More Rest
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).
As I said in Monday’s blog, there are four sources of peace: God’s creation, Jesus, God’s Written Word, and you and me. That’s true, but specifics bring it closer to home. Here are a few specifics that bring me peace.
My wife’s smile
Conversation with my wife
Brunch with my friends
A baby’s smile and giggle
Watching my sons, their wives, and their children in conversation
Singing the hymns of the Church
Watching a sunset or sunrise as it changes
The smell outside after a spring rain
Four-part harmony
The taste of my wife’s macaroni salad
Road trip with my wife
Exploring the USA
Taking photographs of rippling streams
A red rose
Meditating on John 3:16
The sound of a loon calling
Thinking of heaven
The smell of freshly baked bread
Listening to Bing Crosby sing a ballad
A Christmas tree
Memories of my grandparents
This list could go on for pages, and I may take the time to add to it later. Might I suggest that you make a similar list and keep it handy. Some day when things are not going really well, pick up the list and as Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8, “think about such things.” It may bring some peace to your life just when you most need it.
Peace
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isaiah 55 :12 NIV).
Peace, we all seek it, and we all want it, but where do we find it. The Scripture verse above seems to indicate that we can find it in the mountains, hills, trees, fields. I don’t disagree with that. That is where I like to go to find peace—God’s creation.
John 14:27 gives us another source of peace, Jesus. “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.” (NIV) Jesus spoke these words just after He told His disciples that the Father would send them in His name the Holy Spirit. So Jesus, through the Father, is sending the Holy Spirit to His disciples. All three members of the Trinity are involved in this gift of peace. So we can go anywhere in God for peace.
There’s one more source of peace spoken of in the Word of God, you and me. That’s right. We are to bring peace. Paul tells us in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (NIV) To me that verse says that it is possible for us to live at peace with most people, but we have to make an effort to do so.
His Word, the Bible, is also a source of peace. Check out these Scriptures for what God’s Word has to say about peace: Micah 5:4-5, Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 15:13, Philippians 4:6, Psalm 5:8, Colossians 3:15, Psalm 85:8, John 16:33, 2 Thessalonians 3:16. There are many more.
Four sources: God, His creation, His Written Word, and we are responsible for peace on earth. I guess it’s time for me to do my part. God has three of the four sources of peace covered.
TheThree Most Important Words
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him (1 John 4:9 NLT).
To me, the three most important words are, “Jesus Loves me.” All else comes after that. Because He loves me, I have eternal life. We all know John 3:16, probably the most quoted and best-known Bible verse of all: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV) And don’t we all remember the children’s song, “Jesus loves me”? (Lyrics by Anne Bartlett Warren in1859 and tune by William Batchelder Bradbury in 1862.)
“Jesus loves me, this I know
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong.
They are weak, but He is strong.”
(Refrain)_
“Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.”
He has given me eternal life, eternal life that began the moment I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. I don’t have to wait until my body dies; I have it now. Jesus is with me now—every minute of every day—whether I realize it or not. Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Father God are all available to me every moment of every day. The Creator of the universe, the Counselor given to me to remind me of the Words of Jesus, and Jesus, the one who came to earth and experienced the pain and humiliation of the cross, are all constantly available as Jehovah, the Triune God. That’s the most powerful and most loving being ever—eternal God, and He loves me.
God created all this universe because He wants to have eternal fellowship with me, and He wants to have eternal fellowship with everyone. He yearns to talk with me even when I don’t do what He desires of me. Matthew 22:37-39 tells me what He desires, no commands: “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.’ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (NIV) He loves me ALL THE TIME! I don’t deserve it. I can’t earn it. He just does it. That’s who He is, and that is what He does. That’s why I say that the three most important words ever verbalized are, “JESUS LOVES ME!” I accept them as the center of my life.
Try something. Take time ten times a day to stop and say "Jesus Loves Me!" See if it helps your day go netter
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
I know. July 4, Independence Day is past, but I can pray every day, and I do pray every day, “God Bless America!” We need His blessing every day. He has blessed us for the past 250 years, and I believe that He will continue to bless our great nation.
We celebrate our independence from Great Britain, but I believe that we also need to celebrate our 250th anniversary of “Dependence Day,” our dependence upon our great God Jehovah, and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray that our leaders will pray to Him for guidance in all they do as they govern us.
So, one more time, PLEASE GOD, BLESS AMERICA!
Unity in Harmony (3)
“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony” (Psalm 133:1 NLT).
Nowhere on earth should be more apt to have unity in harmony than the local church. We are called together as the body of Christ, and as such shouldn’t it be wonderful and pleasant to live together. We all serve the same Savior and Lord, and in the local church we all have the same pastor. Once more I will make an analogy between music and the church.
The local church is shaped by God for His purposes, so we could say that He writes the music and chooses the pastor to be the conductor. The pastor is chosen to lead the congregation in the performance of God’s will in the local church, the will that has been written and communicated to the pastor by our Lord.
The conductor is certainly concerned with the harmony of all facets of the church and for the unity shown in that harmony. As I said last time, the church is a God-ordained, many-part harmony that does His will. The church performs its assigned task when all the parts work together in unity and without strife. Strife is a ruiner of churches, and strife makes for raucous music that brings no peace.
It is the pastor’s responsibility to set the objective for the year, and it is the responsibility of the congregants, the worship leader, the youth department, the business department, the prayer team, the teachers, the custodial staff, and the security staff to do their parts to work together toward that objective. When a pastor has to spend his time adjudicating arguments, coaxing departments to work together, and begging the people to give to the work of the Lord, He is unable to bring forth the Word given to him by God.
To paraphrase today’s Scripture—It’s great when everyone is on the same page, working toward the same end. So Let’s make beautiful harmony together under the leadership of our “conductor” as we spiritually sing the music set forth by the master “Composer,” our Lord.
