self-sufficient as God is. Yet our faithful God is always at hand offering peace that is inexplicable in those trying moments (Philippians 4:7). It is peace that we not only enjoy when life is going well, but peace that stays with us in those stressful and terrifying moments of life. In short, the world offers a temporary and conditional peace while God offers us peace that is constant and unconditionally offered. It is peace that we can count on in every circumstance of our lives.
“Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” This is the choice. We can allow ourselves to look at the problem worrying, fretting and concerned with the lack of control or we can look to the peace that Christ offers knowing that our God is in control, loves us and is working for our good in all circumstances allowing His peace to provide divine calm in the midst of trials. It is a form of self-control that grows with maturity. At first it can be difficult, but the more we trust God and look for His hand at work in every situation, we more readily rely on Him for the peace and strength to be content in every circumstance of life. At the end of the matter, not only are we more at rest, but we also recognize God’s greatness and turn our thankfulness into worship to glorify our God as David did in Psalm 86.
As I left the hospital yesterday I was concerned for my daughter’s wellbeing. The scary “what ifs” kept trying to creep into my mind and take control. Yet God was at work before the situation arose. The previous night I had started exploring topics write about this week. I had settled on peace and had a few scriptures in my mind. Consequently, when fear tried to creep in, God had already set up the defenses and I was able to remain calm and peaceful remembering to choose His peace over worry. This morning I received a call from my daughter. She had seen her physician and the source of pain was a tear in an abdominal muscle. It will heal in time. There is no need for surgery and no lurking disease and certainly no need for fear as God is in control just as He always is. He was in control just as He has been with broken ankles, major illness, the care and death of parents, and job losses, etc. God has been in control of every event of our lives and His peace has been available as well, but it has been up to us to His consolation.
When we accept God’s gracious gift, we have the ability to patiently endure our circumstances and receive His consoling encouragement for our souls. Whatever you are facing today, turn to Christ and accept His peace. It is a gift, it is certain, it is lasting and it is lovingly offered.
May the lovingkindness of the Lord to lift you up and His consolations delight your soul driving out your anxious thoughts.
Will
Beautiful Things
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“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
Last weekend I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While there are a variety of reasons why people go to museums, I go purely to enjoy the beautiful objects. My favorites are the paintings by the old masters and the bronze pieces. On this trip I focused on the paintings, especially those with rich color and depth. It was relaxing and rewarding. However, no matter how much I appreciate fine art, architecture, or any other work created by mankind, they all pale when compared to the works of God.
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The Need for Vindication
Moving From Despair to Praise
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“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” Psalm 43:1-2
Have you ever felt that you were personally attacked and needed an advocate? I can think of several times in my life that I have felt very alone in the world and had no defense against the assaults hurled in my direction. Further, the current social climate of our nation makes it difficult to hold to Christian values and basic biblical principles. To say that I feel a bit oppressed by this is an understatement. Then there is my illness. While I accept it as part of God’s plan for me, it can be tiring and leave me feeling alone and assaulted unnecessarily. Whether from friends or medical personnel, it is difficult to abide those who doubt the realities of living with a rare disease…especially and invisible one. Finally, there are times when I feel that I am my worst enemy and that I need an advocate to protect me from myself.
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Thoughts From the Beach Pt. 3
Riding the Waves
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“Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah. Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; he amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” Psalm 39:4-7
Last week I suggested to my wife that we go on a WaveRunner tour which we did. To understand the significance of that statement, you need to understand that while I love going to the ocean, I’m not a fan of venturing very far out into the ocean. When I do, I like it to be on a very large boat, e.g. cruise ships, ferries, etc. and I prefer to have land in sight at all times because, in a word, I’m fearful.
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Thoughts From the Beach Pt. 1
Praise the Lord Oh My Soul
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“Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.” Psalm 104:1
My wife and I are currently on vacation staying in a seaside condo. We determined a few years ago that we are “beach people”. We like to see and visit other places, but our first love is a seaside beach. Marie grew up by the ocean in New England. I was inland; consequently, my only encounter with the ocean was an overnight stay in Daytona while on a college choir tour. She was excited to get me to the ocean and once there I was hooked. At dinner last night we were talking about that fact. As we talked while eating seaside, Marie observed that it is quite possible that I love the ocean more than she does. I agreed stating that trips to the ocean are as much or more about my soul than rest and relaxation.
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