Peace I leave with you, My
peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your
heart be troubled… —John 14:27
{CHAMBERS} “Whenever we experience something difficult in our
personal life, we are tempted to blame God. But we are the ones in the wrong,
not God. Blaming God is evidence that we are refusing to let go of some
disobedience somewhere in our lives. But as soon as we let go, everything
becomes as clear as daylight to us. As long as we try to serve two masters,
ourselves and God, there will be difficulties combined with doubt and
confusion. Our attitude must be one of complete reliance on God. […] God’s mark
of approval, whenever you obey Him, is peace. He sends an immeasurable, deep
peace; not a natural peace, “as the world gives,” but the peace of Jesus. […]
If you are acting on your own impulse, or out of a sense of the heroic, to be
seen by others, the peace of Jesus will not exhibit itself. […] Any problem
that comes while I obey God (and there will be many), increases my overjoyed
delight, because I know that my Father knows and cares, and I can watch and
anticipate how He will unravel my problems.”
{ELGIN} What is your
expectation of God with respect to your faith and everyday living? Do you think that God is obligated to make
certain that you do not have to endure hardship? That nothing “bad” will happen to you or the
ones you love? No injury, no heartbreak,
no death, no failure, no loss? That is a
problem. The Bible does not promise that
… God’s theme song might be “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose
garden!” In fact Jesus said (John 16:33)
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world
you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Our peace is in Jesus – supernatural peace … peace in spite of the
circumstances you find your self in this world you live in .. a world full of
sinners. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit
.. in spite of your circumstances … Because of your spiritual perspective you
see life, as it happens, differently. Oh, you wanted to avoid experiencing
anything unpleasant and was hoping that your rebirth would provide that for
you. Sorry! But that does not mean that you can’t
experience joy while your feet are still on terra firma. Joy, another fruit of the Spirit. Are you hoping the world will somehow get
better over time? Not going to
happen. Sin begets sin. Hurt people hurt people. The answer is Jesus. He is the Hope of Heaven. James said (James 1:2-4) “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into
various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But
let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking nothing.”
Look! All of us have experienced and are
experiencing difficulties in this life. Christmas
is a reminder that God showed His grace and mercy by sending a Redeemer – Jesus.
And then He sent a Spiritual Helper – the Holy Spirit. And through Jesus, He
established the Church. Let your light
shine in the midst of this unreasonable facsimile of the celebration of the incarnation
of the Savior of the world. The world
wants to snuff out your candle. To
replace Jesus with its god – money. Let your light burn brightly. Let people know that our Redeemer lives! He
is Jesus the King. He is the
Christ. The Son of God. Who takes away the sins of the world. Shout hallelujah! And thank God for His
wonderful gift … (Ephesians 2:8-9) “…saved by faith … it is a gift from God”
God Bless You
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