Do you know the peace of Jesus Christ? When your life is being torn apart by calamity do you find rest and peace in Him? In Christ we are meant to find a peace unlike any other; not the carefree blue sky feeling of being trouble free, but the deep and abiding peace given in the midst of death and chaos. A peace that defies all understanding.
Today I celebrate my wife's birthday. I have lived with her longer than any other human being on earth, and in that time I have loved her without reservation. My love for her forms one of the foundation stones of my life, and like my love for Jesus Christ, it rests firmly upon God Himself. Have you ever heard someone say that they have dedicated their life to this thing or that? Let’s think about dedicating one's life. I have thought about this a great deal lately and have concluded that although we can dedicate ourselves to certain people, ideas, and things, there are three things that we will never be able to say we have dedicated ourselves to, and all three involve a covenant, and a love that defies description.
Are we prepared to pray? By that I mean, are we prepared to pray and receive the blessing that we are speaking with God about? So often we come to the Lord unprepared; living one life and praying as if we lived another. I was reading Oswald Chambers and he spoke a truth that cuts us deep; it answers in part the question of "why is my prayer not answered?" Let’s listen to what he has to say…
Do you have a secret garden? You know, a secret place that you retreat to when you need to do some serious thinking? How about a quiet place where you go to be alone with God? Is it a place you can get to quickly and often? Is it away from all distractions? Do you begin your day there?
When it comes to God’s grace, do you believe that you have the tiniest amount of worthiness? Do you feel that you are owed forgiveness or that in some way you deserve to receive Jesus? If so then you are not prepared for His coming or the arrival of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist knew what it felt like to be unworthy… do we?
The strongest people I know are those who are “poor in spirit”. This is a life that was not chosen for them, but one which they chose for themselves. Do you know such people? Are you one of them? Perhaps you are wondering what I mean by being poor in spirit. Well, the very first blessing that Jesus teaches us in the Beatitudes is that of being "poor in spirit" and He does this for a reason. These are the people that yield their individual spirits to the Spirit of God. They have laid down their own personal strength for the strength of God Himself.
We say we are Christians but continue to live our lives of faith like suits of clothes; we treat our belief in Christ lightly and only let it brush up against our skin, when we should actually be taking Jesus into our very being, our hearts, and making our faith like the communion meal reveals... a part of us.
Are there things in our lives that distract us from focusing on Jesus Christ? We all know them when they occur... an unresolved argument that worries and distracts us during prayer, a problem with our home or automobile that nags at us when we sit to read and study scripture, or perhaps too many planned activities in our day that tempt us to place them before our worship. Is this your life?
Are you sad today? I am referring to the sadness that occurs when we realize that Jesus is asking us to let something go that we believe we are unable to give up or that is impossible for us. Perhaps it is our wealth, but maybe it is our poverty, or a habit that we can’t overcome and seems to own us.
Has Jesus ever given you a word? Has he asked you to do something that shook you or something you have convinced yourself couldn't possibly come from Him because it seemed impossible for you to accomplish? Well, think about this for a moment and then read on.
Would you recognize the voice of Jesus if you heard it? If He called your name would you know it was Him who was speaking to you? Sometimes there is no doubt, but many times we do not recognize Him. What if He came to you without your knowing, and in an instant He revealed all the moments in which He had previously come to you in your life, then you would most certainly recognize His voice, and know who was speaking to you.
We all need to have a personal relationship with God, not to just be casually aquatinted with Him, but to know Him intimately. Is your faith the product of listening to others speak of God, or do you have a deep personal experience with Him?
Have we ever stopped to consider that not every misfortune that we face in life is a Job moment, and put upon us by Satan? Some are just natural occurrences of living out our lives in this world while we exercise the lessons of faith that we have learned while walking through it with the Lord... And then, there are those which are the correction of our Father as he chastises us.
Does God speak to you every day? If your answer is “no, not every day”, are you certain of that? It is my experience that God seldom shouts out loud at us; His voice is gentle and requires a certain stillness of spirit if we are to converse with Him. Make it a point to silence yourself and listen for what scripture calls his small still voice… if you quiet yourself in this way, and do not quench the spirit, then you will find that in the silence that surrounds you His whisper will become like a shout.
Two individuals enter into a wedding ceremony, but God’s intention is that our vows begin the process of our becoming one flesh as our life together begins. This is a beautiful mystery, and it is fraught with hardship and challenge. Many think it occurs suddenly during the physical consummation of our union, but are we ready for the deeper spiritual joining that takes a lifetime to produce in us? Are we ready for the consuming fire of God that purifies and completes a marriage? Are we prepared to endure the fire and become one ash in the palm of God?