Listening for Peace!

I was reminiscing today, as Fiver and I were out on our morning walk, of how much I used to enjoy getting up before the family when we were in the mountains camping.  It was a quickly established routine of getting the coffee going and then just sitting in a camp chair, quietly listening to the soft sounds of the forest.  To me… it was the epitome of the kind of PEACE that a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the responsibilities of one’s daily life was meant to provide.

While sitting in that camp chair, I could HEAR the sound of PEACE all around me.  At first it was the absence of sound, but the more I tuned into my surrounding, I began to hear the tree tops swaying and brushing against each other in the wind that wasn’t felt down in the campground but heard far above us. 

Then there were the birds singing and squawking to each other along with the chattering of the other forest creatures in the trees and scurrying around the campgrounds… and eventually the sounds of families as the campground began to come alive for the day, with the familiar chops of a hatchet coming into contact with a log in preparation for the morning fire, the occasional sound of children’s laughter or the muffled bark of a dog coming from the deep regions of the camp.

Throughout my adult years I have learned to be sensitive to and enjoy the PEACE that is all around us… the kind of serenity that comes as one learns to LISTEN, to FEEL, to DO and then to FOLLOW THROUGH.

In our blog post last weekend, I promised to share some ways in which we can answer the questions of:

·       How we can experience His PEACE in the flow of our daily lives

·       How we can become CONFIDENT enough to REST IN HIM, and

·       How we can BE COURAGEOUS in and through the troubles and sorrows that we might face… by knowing that He has already overcome and conquered those times for us?

If you do a review of the scriptures about the PEACE of God that we have been sharing over the last few weeks… you will find the answers!  All of these verses contain ACTION steps for us to put into practice in our lives.  Words and phrases such as BE, REST in ME, STIR-UP, LET, LEAD and BE THANKFUL are all activities and positive practices that we can employ in the daily course of our lives to allow or LET the PEACE of God permeate everything we do!

And I’ll add another verse of scripture today that seems to best encapsulate and summarize the previous verses concerning having the PEACE of God in our lives.  Grab your Bible and turn with me to Colossians 3:15 where the Apostle Paul gives us hints on how to live as God’s people saying,

“And let the PEACE of God RULE in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (KJV)

You’ll notice first off, that Paul begins his advice with a key ACTION step that tells us to “LET” what He is teaching us to happen in our lives.  He is saying that the result of the rest of the verse is in our hands.  We have to make the decision to ALLOW this activity to be a part of our present and future lives.

And what are we going to LET have access into our daily activities?  It is the RULE of God’s PEACE! 

The most common definitions of the Greek word “RULE” are “to control, govern” or “to act as an umpire” in our lives.  Other Bible translations tell us to LET God’s PEACE “preside, be a compass, keep us in tune, settle all questioning” and/or “control our thinking or thoughts.”

Piper’s 1973 paperback issue of The Way, Living Bible Illustrated takes it a step further by saying (and of course, Piper had it underlined and marked in her Bible!),

“LET the PEACE of heart which comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your RESPONSIBILITY and PRIVLEGE as members of His body.  And always be thankful.”

I like the idea of knowing that having the PEACE of God RULING in our hearts is not only a RESPONSIBILITY for us as Christians… but also is a special PRIVILEGE that we can take of advantage of in our lives!

And how do we put this RULE into action in our lives?  By following the same steps that I took at camp in the mornings… and in fact, during every moment of my daily life (or at least I strive for this level of awareness!) by LEARNING (and practicing) to:

·       LISTEN for His PEACE in the midst of the events of your life,

(stop and get in tune to your surroundings as well as what’s going on in the spirit inside of you)

·       FEEL (or sense) His PEACE,

(you may not always see His PEACE in your physical surroundings but when you tune into Him, you can definitely FEEL it on the inside!)

·       DO whatever He may instruct you to DO

(as you listen and tune in to Him and His Peace, you’ll begin to receive answers to your questions)

·       And finally, to FOLLOW THROUGH

(in order to assure that you are following His leadings and not your own!)

Philippians 4:7 tells us that as we learn to REFUSE to allow any forms of worry and anxiety into our lives and commit all of our concerns to God, that we’ll begin to see and experience,

“God’s wonderful PEACE that transcends human understanding, and makes the answers known to us through Jesus Christ.” (The Passion Translation) 

His answers and directions are available to us in our daily lives… but they are not always heard in the noise of the world around us.  So, when things get noisy and maybe a little crazy around you… SEEK out His PEACE by staying familiar with the promises that He has for you and me in His Word and then follow the steps above in order to find and allow His PEACE to RULE in all the activities of your daily lives!

My wife always seemed to thrive when things got very active (and maybe a little crazy) around her… because she knew how to SEEK OUT and stay in the PEACE of God… And she also had an uncanny way of just letting that PEACE ooze off of her and onto to everyone around her!

That’s the kind of PEACE I want (and NEED) in my life… HOW ABOUT YOU?

I pray that all of you are having a fantastic Thanksgiving Day weekend… even if you’re not in the United States… after all… every day is a good day to BE THANKFUL!

HOMEWORK for Peace!

I have a cassette tape recording of a sermon that my wife Piper gave to the church on a Wednesday night in October of 1998.  As Assistant Pastors, Piper and I usually filled in for our Senior Pastors when they were away attending a conference or on a much-needed vacation.  In their absence, I covered all the incoming church calls, made hospital visits and took care of the immediate needs at hand.  I also preached the Sunday service while Piper covered the mid-week services.

Her sermon on this particular evening was entitled “The High Places” and was based on a prophetic statement that is repeated in three different Old Testament books of the Bible* where the writers declared,

“The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.”*

And while my purpose here is not to discuss her sermon, I do remember a statement she made to the congregation concerning her homeschooling role as the teacher to our four children.  As part of an illustration, she talked about the Lord’s way of strengthening and equipping us for activities we thought to be unpleasant or difficult and told of the short-lived relief she had felt after completing her college education. 

At that time, she rejoiced and declared aloud of how she was done with school, hated HOMEWORK and would never have to do any again… only to find herself homeschooling our children… and loving it… including all the hours of preparation before and the reading and grading of their projects afterwards each day!  As part of a local Christian School’s Independent Study Program, she also was required to keep and file regular reports with the school in line with the state’s educational requirements.

And speaking of HOMEWORK… I left each of you with an assignment last week to read John 16:33 in your Bibles and then answer the question as to why Jesus gave us the GIFT of PEACE…  So… I won’t ask for a show of hands as to who did their HOMEWORK, but give you a quick opportunity to read the verse right now and then tell me your answer.

In this portion of Scripture, Jesus is nearing the end of His earth walk and is talking to His disciples about some of the different things that they will have to face once He is gone.  In summing up His thoughts Jesus said,

“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the PEACE which is in Me will BE in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in Me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must BE courageous, for I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33 TPT)

In last week’s post we discussed how the PEACE of God is a gift from Jesus and is available in us to be stirred up, fanned into a flame and re-kindled anytime we need… 24/7 – 365 days of the year!  But then we asked WHY?  And Jesus answered in John 16:33 declaring that everything He had taught pointed us to His PEACE… so that the PEACE that was in Him would now be in us to give us great confidence… AS we actively REST IN HIM!

Then He gave us an inside peek into our future on this earth, by letting us know that in this unbelieving world we would experience times of troubles and sorrows… BUT… that we also have a way to handle such times with great courage and trust by resting in Him, because He had (or in the case of when this was actually written - just before the cross was about to) overcome and conquer the world!

I get really excited when I read this verse because it seems to be declaring that His PEACE abiding in us, is the key to and/or the main reason for everything He taught us while He lived on this earth!  John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible states, concerning the meaning of this verse that,

“These words may well enough be thought to have regard to all that He (Jesus) had said in general…”

Like WOW… Right?

So… if that’s true… How do we put His PEACE into the flow of our daily lives?  How do we become CONFIDENT enough to REST IN HIM and BE courageous in and through the troubles and sorrows that we might face… knowing that He has already overcome and conquered those times for us?

Well… that information is for our next blog… but in the meantime… I’ll leave you with another HOMEWORK assignment (Gee… Piper would be so proud of you for doing your homework!).  Pull out your Bibles again and read what the Apostle Paul has to say about the PEACE that Jesus gave to you and me in Philippians 4:6-8 and Colossians 3:15-17… and you might just be able to find the answer before next weekend’s blog post!

Have a terrific weekend.  We are having a rash of cooler but still comfortable and very sunny weather out here… and I hear that my friends and family in northern California are getting a sunny respite from the torrential rains that they’ve had over the last few days! 

So… Whatever your weather happens to be at the moment… KNOW that you can have the PEACE of God resting in you… in the midst of it… because He will always take good care of you!

 

*2Samuel 22:34, Psalm 18:33, Habakkuk 3:19 (Scripture location used in today’s blog)

So... PEACE!

One of the most difficult things that I have had to deal with since my sweet wife passed away back in September of 2018 is the absence of her comforting presence.  I wouldn’t even dare to try and count the number of times, since her heavenly homegoing, when I have been dealing with the pressures of life and in exacerbation called out:

“Oh Piper, I could sure use a hug about now!”

Those patented Piper hugs, smiles, words of encouragement or the simple act of taking my hand in hers always brought an instant calm, clarity and an over-powering PEACE into me and the situation in which I was working through.  But since then… well… I’ve struggled to find other sources from which I can find personal comfort, clarity and PEACE when needed in my life.

My Go-To (combined with Piper’s input and physical touch) was always the Word of God.  Following that would be our children and other family members… but to be perfectly honest… Piper and I had developed such a oneness in our relationship, that I always felt that I could share ANYTHING with her in confidence, without judgement, question or embarrassment… but I am not (yet) at that level of intimate trust with anyone else… so there are certain feelings, thoughts, questions and dreams that I keep inside and cannot share.

But I received a fresh revelation when I was studying the Word earlier this week, that opened up a whole new level of understanding into the operation of the PEACE of God in the life of every Christian… including both you and me!  If you remember last week’s blog post,* we discussed how the Apostle Paul encouraged his young protégé Timothy, in the daily leadership of the church at Ephesus, to:

“Stir up, fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual GIFT God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you.” (2 Timothy 1:6 KJV/TPT)

And as I continued to study this verse during the week, I learned upon researching the Greek work translated “GIFT”, that many Bible scholars comment on how that word actually refers to ALL the spiritual GIFTS.**

OKAY… So what?  Well… in the midst of my mediations upon this insight, I felt a leading to turn to Jesus’ introduction and discussion on the work of the Holy Spirit as found in John 14:15-31 when Jesus declared,

“I leave the GIFT of PEACE with you—my PEACE Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my PERFECT PEACE. So, don’t (allow yourselves to) yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!” (John 14:27 TPT - my personal parenthesis) 

And that’s when the spotlight went on in me!  After I read that instruction by Jesus, I immediately sat back in my desk chair and verbally declared:

“I have never seen that before… GRACE is actually a GIFT given to us by Jesus Himself!”

So… When I combine that instruction with Paul’s instructions to Timothy, that are still viable to us today, … I understood that God’s gift of PEACE is also one of the GIFTS that we can… and are commanded to “STIR UP, FAN INTO FLAME and REKINDLE” within us as well as into the situations of our daily lives!

Now, there are other common Bible translations that omit the word “GIFT” in John 14:27, but it is clearly inferred in the definition of the original Greek word “GIVE” as used in the King James Version of this scripture. (See: Thayer’s Greek Definitions).

So… What does that mean to you and me?

It means that we don’t always have to look for or be dependent on other people to bring comfort and PEACE into our lives.  I’m not saying that it is wrong to seek other people’s input in our lives… but there are many times and places where their assistance is just not accessible… but as a Christian, the GIFT of God’s PEACE is always available to you and me!

But… as with any other GIFT given to us, it is UP TO US to open it up, to turn it on, learn how to use it and then keep it in good working order.  After Piper and I bought our new home in North Carolina, I bought her a Bulova Pendulum Chiming Regulator Wall Clock as a sort of house warming GIFT.  We had admired these kinds of clocks for years, so I knew that she (and I) would thoroughly enjoy it.

Now, every time I look at that clock, prominently hanging in my living room, I think about Piper and the smile it brought to her face whenever she looked at it or listened to the Westminster chimes ringing on the hour throughout the day.  And even though we have had that clock over eight years now… I still have to pull up the online instructions twice a year to remind me how to change the time and reset the chimes when we spring ahead or fall back, depending on the season at hand.  Then a few months back, I had to change one set of batteries when the chimes went silent.

So… What’s my point?  In order to fully enjoy the benefits of the GIFT, I need to perform regular upkeep, refresh the different batteries as needed and adjust the volume or the tune if need be.

Well… the same can be said for the GIFT of PEACE that Jesus has given to us.  Just because we have it in us… doesn’t mean that it is automatically going to work when we need it to.  No, we have to keep it refreshed and in in good working order and then activate its power in our lives by our verbal praises, worship and obedience to the directions written down in God’s Owner’s Manual… The Word of God!

So… If you want to know why Jesus gave you and me His GIFT of PEACE?  Well then… Here’s a little bit of homework… Take out your Bible and look up John 16:33 for that answer!

With the CHRISTMAS season coming upon us, we will be talking some more about God’s GIFT of PEACE… for after all… Jesus is called The Prince of PEACE!

So… Have a peaceful weekend as you begin to STIR UP the GIFT of PEACE that Jesus has given us!  It is such a great GIFT that you are going to want to practice STIRRING IT UP every day!

Be Blessed!

 

* https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2024/11/fanning-fire.html

**John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible; Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible

Fanning the Fire

I used to barbeque a lot beginning with our old, single grate, vintage Hibachi grill that Piper and I used at college for our monthly picnic at the park and at our first apartment after we got married.  From there we upgraded to a portable Weber Smoky Joe, then a full-sized Weber grill and in the later years, had a Komodo ceramic grill given to us, which I really enjoyed cooking on!  Eventually we graduated to a Weber gas grill… but you know?  I always preferred the flavor that the charcoal grills gave the finished meats we cooked.

Today I have many fond memories of me using a folded newspaper in order to fan the hot coals into a flame as I waited for just the right moment to add the chicken, steak, turkey or whatever other meats I was going to cook that day.  I learned the hard way that it was far safer to fan the coals instead of taking a shortcut and squirting a little stream of charcoal fluid onto the hot brickettes… having singed eyebrows and beard for a few days was more than just a little embarrassing… and it could have been much worse!

I had to smile this morning as I studied from the Biblical book of 2 Timothy and read some of the specific words of encouragement that the seasoned preacher Paul gave to his young protégé Timothy, in the face of the despondency that the rookie pastor was experiencing within his new leadership role with the church at Ephesus in Asia Minor.

I found it easier to understand Paul’s directions today if I switched the order of 2 Timothy 1:6-7 and read it like this…

(7) “For God did not give us a character (ie; a spirit) of insecurity, doubt and fear, but a mind and character (ie; a spirit) of confidence, power in the truth, love and self control.

(6) “And so, I therefore encourage you to stir up and FAN INTO FLAME, and rekindle the fire of the gift(s) that God gave you when I laid hands on you.  And then to exercise, develop and expand those gifts by the regular practice of them in your daily life.”*

I think the example of fanning the coals on a BBQ makes a very appropriate comparison to that of us Christians fanning the flames of the gifts of God in us, don’t you?  I can remember plenty times over the years when I stacked up the brickettes, soaked them in lighter fluid, or more often, stacked them within a charcoal chimney starter with paper stuffed in the bottom, lit it up and then got distracted by working around the yard… only to discover a while later that the fire had gone out and the briquettes were still cold!

Anybody else ever experience that… or am I the only one?

Over the years, I likewise saw people once active in the church and on fire for the things of God, slowly lose the personal excitement and the growth of their faith and then… drift away when they discovered that the red-hot fire in their hearts for God… had gone out.

I’ve also felt the sense of personal loss, when Piper and I reached out to these folks and spent a lot of time helping them to stir up the embers of that fire that once gave then the joy and strength of the Lord to victoriously overcome the various challenges in life that they faced… only to see them give up, throw in the towel… and walk away from their faith.

That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul didn’t want to happen with his close friend who had many God-given gifts and a special call of his life.  It is also exactly what I don’t want to happen to any of you who read this post today.  Each of you have been given a unique set of gifts and have a special call on your lives… So it is of utmost importance that you don’t allow the fire of your faith on the inside of you to grow cold.

So… don’t take any shortcuts like I did with a quickly added squirt of lighter fluid which ended up with singed facial hairs (& if I remember correctly, it didn’t smell very good either!)… but take the time to physically fan the fire on the inside of you… put there by God Himself when you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord… and dedicate yourself to stay active and involved with the purposes and plans of God in yours and your family’s life.

I hope that you are having a terrific weekend wherever you may abide today.  We woke up to a gorgeous blue skied day… which was a Godsend for us as it was a bit dark and dreary and POURED pretty much all day and night yesterday!  We were under a Flood Warning most of the time up to midnight. 

But through it all, we kept fanning the fire of faith and were comforted in knowing that… God keeps a watchful eye over His beloved kids!

 

 

*Personalized combination of 2 Timothy 1:7 & 6 from the King James Version, The Passion Translation and The Remedy Bible.

The Classic War of Words

I got to thinking last night as I sat down before dinner to catch a few moments of my favorite news-talk cable TV program.  The panel was discussing the upcoming presidential election and were showing different clips from speeches that both candidates had made during the last full week before the election.  The thing that got my attention that I leaned over and told my dog, who was laying on the floor near the kitchen patiently awaiting his dinner, was that this election has become a Classic War of Words.

But… at least to me… there is a distinct difference in the way the words are carried to their perspective audiences.  One side seems to be appealing to the listeners emotions while the other repeatedly appeals to the listeners sense of logic. 

The emotional side looks to be focusing their final presentations on a message of fear by centering entirely on what they perceive to be the opposing candidate’s personal faults and fear-filled tendencies. 

The competing team also points out what they perceive to be the other candidate’s weaknesses… but will reach out to the listener’s sense of logic by presenting tangible evidence of the economic, educational and moral deterioration, as well as the breakdown of law and order that the other candidate’s disorganized leadership seems to have and would continue to cause. 

But contrary to the emotion-based pleas, the logic side presents to their upbeat audiences, a message of hope by offering practical and proven methods to reverse the downward spiral that our country seems to be heading in.

So, as this election cycle comes to an end… it concludes with what looks to be a Classic War of Words.  One side whose WORDS are intended to guide their supporter’s vote with an over-powering sense and emotion of FEAR, while the other’s WORDS spoken to guide their supporter’s vote with a logical decision based on policies that yield HOPE for a better future.

Well… I saw another Classic War of Words that occurred a few thousand years ago, as I read and continued to study the story of the interaction between Jesus and Jairus, the leader of a local synagogue.   This particular version of the event was reported on in the Biblical gospel of Mark, chapter five.*  In the story, we find that Jairus had approached Jesus and asked Him to come to his home where his young daughter was sick and near the point of death.

Jesus had agreed to the request and He, His disciples and the crowd that had gathered around Him began to proceed to the leader’s home… when… Jesus felt a physical draw of power from His body from a woman who was literally bleeding to death and had crawled through the crowd, believing that if she touched His garment, that she would be made well.  So, Jesus stopped and addressed the woman while Jairus patiently waited for the Master to continue on His way to his daughter’s side.

But as Jesus was completing His conversation with the women, a group of Jairus’ friends or family pushed through the crowd and approached Jairus declaring,

“There’s no need to trouble the master any longer—your daughter has died.” (Mark 5:35-God’s Word ©)

And here is where the Classic War of Word’s ensued!  The next verse reveals Jesus’ response to the negative report that was spoken to Jairus.  Mark wrote,

“And as soon as Jesus HEARD the WORD that was SPOKEN, He IGNORED them and looked at the church leader with compassion in His eyes, and said, ‘Don’t yield to fear.  All you need to do is to keep on believing.  Trust Me!  Don’t panic for she will be alright.’” (Mark 5:36**)

As it would turn out… This news worthy incident also had two different sides to it… just like my earlier personal insights on our current presidential election.  One side was basing the conclusion of their WORDS solely on what they thought they perceived concerning the situation that they had observed at Jairus’ house.  They came to Jairus with WORDS of fear, doubt, unbelief, hopelessness, failure and with those of ones who had given up all HOPE for Jairus’ daughter. 

Because they seemed to know exactly where to find Jairus in order to report their negative news, it is plausible (at least to me) that they must have known of the faith of Jairus in his quest to find Jesus and believe for Him to heal his daughter.  It is also obvious that they did not attain to the same level of faith as Jairus.

But JESUS… well… He knew that the bad report from the home front would negatively affect Jairus’ faith and stop the miracle that was about to happen.  He understood that the negative WORDS, dripping with FEAR and unbelief, needed to be ignored!  So, what did He do?  He immediately intercepted the power of the report and told Jairus to not heed the negative (and what would turn out to be a false report), to NOT yield to FEAR and to keep on believing in the power of his WORDS of faith with which he originally had approached Jesus.

The two stories I mentioned of Jesus and Jairus and the current political campaign in the USA demonstrate that WORDS elicit and/or are meant to dictate a certain response.  In both stories, one set of WORDS is meant to dictate a response of FEAR, while the others are meant to dictate a response of HOPE… which is described in Hebrews 11:1 as the substance or foundation of FAITH.

So, it is interesting that according to Greek scholars, the word rendered “HEARD” in Mark 5:36 can mean either to “overhear” or to “not heed.”  For our case in today’s blog post, I believe, that like Jesus… it can describe both of those responses!  Jesus obviously overheard the negative report that was addressed to Jairus, but also made an instant decision to ignore or NOT HEED the reaction it was calling for.  He instead, took control of the conversation,*** looked to Jairus and instructed him to respond by staying in faith and to NOT allow himself to yield to FEAR!

Now, it is also interesting to note that the word rendered “SPOKEN” in that same verse, is defined in the original Greek as “to utter words” and/or “to use words in order to declare one’s mind and disclose one’s thoughts.”  Therefore, for us Christians, we need to know… in order to CORRECTLY respond to the WORDS that are directed to us… if the spoken WORDS are simply someone’s personal thoughts or opinion that they had on their mind or… if those WORDS are based on the mind of Christ in line with the truth of God’s Word.

And just how do we accomplish that?  Well, rest assured that the Lord has the answer for us.  In 1 Corinthians 2:16 the Apostle Paul wrote, that “WE HAVE THE MIND of CHRIST” (God’s Word ©).  Pretty cool right?  Yes, it is!  But it is not something that happened instantly when we became Christians.  It is a font of knowledge that has to be developed over time.  Romans 12:2 teaches us to,

“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” (TPT) 

And… not to sound like a broken record… but… that transformation and total reformation of how we think comes by the regular and consistent study of God’s will… as discovered within the WORD of God that’s printed on the pages of our Bibles!

Simple Right?  Well… actually it is!  All it takes is a decision on your behalf to DO IT… and then follow through on a regular and consistent basis!  And BELIEVE ME… it is a decision that you’ll NEVER regret!

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend… and if your weather forecast is anything like ours… then you’ll have plenty of time to stay inside, stay dry from the rain and study the informative and exciting WORD of God…and thereby WIN the Classic War of WORDS in your life!

 

 

*You can also read about this story in the gospels of Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56

**A personalized combination of Mark 5:36 from the King James Version, The Remedy Bible and The Passion Translation.

***You’ll notice when you read the rest of the story, that those carrying the negative report are NOT heard from again… and in fact, Jesus left them there and only continued on to Jairus’ house with just Jairus and three of His most trusted disciples. And once at the house, He only allowed the five of them and Jairus’ wife to stay with their daughter in the young girl’s bedroom!