Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
Imagine what the disciples would have been feeling, knowing that Jesus would soon leave them. They were about to experience, probably, the three most difficult days of their lives. Jesus, aware of what is going to happen in the near future, comforts the disciples, telling them of the place He is going to prepare for them (14:2), which is indicative of His return, and promises them the Holy Spirit. Lastly, He gives them His peace. Through the work of the Holy Spirit (26), Jesus gives the disciples a true and real peace. He says, “…my peace I give you” (27).
Now the peace of Jesus isn’t any ordinary peace. It is not like the peace that the world offers. For Jesus says, “I do not give to you as the world gives” (27). The world offers peace in the form of security. The world tries to sell peace of mind and heart to us. Insurance, great wealth, material possessions that will make you content, and the latest gadget that will secure your worldly fortune are just some of the many things that world offers to give us peace. The true peace of heart and mind, however, comes only from God. He is the source. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Apart from Him, you will never experience the inner rest and tranquility and serenity of genuine peace.
What an awesome gift for the disciples to receive that day! That same peace that Jesus gave to the disciples, He gives to us today. He wants us to have peace, and He has given it to us. We have the same Holy Spirit that the disciples received, and God’s Word is quite clear, expressing God’s desire for all of His children to have God’s peace in their lives. In most of Paul’s letters he is wishing the church peace. For example, Paul writes, “[m]ay the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope with the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Not only does Paul want believers to have God’s peace, God wants us to have His peace.
I think the reason why believers don’t have God’s peace today is because they don’t accept it. As believers we can’t have God’s peace when we are living in sin and disobedience. How can we be assured of God’s faithfulness when we are ignorant to the countless examples in His Word? Sometimes we even trade the peace of God for the pressure of the problem itself. I can recall many times where I’ve focused intently on a problem in my life, and rejected the peace that God had freely given me had I focused intently on Him instead.
How do we accept God’s gift of peace into our lives in any circumstance? Good question. The following is not merely a quick-fix formula to having God’s peace in our lives. It is a series of steps that can be taken to accept God’s peace that have been proven to work time and time again in my life and in many other people’s lives. Learn to apply these principles and truths of Scripture and you will have God’s peace in your life. I guarantee it as sure as God’s Word is the true and inspired Word of God.
1. A prerequisite to experiencing God’s peace in your life is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Apart from this relationship, you cannot experience the peace of God that transcends all understanding.
2. In the time of trouble, immediately, turn your focus to God and say “Father…” As soon as you begin to focus intently on your problem rather than God, you have made your problem bigger than God in your mind. This is idolatry. Train yourself to immediately turn your eyes upon Jesus in the time of trouble. He is the source of peace. No amount of time spent working through the problem in your mind and considering the countless possibilities will afford you the peace of God. Focus on God and not the problem. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast…” (Isaiah 26:3).
3. Trust Him; Exercise your faith in Him. Faith/Trust is a choice not a feeling. To experience God’s peace throughout each day you must trust in Him and walk through each day in faith.
4. Turn to the Word of God. God’s Word is full of His promises and examples of His faithfulness. David has said, “Great peace have they who love Your law, and nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165). Cling to God’s words. They are comfort, assurance, and peace of mind and heart.
5. Submit to God; come to obedience of Him. The wisdom of the proverbs says: “My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you” (Proverbs 3:1-2 NASB). Obedience and submission to God will bring God’s peace into your life.
6. Prayer and Thanksgiving. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Of course all of the steps above are woven through prayer, but let us not forget Paul’s exhortation to thank God in times where we would be anxious. Begin to thank Him and praise Him for the peace that He is giving you and will give you right away. Thank God for the circumstances that He has put you in through which you can lean on God and experience His peace and His power in your life.
Comments: I would greatly appreciate your comments. Many times your comments help other readers in ways that you least expect. For this post: Comment on your own experience of God’s peace or lack thereof in your life. Also, can you identify with the step to accepting God’s peace? Do recognize times in your life where you had to do some or all of them, and God’s peace flooded into your heart and mind?
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Setting Spiritual Goals
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:10-14).
Over this past week the idea of setting goals has come up again and again. In Friday’s prayer chapel we were even given opportunities to prayerfully write our goals for this semester down. With the New Year it seems reasonable to set some goals for the future. Where do I want to be in my journey at the end of 2007? Who do I want to be at the end of 2007? Finally, what steps am I willing to take to be there at the end of 2007?
The passage above is a very clear example of setting a goal, and more specifically, a godly goal. I imagine that God the Father was deeply pleased as Paul penned the words, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.” I believe God smiled as the apostle wrote, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Truly, Paul’s goals are an awesome example for us as followers of Christ.
Paul states very clearly, “I want to know Christ…” That’s the simple essence of his goal. The rest of that verse explains how Paul desires to know Jesus and even what he’s willing to go through to achieve his goal. A godly goal is in accordance with God’s will. Jesus prayed, saying, “…[Y]ou granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:2-3). God wants people to know Him and receive eternal life through a relationship with Him. So, Paul’s goal to know Christ is easily verified as being in accordance with God’s will.
In another letter Paul writes, “…whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). According to this standard, a godly goal should have God’s glory in mind. Our motivation for setting any particular goal is important in discerning whether a goal is godly or not. Before you set a goal, ask yourself if your goal is for the glory of God.
Another important aspect of goal setting is challenging yourself. Some people want to take an easy way and set easy goals for themselves. However, setting goals that aren’t easy to attain will help to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Charles Stanley includes the following quote in his Intouch devotional:
“…reaching for a goal enlarges faith. Stretch a rubber band wide, and when it is allowed to relax, it will be slightly larger. Faith works the same way. When we decide to do something that requires more resources than we have, we must depend on God to do the work through us. And if we are relying on Him for the wisdom to set right goals, then we can trust Him to enable us to achieve them.”
I firmly believe that if we sit down and quiet ourselves before the Lord, enter into His presence and fellowship with Him, and prayerfully set goals for ourselves, that God will inspire us, challenge us, and convict us with goals that will please Him.
Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthian church:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
It would be foolish to not set godly goals for ourselves. We need to keep our eye on the prize. Perish the thought that we would run aimlessly or fight blindly. Movement is a waste of time and energy if it’s not in the right direction. Goals are essential to victorious living just as goals are essential to winning a hockey game.
These are some of the insights God has given me about setting spiritual goals. The discipline of setting godly goals is not just a New Year exercise that we should do. It’s a discipline that we should incorporate into our daily lives, setting goals and achieving them, pressing on toward the prize constantly. I’d like to challenge you (the reader) to take some time with God and set some solid spiritual goals for yourself.
Comments: For this post it would be great if you would share one of your goals with us. Consider describing how or why you feel God has lead you to set your goal and some of the steps that you will take to achieve your goal.
Over this past week the idea of setting goals has come up again and again. In Friday’s prayer chapel we were even given opportunities to prayerfully write our goals for this semester down. With the New Year it seems reasonable to set some goals for the future. Where do I want to be in my journey at the end of 2007? Who do I want to be at the end of 2007? Finally, what steps am I willing to take to be there at the end of 2007?
The passage above is a very clear example of setting a goal, and more specifically, a godly goal. I imagine that God the Father was deeply pleased as Paul penned the words, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.” I believe God smiled as the apostle wrote, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Truly, Paul’s goals are an awesome example for us as followers of Christ.
Paul states very clearly, “I want to know Christ…” That’s the simple essence of his goal. The rest of that verse explains how Paul desires to know Jesus and even what he’s willing to go through to achieve his goal. A godly goal is in accordance with God’s will. Jesus prayed, saying, “…[Y]ou granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:2-3). God wants people to know Him and receive eternal life through a relationship with Him. So, Paul’s goal to know Christ is easily verified as being in accordance with God’s will.
In another letter Paul writes, “…whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). According to this standard, a godly goal should have God’s glory in mind. Our motivation for setting any particular goal is important in discerning whether a goal is godly or not. Before you set a goal, ask yourself if your goal is for the glory of God.
Another important aspect of goal setting is challenging yourself. Some people want to take an easy way and set easy goals for themselves. However, setting goals that aren’t easy to attain will help to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Charles Stanley includes the following quote in his Intouch devotional:
“…reaching for a goal enlarges faith. Stretch a rubber band wide, and when it is allowed to relax, it will be slightly larger. Faith works the same way. When we decide to do something that requires more resources than we have, we must depend on God to do the work through us. And if we are relying on Him for the wisdom to set right goals, then we can trust Him to enable us to achieve them.”
I firmly believe that if we sit down and quiet ourselves before the Lord, enter into His presence and fellowship with Him, and prayerfully set goals for ourselves, that God will inspire us, challenge us, and convict us with goals that will please Him.
Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthian church:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
It would be foolish to not set godly goals for ourselves. We need to keep our eye on the prize. Perish the thought that we would run aimlessly or fight blindly. Movement is a waste of time and energy if it’s not in the right direction. Goals are essential to victorious living just as goals are essential to winning a hockey game.
These are some of the insights God has given me about setting spiritual goals. The discipline of setting godly goals is not just a New Year exercise that we should do. It’s a discipline that we should incorporate into our daily lives, setting goals and achieving them, pressing on toward the prize constantly. I’d like to challenge you (the reader) to take some time with God and set some solid spiritual goals for yourself.
Comments: For this post it would be great if you would share one of your goals with us. Consider describing how or why you feel God has lead you to set your goal and some of the steps that you will take to achieve your goal.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Words of Life
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John
With a new year, God has given me a new perspective. God has an amazing track record when it comes to keeping His word. In fact, you will not find one instance in the Bible where God said that He would do something in someone’s life where He did not do it. God is absolutely faithful to keep His word. When He says “I will…”, He will. When He says “I will not…”, He will not. Knowing this about God, I wonder why so many people doubt God’s promise of abundant life.
Jesus said that He came to give us life to the full, yet many people don’t seem to believe Him. Hmm…even I have said those famous words: “I just can’t wait to get to heaven”. Is life on earth simply a perpetual wish to escape? When impossible circumstances come our way, do we trade the joy we were meant to have for a desperate longing for peace and joy? Hopefully God will work this out and hopefully He’ll do it soon. Until then…I’ll just have to be content with less. Eventually God will work it out and then…
…and then what??? Then I’ll be happy? Then my joy will be complete? Then I will have peace? Then I will pursue God with all my heart?
No. Jesus came to give us life to the full now. The devil wants us to believe that abundant life is constantly beyond our next struggle or problem. He wants to steal the joy that is ours in Jesus Christ. Satan can’t take away the gifts God has given us. Only God can. If God has promised us joy in our salvation and full abundant life, then why do we settle for less???
It’s my personal conviction that we do not have the full life that Jesus came to give us, because we don’t know how to take hold of it. How do we accept the full and abundant life that Jesus came to give us?
Jesus said, “I know that [the Father’s] command leads to eternal life” (Jn.
God doesn’t just want obedience, He wants immediate and unconditional obedience. One of my favorite verses from Deuteronomy says, “The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws…” (Deut 26:16 emphasis mine). Not tomorrow. Not a week from today. Not next month or next year. God wants obedience right now. He also wants you to obey Him out of love for Him. Jesus said, “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Mt. 6:1). God doesn’t play our game. He can’t be manipulated. You can do all the good things and righteous acts you want, but if the reason you do them is to get what you want from God or from others, you will not experience life to the full. God wants obedience right now and God wants obedience out of love for who He is and what He has done for you.
Picture yourself sitting with Jesus on a park bench on a warm sunny afternoon. He turns to you and begins to speak:
“Listen, my [child], accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life” (Pr. 4:10-13).
As He speaks to you, your mind begins to wander. You think about your girlfriend or boyfriend, your job, your friends, the movie you just watched last night, what you can do with your friends tomorrow.
“My [child], pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them with within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a [person’s] whole body” (Pr. 4:20-22).
He continues to speak with a sense of urgency in His voice. But your mind is elsewhere. You look around at the green grass and the beautiful trees. You notice a girl rollerblade past on the sidewalk. You see your dream car roll by on the street.
Isn’t scary how familiar that picture is to us? God is speaking into our life and we are so preoccupied with the things going on around us. He’s not even giving us specific commands anymore…He’s just trying to get our attention and get us to listen so He can speak into our lives. And we wonder why we are not experiencing the full and abundant life that He has promised us. If we would just listen! It’s like walking around with your fingers in your ears complaining about how your life is going. Ridiculous isn’t it? This is the word of Lord:
“My [child], pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them with within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a [person’s] whole body” (Pr. 4:20-22).
Types of Christians:
Christian #1: Isn’t willing to obey God at all. (Intentional Rebellion of Heart)
Christian #2: Knows the words of God and chooses to disobey anyway. (Intentional Rebellion of Heart and Mind)
Christian #3: Is willing to obey God but hasn’t a clue what His commands are. (Unintentional Rebellion of Mind)
Christian #4: Knows God’s Word and willingly obeys God (Intentional obedience of Heart and Mind) *Experiences life to the full*
Which of the above describes you best? Do you know God’s words and commands? Do you obey them? If you can answer yes to both of these questions, you have life to the full. Why? Because the Bible says that God’s words are life. We experience eternal life in relationship with Jesus as we get to know Him through His Word. We experience abundant and full life with joy, peace, and love when we obey His Word. In fact, these are two of the biggest reasons why God gave us the Bible: To reveal Himself to us and to instruct us for life. I want you to prayerfully read this one more time:
“My [child], pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them with within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a [person’s] whole body” (Pr. 4:20-22).
If we truly believe these words of God, we would be memorizing God’s word each day: Hiding it in our hearts. Replaying it in our minds. Like a the words of a special friend, we would cherish and hold on to His words if we really believed what God says about them. As we would recall the heart-whisper of a husband or wife in our ear, so we would recall the words of our God throughout our days if we only understood the life that they bring.
In light of what I’ve said about the importance of knowing God’s words, for they are life, and obeying God’s Word, for it is full life, what will you do this year, starting right now? Please comment on what you will do out of love and obedience for God in light of His Word. Together, how can we please our God?
“Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path” (Ps. 119:97-104).
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