Inner Peace

                Peace. Quiet. Rest. No worries. No troubles. No hardships. Freedom from stress. Freedom from strife. Freedom from conflicts. Whether we know it or not, peace is perhaps one of the things we long for the most. But perhaps it’s one of the things we lack the most. Our world is filled with strife. It’s filled with war, hate, murder, theft, slander, drama, arguments, spite, death. Families torn apart by divorce, loved ones suffering from cancer, natural disasters causing devastation. We look out into this crazy messed up world and wonder, where is the peace? Not only does the world lack peace, but we also lack inner peace. Our lives are racked with worries, insecurities, and fears. We look for peace but never find it. We look for it in relationships. We look for it in work. We look for it in vacations. We look for it in the bottom of our empty beer mugs. We search high and low but never find it. And in the midst of all of this, we ask, where is God?

                Where is God? Where is he in all of this? Where was he when my parents got a divorce? Where was he when my loved one died? Where was he when I lost my job? Where were you God? Where was he?

                Where was God? He was right there by your side. He was always there. He was always there, waiting for you to call on him. Waiting for you to recognize your need for him. Waiting for you to recognize that he is the only source of lasting, true peace. Where God is present, there is peace. Where he is not present, there is no peace.

                Israel never experienced a greater time of peace then during the reign of Solomon. Why was there such great peace? Because God was present. Solomon built the temple, and God filled the temple with his presence. He was there, present with his people. And there was much peace.

                But what happened? Why did God send his people into exile? What caused God to turn his back on his people, his chosen people? Why would God let them face turmoil, suffering, and pain like that? Because God’s people rejected him. They rejected and turned their back on him. In their rebellion, in their sin, they pushed God away. They pushed him away and violated God’s covenant. God did not want to destroy them and for a long time he was patient with them. But they continued to reject him. They continued to push him away, and in the end, God left them. He left them completely; and with the absence of his presence, with the absence of his peace, a flood of turmoil, pain, and suffering came rushing in to take them away into exile.

                The same goes for us. When God is present in our hearts and lives, we will have peace. We will have an inner peace that will allow us to stand firm through the trials, tribulations, and storms of this life. This peace won’t necessarily bring freedom from the trials, tribulations, and storms of life, but it will bring freedom from worry, insecurities and fear. But this peace only comes about when we allow God to enter into and mold and shape our hearts and lives. However, when we sin. When we sin and reject God. When we sin, and reject, and push God away, he will remove his presence from our hearts and lives, and we will no longer live at peace. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin puts up a barrier between us and God and keeps us from experiencing the peace and presence of God in our lives. If we are living in sin and want to live in peace (a peace which can only come from God), we must come to God in repentance. We must come to God in repentance; recognizing our sin, and recognizing that our sin has separated us from God’s presence and peace in our lives. We must ask for forgiveness of that sin; recognizing that despite our sin, we are still loved by God, and he has not only forgiven but has forgotten our sin. We must then ask God back into our hearts and lives and ask for his peace that transcends all understanding.

Do you want to live at peace? I know I sure do.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 4:4-7

The struggle

The Struggle. We all struggle with something. Whether it be drugs, sex, alcohol, greed, steeling, cheating, gossip, lust, lying, pride, anger, lack of faith, lack of trust, lack of patience, lack of focus, poor time management, our thoughts, our fears... any number of things. Don't fool yourself. You are struggling with something. No one has it all together. If you think you do, think again.

Giving up. There is a big difference between actually struggling with something and giving up. Struggling implies a fight. You are fighting back. You haven't lost hope that you can overcome your struggle. You haven't given up. You haven't quit. Be honest with yourself. Are you struggling, or have you given up? Giving up means that you have lost the will to fight. You continue to fail over and over again and don't see the point in fighting anymore. How could God forgive me after all the times I've failed? What's the point in repenting if I'm just going to fail again? How could God still love someone like me? Just a few questions you might be asking yourself.

Hope. There still is hope. God still loves you! In spite of everything that you have done, God still loves you. In spite of having a foreknowledge of every sin you have, are, or will ever commit before you were even born, God still loves you. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10. God loved us first, even when we did not love Him. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. Even while we rejected God, He loved us and sent his son to die for our sins. We are still forgiven! But there is more! Jesus did more for us on the cross than just dieing as a payment for our sins. His blood covers our sins, our crimson stains, and we appear before God holy and righteous! "I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10. It is the Lord that cloths us with righteousness. Jesus' blood removes our crimson stains, and makes us white as snow! 

A father and his son where watching a parade out of a window on the second floor of a building. Clad in red, a marching band past by. "Look at the white marching band, daddy!" Exclaimed the boy. Puzzled, the father looked out the window at passing marching band, clearly dressed in red. The father looked down at his son, and seen that he was looking out the pane of a red stained glass window. Stooping down, the father peered through the red stain glass to see what his child was seeing, and stared in shock. The marching band was dressed in white.

The struggle. We all struggle with something. But in your struggles, don't give up the fight. God's love for you is not conditional. No matter how often we fail, God's love for us is not diminished. If you have given up, and have lost the will to fight, and have fallen down, get back up. Confess your sins before God, and admit that you are powerless to face your struggle on your own. Seek the Lord for your strength. Know that you have been forgiven. Know that you are still loved by God. Know that the crimson stains of your sin have been washed away. Know that because of what Jesus did for you at the cross, you appear before God as white as snow.

Our Focus

The fierce storm tossed the boat about on the lake as the disciples were making their way across. As they struggled to keep the boat afloat in the dead of night, they were met with another terrifying sight: someone or something was making its way over the water towards them. Out of fear, the disciples cried out, “It’s a ghost!” The mysterious figure on the lake immediately responded, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Peter, recognizing the figure as Jesus, called out, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” came the reply. Without hesitation or second thought, Peter got down out of the boat and without taking his eyes off of Jesus, stepped onto the water and began walking towards his Lord. The wind howling in his ears, Peter, struck suddenly by doubt and fear, took his eyes of Jesus and immediately began to sink. “Lord, save me!” Peter cried out. In the blink of an eye, Peter felt the strong arms of Christ lifting him up out of the water. “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

                What had happened? Peter had started so well! He was actually walking on water! Why did he sink? He had simply taken his eyes off Jesus. His focus had shifted from Jesus to the wind and the storm that surrounded him. Fear and doubt crept in, and he started to sink. Silly Peter! How could he have such little faith? Before we start becoming too critical of Peter, we must realize that we struggle with the same things. When our focus is on Jesus, things tend to go well. When our thoughts and actions remain centered on Christ, we avoid and overcome many temptations that come into our lives. But when we become distracted by all the things going on around us; when the storms of life cause us to fear; when our focus shifts from Christ to ourselves; we begin to sink. We begin to sink and our lives start to unravel. We fall prey to temptation, and stumble and fall. Simply because we have taken our eyes off of Christ. So we must ask ourselves: where is our focus?

Be prepared in and out of season

Be prepared. Be ready. Be watchful. Be waiting. Be prepared. Be prepared for what? Not for the death of a king (Lion King reference), but for sharing the good news of Jesus, our risen savior and lord.

It started just like any other day. I was woken by my alarm clock, hit the snooze a couple times, finally rolled out of bed, got dressed, said my prayers, a typical morning. Laundry needed to be done, so I threw some dirty cloths in my laundry bag, and headed downstairs to the machines. "oUt oF oRdER" read the display on the dryer (gotta love those digital displays!). Great! Now what? After some deliberation I decided to talk to the leasing office about it. So I put my cloths in my apartment, and walked to the leasing office. As soon as I stepped outside I was struck with the beauty of the day, and felt a strong urge to go for a run. After informing the leasing office of the shenanigans with the dryer, I changed into my running gear, did some stretches, and bolted out the door. What a beautiful morning for a run! It was a bit hot, but there was a slight breeze, making it bearable. As I ran, my thoughts turned to recent events, and I did some meditation on what I had recently read in scripture. I turned the corner into my apartment complex, and despite feeling tired and exhausted, I picked up speed and sprinted to the finish line (the sidewalk leading out of my apartment building). Yes! Winded, I spent the next five minutes pacing in front of the car port trying to catch my breath, when I saw the man. He was one of the workers who was doing maintenance on one of the apartments that had recently been vacated, and he was headed out to the work van to get some supplies. We exchanged hellos. Then I felt something. It was just a tinny nudge. A gentle prodding that said: "share Jesus". After a brief moment of hesitation I approached the man. I explained to him that I had felt the urge to talk to him and asked him the question: "Are you a Christian?"

The man's reply was half-hearted, "I'm a Christian."

Not convinced, I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't want to be judged", came a mumbled reply.

"I'm not here to judge you." I responded, "I just want to share my life with you". I asked him if he had time to talk, but he said he was busy. I asked him if he had a bible, and he said yes. I asked him if he read it, and he said no. I then encouraged him to pick it up and read it, starting with the gospel of John. He said thanks and we went on our separate ways. Exhausted, I headed back up to my apartment, and was just about to close the door. "That was bold." came the man's voice. I walked back out into the hall and seen him standing there next to the apartment that he was working on.

"That was very bold of you," The man repeated.

I gave him a smile and chuckled, "That wasn't me, that was Jesus. I'm nothing without him." 

"It's good to be bold," the man said. "It was very bold of you to talk to me. I'm a hard case and a hard person to talk to. Thank you." He opened the door and closed it behind him. (Well, it went something like that. I don't remember all the words as it all happened so quickly, but that's the jist of it.)  Upon entering my apartment, I suddenly became overwhelmed. Bursting to tears, I headed straight to my secret place, closed the door, and fell to my knees, sobbing. "Oh God, that was you. That was all you. That was all you," I repeated over and over again. My thoughts then turned to the man. I prayed that the Lord would break him. That the Lord would break him down. That the Lord would break his heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. That he would get into the word, and drink deep from the living water. I prayed Jabez's prayer for him. That God would richly bless him indeed. That his territory would be expanded, that he would reach out to others and share the good news of the gospel. That the Lord's hand would be with him when times get rough, and he feels unworthy because of past events or whatever would be an obstacle in his life. That he would be free from temptation; free from the lies and deceit of Satan, causing him to despair.

So whats the point? Whats the point of this story? The point is to be prepared. Be prepared at all times to share the gospel with others. Even when you are weary, and heavy burdened. Even when you don't feel like it, or are not in the mood. Even if you feel that you are not ready, nor have the words to say to someone else. Even if you feel afraid. Be prepared. Be ready. Be watchful. Stay in tune with the holy spirit. He is your guide, and will give you the words to speak when the opportunity comes. It's not easy. It's never easy. If you wait too long, the devil will sneak up on you and sabotage you with doubts and fears. Don't let him. When you feel it, go for it. Someone out there needs Jesus. Many people need Jesus. God is calling you to reach out to them. Don't be afraid to stand out. That's how the lost get found.

Be prepared. Be ready. Be watchful. Be waiting. Be prepared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Britt Nichole -- The Lost Get Found ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello my friend
I remember when you were
So alive with your wide eyes
Then the light that you had in your heart was stolen
Now you say that it ain't worth stayin'
You wanna run but you're hesitatin'
I'm talkin' to me

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
'cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

So when you get the chance
Are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it
There's a girl on the streets, she's cryin'
There's a man whose faith is dyin'
Love is calling you

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
'cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

Why do we go with the flow
Why take an easier road?
Why are we playin' it safe?
Love came to show us the way
Love is a chance we should take
I'm movin' out of the gray

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
'cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
(Stand out)
Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
(Stand out)
'cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe
Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

So when you get the chance
Are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it

The importance of Love

Why is love so important? Why, out of faith, hope and love, is love the greatest? What makes love stand out? If Jesus is love, why is it so important that he is in our lives? What does scripture say? 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says this:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 

Let’s break this down. If we are fluent in speech without impediment, but are without love, the words we say are nothing but noise. Jumbled, meaningless noise. 

If the words we speak come true, and are credible; if we are knowledgeable in all things, and are very wise; if we have incredible faith, and do not doubt any of God’s promises; if we are all these things, but are without love, we are nothing. Absolutely nothing. Our faith means nothing without love. Our knowledge means nothing without love. Our words mean nothing without love. We ourselves are meaningless without love. 

If we give everything we own away, and have nothing left; if we even sacrifice our own lives for a worthy cause, and die for what we believe, but are without love, we gain nothing. We have no reward. 

It all boils down to one word: motive. Why? Why do we say what we say? Why are we who we are? Why do we do what we do? Do we just go out and share the gospel because that’s what we are told to do? Do we seek wisdom and knowledge to show others how smart we are and try to prove our worth to others? Do we give donations to charities and organizations to make ourselves look good before others, or because it’s just the right thing to do? Why? What is our true motive? If it is not out of love, then it is all meaningless, and worthless. Let’s not fool ourselves. God knows our hearts. He knows our motives. Proverbs 16:2 says:

“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord”.

Proverbs 21:2, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart”.

All our ways may seem right and innocent to us, but the Lord knows our hearts and our motives. It’s all meaningless and worthless to him if it is without love. And this is not just any love. This is real, self-less, self-sacrificial love. The kind of love that can only come from Jesus living in our hearts.

So I am faced with a choice. We are faced with a choice. Will I let Jesus work in my heart and life and let his love flow through me that I would become something, or will I reject him and become nothing. What will I choose? What will you choose? Choose wisely. Choose Jesus. Choose love. It’s that important.