11/25/2025
Do we let the happenings of the world trouble us and destroy the faith, peace, and tranquility we have in Jesus Christ? Are we so worried about what is occurring in our day to day lives that we can no longer see or feel the eternal truth, which is that Jesus suffered so we should be redeemed; that we should have peace and rest? If so it is time we started stripping the meaningless outer layers away from our life in the world and get down to the one thing that truly matters... our faith in the Cross.
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Galatians 6:14 ESV
One night an old man and his wife both had an evening in which they couldn’t sleep. He was resting in their bed, and she was trying not to wake him by finding somewhere else in the house to lie down, hoping that eventually she would find sleep. As he was laying in their bed, wide awake, he listened as she moved about. Had they been young they would have gone to bed together, and they would have comforted one another until slumber found them, but as it were they each struggled for sleep separately. The core of their relationship did not come into play... love remained hidden, and the things that troubled them remained the overriding concern. Is this a reflection of our faith?
We often find that we are living our lives of faith like this; too often we place the cares and concerns of the world in the forefront of our consciousness, and we lose sight of the peace and tranquility that exists in the arms of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was able to strip away the happenings of the world in which he lived and find the core of his faith. He found the peace and rest that the redemption of Christ afforded him... even in the most trying of times. Pastor Oswald Chambers speaks of this dilemma we face with these words…
“Most of us are not spiritually coherent because we are more concerned about being coherent externally. Paul lived in the basement; the coherent critics live in the upper story of the external statement of things, and the two do not begin to touch each other. Paul’s consistency was down in the fundamentals. The Great basis of his coherence was the agony of God in the Redemption of the world, viz., the Cross of Jesus.” - Oswald Chambers
I listen to Christians as they wring their hands and bemoan what is happening in the world around them. I hear pastors preach entire sermons about some current event that is troubling them and their congregation. What is being missed in doing this is the insignificance of the world as compared with the redemption we each have received. We spend way too much time and effort fretting over something that we profess to be temporary and will go away with the coming of Christ… an event which we claim we want to come quickly. We lose the peace and rest that is inherent in our faith as we worry over these things that mean so little. In order to regain our focus on Jesus, and the peace of God, we need to rediscover the heart of our belief. Pastor Chambers touched on boiling down of our faith to its essence when he wrote...
“Re-state to yourself what you believe, then do away with as much of it as possible, and get back to the bedrock of the Cross of Christ. In external history the cross is an infinitesimal thing; from the Bible point of view it is of more importance than all the empires of the world.” - Oswald Chambers
What empire are we allowing to come between us and the Cross? What is it about this world that is so important that we can’t trust it to God? Which earthly catastrophe do we perceive is encroaching on God’s omnipotence or shaking heaven itself? When we allow the world to interrupt our relationship with God, we are presenting ourselves back to the darkness of sin and the external world that we once left behind.
“Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”
Romans 6:13 ESV
There is nothing righteous about this world except the children of God who live upon it. When we overly concern ourselves with its goings and comings, we are placing it once more on the throne of our lives. Brothers and sisters, don’t worry if everything crumbles at your feet, because we already know that is coming... God’s Word has revealed this to us. Let’s place all of our trust in God, and Jesus Christ.
“He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
Revelation 22:20 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the peace and rest you have given me. Thank you for the trust I have in your will, and the plan you have for me. As I set aside my troubles, the unrighteousness of this world, and all that is in it, I praise you Holy Father for my redemption through your grace, and for your Son Jesus Christ who stills and lifts my heart. I shout your praise without ceasing for the joy and reassurance I feel in you. Should this world crumble and fall I will not fret, but will continue to cry out “Come quickly, Lord Jesus” and know that I will find comfort forevermore in His arms. Until then Father, I will not worry, nor will I lose sight of you in my life; and until then I will place nothing before you on the throne of my heart. Gracious Father, I am your child, and in you, who are my God and King, I will abide forever and ever… even unto judgement, and the glory of eternity that awaits me in your presence.
Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who was, and is, and is to come. Holy are you who brings me joy, comforts me, and relieves all my fears. Holy are you who loves me and desires that I love you with all I am. Holy are you whose grace flows over me through your Son Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Jesus told His disciples that He had overcome the world, so Lord, I ask today that you would strengthen my faith and understanding of His words as they return to me daily. Help me in my unbelief Father so that even now, as the world is being shaken and sifted by the dark one, and is crumbling under the weight of its sin, that Jesus remains in me and brings me that same victory and peace He spoke of long ago. Praised be your name and the name of Jesus Christ your son, for you are my God, and He is my sure and mighty redeemer! I pray today that you hear this my prayer and know that I give you all the glory and honor for the joy and peace you bring to me, and for the reassurance of Christ and the calm He brings into this unsettled world.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 33:16 ESV
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Revelation 22:20-21 KJV
Amen
Rich Forbes