peace

Peace On Earth

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Christmas Bells 11516When Jesus came to this world, it was not to address the peccadillo needs of a few, but to fill the chasm of sin that separated man from God.  He did not come to just please the whims and fancies of the human race, but He came to pacify of the righteous demands of a holy God.

His coming was full of promise; yet, the people to whom He came rejected Him.  John said:

He came into the world—the world he had created—and the world failed to recognize him. He came into his own creation, and his own people would not accept him. Yet wherever men did accept him he gave them the power to become sons of God. These were the men who truly believed in him, and their birth depended not on the course of nature nor on any impulse or plan of man, but on God (JB Phillips)

Whenever I read the verses above, I am intrigued by four words:  “the power to become.”  When people accept Jesus, not an idea nor a philosophy, but the person of Christ, they receive “the power to become” a child of God.  This spiritual transformation is the real hope of the Christmas story.

At this time each year I see people go to great expense to decorate their house–to transform it from the ordinary ho hum to an extraordinary display of flashing lights; yet they still miss the meaning of Christmas.  While they are willing to pay homage to a diorama of Christmas, they fail to worship the Christ of Christmas.

Longfellow wrote the words to the song I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.  In the third stanza of the song, he stated the condition of mankind without Christ:

 And in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

As you celebrate Christmas this year, remember peace on earth is only possible because a piece of Heaven was born in a manger.

Opportunity is a Port of Unity

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opportunity tagsIt’s a verse that I think is intriguing, but not because it is full of mystery; not because it is difficult to understand; but, because it is so rich in meaning: “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).”

I saw something for the first time the last time I read this verse. It is the word “opportunity.” If you section the word, you can see it: OP-Port-Unity—Our Peace: Port of Unity

This is the opportunity that Paul spoke of when he wrote to the Ephesians and said: “Jesus is Our Peace (OP).” He was discussing the law and grace with Jews and Gentiles, and he said the peace of Jesus is the Port of Unity:

“But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace (Ephesians 2:13-15).”

Two chapters later, Paul emphasizes the importance of the peace we have in Jesus:

“I urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us (Ephesians 2:2-4).”

Look at the Op-Port-Unity principles in Colossians 3:12-17:

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”.

Instead of looking for what is wrong, use this week as a time of opportunity to focus on Jesus as Our Peace (OP) and to become a Port of Unity.

A Five-Five Relationship

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3-9-12-CMI-hands_of_god_and_adam-400-300x250One of my favorite sections of Scripture is Romans 5:1-5, and I read it again this morning. I call it the 5-5, and I share it with you below:

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

In these brief verses, we find a long list of truths that provide the secret of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ:
• You are justified and declared righteous before God when you accept His son as your Savior.
• The initial result of your salvation is that you now have peace with God.
• As a child of God you have around-the-clock access to God—24/7.
• You can gain a better understanding of your affliction because hard times increase your endurance; the new found endurance builds character; and, Christ-like character produces hope.
• The hope within you is based on the love of God which has been “poured out” into your heart, and it is always available because the Holy Spirit now resides within you.

There is a reason I like to think of this section of Scripture as the 5-5. The 5-5 is a mnemonic that I use to help remind me of the relationship I have with God. SpeedLimitReduction55MPH Whenever I see a 55 MPH speed limit sign on the highway it reminds me of this Scripture and the peace I have with God through Jesus Christ.

Refocus and Reimagine

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What Why When Dice Representing Questions And ChoicesWhen you went to bed last night, did you worry about tomorrow? When you woke up this morning was your mind filled with regrets from yesterday?

When your life is filled with worries and regrets focused on the past or the future, you rob yourself of the necessary strength to live in the present; and, the simple truth is this—your life can be filled with joy and peace?

If you had to rely on just internal resources, living a life of joy and peace could be difficult, but there’s good news— the God of hope will fill you with joy and peace in your faith, and it is by the power of the Holy Spirit, that your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope (Romans 15:13).

Seven words in the verse above give us the key to doing this: “by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Sometimes you have to remind yourself that you will fail when you try to live in just the power of your might and strength. The secret is to live in the power of the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).

This is a principle that helped to guide David. In Psalm 16 he said, “I keep the Lord in mind always.” Because David did this:
• He praised the Lord who counseled him
• He could sleep at night because his conscience instructed him instead of worrying him
• His heart was glad, his spirit rejoiced, and his body rested securely
• He knew God would not abandon him and that he had the promise of Heaven
• He found abundant joy and eternal pleasures as he walked the path of life

The next time you find your mind full of worries and regrets, refocus your thoughts on this truth: “Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).”

Bells, Whistles, and Anniversaries

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bells-and-whistles3When I check my phone of a morning, I find an email from Google Calendar, and it reminds of my schedule for that day. When the gas tank in my truck reaches a certain level, the computer in my truck sounds a beep and displays a message on the dashboard. This is a reminder that I can only drive another 50 miles before I run out of gas.

Reminders come in different forms. Some are sounds like bells and whistles; others are anniversaries recorded on the pages of a calendar; and, some can be as a simple as the old string tied to your finger or a note scribbled on the palm of your hand.

The purpose of communion in a church service is to remember—“Do this in remembrance of me,” is what Jesus said when He instituted the Lord’s Supper. The Psalmist knew the importance of reflecting on the goodness of God, and he wrote: “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth (Psalm 105:4-6).”

God even went to extreme measures with some of the more colorful figures in the Bible. Both Jacob and Paul were left with a physical ailment to serve as a reminder of who they once were and where God was taking them.

Jacob wrestled with the angel of God, and the pain in his hip caused him to walk with a limp the rest of his life—a reminder of the presence of God. Paul was pursuing and persecuting Christians like a raving madman until met Jesus on the Damascus Road. This is where I believe Paul received his “thorn in the flesh” that vexed him the remainder of his life.

What reminds you of the goodness of God? I encourage you to take some time over the weekend to pause and remember. Turn off your cell phone; find a quiet spot; read the first six verses of Psalm 105; and, flip through the pages of your mind to reflect, remember and see how God has been present in your life.

As you “remember His marvelous works which He has done,” you will be able to give Him thanks, and the peace of God will find its way into your life.

The Goodness of God

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roof4It is a rare occasion when I hear anyone speak of Paul Bunyan and Babe. I thought of the mythical lumberjack and his blue ox early this morning as I listened to the thunder and felt it’s presence as it shook the house.

Mom used to attribute the fearsome nature of a thunderstorm to Paul’s anger, Babe’s stomping, or a sack of potatoes being dropped on the floor of the sky. When things calmed down, she might say: “Well Paul and Babe have made their peace.”

The calm after last night’s storm and the memory of Mom’s explanation, brought the word “reconciliation” to my mind. Paul spoke of this in 2 Corinthians 5: “God has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ; and he has made us agents of the reconciliation. God was in Christ personally reconciling the world to himself—not counting their sins against them—and has commissioned us with the message of reconciliation. We are now Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were appealing direct to you through us. As his personal representatives we say, ‘Make your peace with God.’ For God caused Christ, who himself knew nothing of sin, actually to be sin for our sakes, so that in Christ we might be made good with the goodness of God (Phillips Version).”

According to this verse, when we make peace with God, we become “agents” or “ambassadors” of God in the peace-making process. The first step in the process is to realize the source of our peace—“we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5).” The second step is to understand that God works through His children to get His message to the world.

There is no place in the verses above that even hint at the idea that we are secret agents with a coded message. Instead, we are to shout from the rooftops that Jesus became sin, so we could be made good.

Now here’s the best part: You are made “good with the goodness of God.” When God looks at you at, He doesn’t see a bruised peach or a smashed tomato. He sees His divine perfection at work in you. You are no mistake—you are His answer and agent to the world!

The bellowing thunder early this morning was not Paul Bunyan expressing his displeasure; it was the clap of Heaven, and God celebrating His creation. You may look into the mirror with blurry eyes and see the reflection of messy hair and a wrinkled face, but God sees the reflection of His Son in you.

You are God’s morning miracle, and you are good because of His goodness. He has a message to share and you are the agent through which He will speak peace to the world.

Evolving or Flip-Flopping

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I find the language of the media and politicians to be interesting.  They carefully select a specific word or phrase and use it like an artist to paint a glowing picture of either the issue or the the person they are promoting.

I recently read an article that praised an individual for the wonderful way his position had “evolved.”  Later in the article the writer lambasted another person for “flip-flopping.”  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think both of the individuals in the article had simply changed their minds on an issue.

My concern is not so much about how we evolve or flip-flop, but more on what we become.  The teaching of Paul is clear on this matter.  In Colossians chapter 3, Paul lists the necessary steps we are to take, so we can become more like Christ.

1.  Set your heart on Christ

2.  Set your mind on the things above

3.  Put to death immorality

4.  Put off the old man

5.  Put on the new man

6.  Put on love

7.  Let the peace of God rule in your hearts

I encourage to get your bible out and read this passage of Scripture or click here to read it.  There is more than one thought in this passage too keep yoou thinking.