Precious Peace

On November 5, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 14: 27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.

So here is the question. If Jesus gave us his peace then why are we not more peaceful? I have been playing in a week long bridge tournament and it is a great place to study peace (or the lack thereof). I just wonder what a psychologist would say if he or she studied people in bridge tournaments. It is an amazing dynamic. There are a lot of great people and I really enjoy getting to see the people from my mother’s bridge club that I do not get to see often. My goodness, it warms my heart just having my eyes filled with the visage of these beautiful people. Then you sit down at the table and start playing cards with someone you probably have never met before and you get to see human relationship dynamics at their loudest. I have said before, bridge can really highlight your shortcomings. If you are, impatient, bossy, rude, controlling, or have any of a number of character flaws, the game of bridge takes a 25,000 lumens spotlight and shines it right on your weakness. It pulls the brokenness right out of you and puts it on the table for everyone to see. This is especially true when you play in a week long tournament. As Saturday and Sunday roll around the rude behavior increases. Some folks are so impolite you would have a hard time believing me it I told you about it. 

Probably my greatest weakness (having to choose between several here) is that I don’t like to let anyone push me around. I am a fighter and have been since I was a child. So when these bossy, rude people get in my face I tend to push back. Now, I don’t think I am usually rude back but I don’t let their bad-mannered comments to me slide either. So Jesus said to me this week, “Why are you letting them have the peace I gave you?” Whoa!!

We also had some major issues with the hotel in which we stayed and one young guy who worked there almost made me lose my testimony. Well, truth be told, he cannot make me lose my temper. I am the only one who can make that choice. So Jesus challenged me all week long to hang onto that which he gave me. If Jesus gave me his peace then why would I let some jerk steal it from me? 

One lady at the bridge table got me a little. She and her partner played the first two hands and took their jolly sweet time in so doing. No problem. I am not going to cause them stress or boss them to hurry. Unfortunately, when it came to the last hand I was trying to play and she kept interrupting my chain of thought to tell me to hurry. Well, who died to make her the boss of the world, right? So eventually I pushed back (didn’t I tell you I hate to be bossed around?). I told her that her interruptions were making it hard for me to think quickly. I wasn’t rude but I think I was at least firm. Well, one thing led to another and we left that table with less than cordial feelings. It certainly was not mine nor my partner’s intention to be rude or contrary but I have a hard time not pushing back when someone gets in my face. That’s my damage showing. But here is the thing, I have a lord who loves me more than life itself and as he left this earth he gave me his sweet peace. Why, then, am I letting some goober steal it from me. 

The peace of the Lord is precious, sacred even. Moreover, Jesus left his peace for us because he knew that we needed it. His peace is not just a gratuitous offering. It is necessary for life. If we abide in his peace we will manifest much better health than those who let the turkeys get them down. So many of today’s medical malconditions result from allowing our peace to slip. It is called stress and every time we allow stress to replace peace we are allowing damage to be done in our bodies. We can recover but we need to do so as quickly as we possibly can. Say a quick prayer (even while you are sitting at the bridge table) and repent if need be. Repentance may be a simple as, “Lord, I am sorry I let your peace get away just then. Forgive me and help me to move back into peace right now.” That is not difficult, is it? Then you might take a deep breath, close your eyes for one second and let his peace flood right back into you. It really does work but you have to be intentional about it. This is not a magic formula. It is all about setting your heart and mind on living in Jesus’ peace and being determined.

There is one other point I would like for us to think about. What does it say about the person who is acting out? Maybe they are fussing at their partner or being crabby but what they are really saying if you listen well is, “I am hurt and broken! I need help.” You see, the damage in our personality is showing and it really is a cry for help. Now, you cannot always intervene in the person’s life at that moment but you can pray for them. And I think I am going to get better at praying for all of my opponents before the games. I will say that we only had that one encounter with an opponent but I did pray for all of the players before the tournament began. Maybe as each new opponent comes to my table I can say a very short prayer and thus avoid those issues. Hey, and remember to pray for your partner (not about them). It is up to you and me to be the carriers of the blessing. Criticizing our partners and feuding with opponents is not part of the blessing. There is something much more important going on here than just our master points. We are the actual ambassadors of Christ to a hurting world. We are affecting eternity with our words and attitudes so let us keep everything in perspective and live and love, in Jesus’ name.

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Philosophical Luxury

On November 4, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 5: 22 – 23

And one of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and upon seeing Him, fell at His feet, and entreated Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her that she may get well and live.”

I wonder about old Jairus. You know Jesus and the synagogue rulers were not on the best of terms. That makes me wonder where Jairus stood with Jesus before his daughter became ill. I just imagined this morning as I read this passage that he may well have been one of those people who stood in the synagogue courtyard complaining about and criticizing Jesus. I bet those folks had a big time running down Jesus and saying every sort of mean and critical thing. But when the need arises vain philosophies wane. I like to say, “There are no atheists in the oncology ward at the hospital.” While that is not completely true the point is made. Sometimes our philosophies are a luxury that we can no longer afford. 

Inside every human is the knowledge of the truth. Most people know the truth of God in the depths of their soul but they don’t want to acknowledge that truth. When Jairus’ need grew large enough, he pursued the truth and when he did salvation came to his whole household. 

Where does this leave us? If this is true then I think it leads us to establishing an ethic of patient compassion. Perhaps we cannot know all of the reasons people deny the truth but we can be there when their need overwhelms their philosophy. Compassion led Jairus to salvation. Compassion healed his sick daughter. Compassion must then also be our guiding light.

Sometimes when I hear the foolishness which spills out of people’s mouths I am amazed. They go through so many hoops in order to avoid admitting the truth. We can be available to pray when their need arises though and prayer does work. When you pray and their need is satisfied they will begin to understand that the Lord, our God, loves them and will help them. Answers to prayers are not for the saved only. They are a witness to all of the Jairus’s of the world and their kinfolk. Don’t withhold your prayer from the ungodly because it may be your prayer that leads them to eternal life with the Father.

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Holy Health

On November 3, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 4: 2

But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like claves from the stall.

There is so much to love about this scripture. The image is one of incredible blessing for those who love God. Just thinking about the sun of righteousness rising on you might be enough to dwell on for quite some time. But that the rising of the aforementioned sun brings with it healing is great news. Because you love God, because you have dedicated your life to Him, there is blessing in the wings for you. One of the blessings is that you should live a healed life. You do not have to accept the sickness that the devil has spread. God and Jesus have already provided for your healing and your health. They have so blessed your physical body that as you receive more of the blessing, you will be able to skip around like a calf. You are expected to be spry and agile. Your body serves you. And if you are in Christ then you have your life in Christ and your body is his temple. Your body is dedicated to the service of the Lord and the Lord is responsible for its upkeep. Thank the Lord for his grace and mercy and for the great gifts he has bestowed on us.

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God’s Scrapbook

On October 31, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 3: 16

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.

The children of the Lord were talking and what God heard pleased him. I imagine that they were talking about the Lord God. They were probably saying how great He is and recalling all the great and wonderful things he had done for them. God heard them and was so pleased that he had a book of remembrance drafted so that these people and their love of the Lord would be memorialized. 

Don’t we all want to be remembered by the Lord for the lovely things we have said about him? How remarkable it would indeed be to move God to the point that he commands a book to be written about us. It is like a scrapbook or a photo album. It is something so precious to the Lord that he wants to capture it in his memory book. Let us be moved by this verse and endeavor to proclaim God’s goodness to one another. Let us encourage one another and praise the Lord in one uplifted voice.

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Eternal Prayer

On October 30, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 6: 18

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

We, the church, need to become people of prayer. It seems that almost every day there is some tragic bit of news. People are struggling with flooding, mud slides, wildfires and every sort of disaster. I have noticed that when we hear bad news on the TV we are moved by compassion and feel sorrow for people going through rough times. The hearts of many people are truly compassionate and caring. The outpouring for Katrina victims was an example of the good heart in the American people.

And while we can be very generous and kind, there is one thing we can do that will really help all people. We can learn to pray. Now that may sound like drivel or may sound cliché but I find that we do not pray as we might. So many times we have built prayer up in our minds until it has become a Holy Ritual instead of an intimate communication. There is nothing wrong with reverence and holiness in prayer but we also need to have more routine communication with God. I think many times we tell people we will pray for them and we have the very best intentions but then we wait until we can get in our prayer closet or wait for our prayer time. By then we forget who we promised prayer.

As we are drawing close to God and becoming really intimate with him, he becomes not only our God but our best friend. During that process it becomes easier and easier to talk with Him all through the day. This is the kind of prayer that Paul encourages us to in this passage of scripture. We can become so attuned to living a prayer full life that when we see some catastrophe on the news, we immediately say a prayer for the people affected. When you talk with someone on the phone and tell them you will pray for them, you either pray for them right then and there while they are still on the phone with you or you pray as soon as you hang up. We need time alone with God when we are in a very prayerful state but we cannot wait until then for all the prayer that needs to be sent up to heaven. There is too much need. Begin training yourself to pray whenever you perceive a need. The body of Christ needs you and your prayers. The world really needs you.

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Angelic Action

On October 29, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 103: 20

Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!

You may or may not know much about angels. Here is one scripture that gives us some insight into their position in the Kingdom of God and relevance to our lives. Their role is to perform God’s word. When God wants a thing done, he speaks it and the angels go into action to perform that which he has spoken.

Romans 4: 17 says that God “calls into being that which does not exist.” He speaks out his word, calls light to be or whatever result he desires, and then his angels go about accomplishing that which was spoken. He has angels just standing by waiting to be given their marching orders. They await the spoken word of God and as soon as they hear it they hearken to it.

In the book of Daniel, the tenth chapter and twelfth verse, the angel responding to Daniel’s petitions said, “Your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

The angels are listening and awaiting the spoken word. When we speak God’s word, they are attracted to it. If you speak God’s word into a situation, then the angels are going to hearken to His word and fulfill it in the situation that you have spoken God’s word over. So, if you are in need of healing, speak healing scriptures. If you have needs to be met, speak God’s provision scriptures. No matter what situation you are challenged by, there is a specific word of God in the Bible that is applicable. Find that word and speak it until the might of God shows up on the scene.

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Surrendering to Love

On October 28, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 26:2

Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart.

This is a prayer we all need to make to the Lord but it might be a little frightening to ask God to look into the secret places of your heart. The very fact that it is a bit scary and that you may have concern that there is something in there that you do not want the Father to see is the very reason that you should have this conversation with him.

First of all, he is not going to be surprised. He knew what he was getting when he got you and he knows more of what is in there than you do. He is not going to see something ugly and stop loving you. He wants you to expose these hidden areas so that he can heal them or change them if need be. This is a prayer of great trust. When you begin to walk in deep trust with the Lord then you become confident that you can lay your heart and mind wide open to him. You know beyond any shadow of a doubt that he will care for you.

The greater fear may be that you do not want to see or admit what is in the deep, dark recesses of your heart and mind. Fear not. God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Who better to have with you when you are walking in the dark places? Wherever he goes, there is light. Those places will not stay dark and scary for long because where the Lord is, there is love and light. Fear not; ask the Lord to examine your deep places. Invite him in and let his presence fill you.

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