THREE KINDS OF PEACE

You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Isaiah 26:3 NLT

Basically there are three kinds of peace. The absence or cessation of war or hostility, Peace with God, and The peace of God.

The absence or cessation of war or hostility - When newspapers or TV news programs talk about peace, they most likely are referring to the end of hostilities between opposing organizations or countries. In today’s world it seems there are more hostilities breaking out than ending. Yet I would assume that peace is a common human desire - peace to live where and how we want to. But therein lies the problem. Our wants and the wants of others will be in conflict with each other unless we live by the same rules and values. That is true whether we are talking about nations, organizations or individuals. The Bible says, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?”(a) Again it says, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”(b)

Peace with God – It’s insane to be opposed to God! He is the creator of heaven and earth and every living thing. He knows everything there is to know. He has absolute power. He makes the rules and enforces them. God has never been our enemy. He has never been against us, it’s we who have been against Him and need to make peace with Him. By opposing Him we bring destruction on ourselves. But if we surrender to Him and are reconciled to Him through Christ, it brings us life eternal! “If our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.”(c) By surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus as our Savior allows us to experience the third kind of peace.

The peace of God - God’s peace is “perfect.” It lacks nothing. It is full and complete. It never fails. It is not affected by outward circumstances. It is always the same, like God, it never changes. It is always “perfect.” The peace of God is so far beyond human ability to understand that we will never comprehend it this side of heaven.(e) But by God’s grace we can experience it! Isaiah, speaking of God, says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”(f) Instead of worrying about the things that are beyond our control, our responsibility is to fix our thoughts on the Lord and trust Him in every situation. I can just hear Satan whisper, “Oh, but that’s so hard!” We must not listen to him. Rather cry out to the Lord for help and choose to obey Him. Whether all is going well or tragedy has struck - whether we are in health or in sickness – in prosperity or financial need – success or in failure – family peace or conflict. If we do our part with His help, without question God will do His part and “keep us in His perfect peace.”

Let’s Pray-
Dear Lord, as we focus our attention on you - grant us the grace to trust you totally!
“Peace! Peace! Wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above;
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,
In fathomless billows of love.”(g)
Amen

Footnotes:
(a) James 4:1 NLT, (b) Romans 12:17-18 NLT, (c) Romans 5:10 NLT, (d) Colossians 1:22 NLT, (e) Philippians 4:7 KJV, (f) Isaiah 26:3 NLT, (g) W. G. Cooper,


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TRIALS WHICH TEST FAITH

These trials will show that your faith is genuine.
It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—
though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.

So when your faith remains strong through many trials,
it will bring you much praise and glory and honor
on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
1 Peter 1:7 NLT

Let’s Pray:
Father, I can just sense in my spirit that someone reading this promise today is right in the middle of a fiery trial. You know all the details. Grant them grace to see that this is temporary. Help them to focus on the good you promise to bring out of this painful experience.
In Jesus name,

Amen

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CHRISTIANS HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP

We are citizens of heaven,
where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.
And we are eagerly waiting
for him to return as our Savior.
Philippians 3:20 NLT

Independence Day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 - making it the oldest constitutional republic in the world. It's a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks, and a reason to fly the American flag.

The U.S. of A. has had seasons of great national pride. At other times patriotism has ebbed. Our country has been greatly blessed by God in so many ways. We have enjoyed freedoms and privileges that few, if any, other country has. We all recognize there are many things in our beloved America that are disappointing, but it still is the best country on earth to live in and raise a family.

My grandparents and parents, on both sides of my family, emigrated from Russia to this country in the late 1800’s. It goes without saying, their choice to become American citizens has had a profound impact on my life. Being born in this country automatically made me an American citizen.

Great as it is to be a citizen of the United States, there is a citizenship that is infinitely of greater value than any national citizenship. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior, we are born again, and by that spiritual birth we automatically become citizens of heaven – as Paul says, “we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.”(a) It only takes a brief study of history to learn that earthly nations don’t last forever. They rise for a season, then fall and others rise up in their place. But the kingdom of heaven will never fall. In fact, when Jesus comes back He will rule in heaven and on earth forever!(b)

After World War II, I served with our military in Italy. Before going on leave, my superior officer would always remind us that we were American citizens and were to conduct ourselves in a way that would honor our country. As important as that was, it is much more important to remember that as Christians we are citizens of heaven and need to conduct ourselves accordingly.(c) Being good citizens of heaven will also make us good law abiding citizens of our country. However, if the law of the land demands of us action which conflicts with the Word of God, our highest allegiance must be to God’s Word no matter what that may cost us.

“God Bless America, Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home.” (d)

Let’s Pray-
Father, by your grace you have raised up our beloved America. You have blessed this nation for many generations. But now it is drifting from your ways. Help us as citizens of heaven to pray, and so live that a spiritual renewal would once again flood this land from shore to shore!!
Amen.


Foot Notes:
(a) Philippians 3:20 NLT, (b) Isaiah 45:23 NLT, (c) Philippians 1:27 NLT, (d) Irving Berlin.


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GOD'S THOUGHTS AND WAYS - INFINITELY THE BEST!!!

Have you ever wondered why God allowed angels to rebel and Satan to lead the human race into sin and bring death to this world? Why does He allow wars – terrorism - cancer – heart attacks -tornados – droughts and floods? Why doesn’t He just keep all those painful things from happening? Most likely, behind such questions, there is the implication that we would have done it differently. Sometimes we may even have gotten angry with God over the painful things He has allowed to come into our lives. We will never in this life fully understand why God has allowed some of these things to happen to us. But we know from His Word that He is our loving, all-knowing – almighty - righteous Heavenly Father who knows the end from the beginning, and everything is ultimately under His control to bring about His perfect and holy plan. We will spend eternity worshiping and praising Him for His thoughts and ways. For they are higher than our thoughts and ways by as much as the heavens are higher than the earth.(a)

GOD’S THOUGHTS AND WAYS ARE NOT OUR THOUGHTS AND WAYS.
Because our knowledge is limited and we are often self-centered, we want everything to suit us. We don’t want - trouble – opposition – weakness – hard times - failure – pain etc., etc. In our minds that sort of stuff is highly undesirable. On the other hand, we may think a life that is trouble free with no opposition – without pain - would always be the best for us. A life filled with strength and vitality – “good times” without end – success at everything we put our hands to - that would be the way to live!! Our Heavenly Father has different thoughts about that. He knows if we would always get what we wanted, we would be spoiled rotten and end up destroying ourselves. So He allows, or even at times, sends trouble into the lives of His children to bring about good that couldn’t happen in any other way. James says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”(b)

AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE HIS THOUGHTS AND WAYS HIGHER THAN OUR THOUGHTS AND WAYS. How high is that? How high are the heavens above the earth? This picture is an image of the galaxy M100 (100th object in the Messier Catalog) taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on 31 December 1993. M100 is a spiral galaxy like our own, the Milky Way, and is tens of millions of light years away. A light year is the distance a ray of light travels in one year, which is about 6,000,000,000,000 (6 trillion) miles. And how far does space go beyond the “galaxy M100”? Who, beside God, knows if it ever ends?? The point is, His thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than ours. We can utterly entrust our life, body and soul, into His care for time and eternity!!! He knows what’s best for us.

Let’s Pray-
Father, thank you that your thoughts and ways are infinitely better than ours.
We choose to trust you without reservation.
We are so blessed to be in your care!
Amen


Foot Notes”
(a) Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV, (b) James 1:2-4 NLT,

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LEARNING TO KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG

Back in the days of the Judges of Israel it was said that “everyone did what was right in their own eyes,”(a) and the obvious implication is -“that wasn’t a good thing.” That is pretty much what most people in today’s society do - they live by their own rules. Our all-wise Creator God foresaw that problem and made provision to prepare and equip His people to do every good work through His inspired Word.

When today’s promise says, “All Scripture is inspired by God,” it is referring to both the Old and the New Testaments. “Inspired” literally means “God breathed.” The Holy Spirit of God breathed His Word into the minds and hearts of prophets and apostles, who wrote it down over a period of many years. Those Holy Scriptures embody everything believers need - to know God and live a God honoring life.

The Bible is useful to teach us what is true.(b) It teaches us that God is absolutely without any sin, and must bring judgment on sin, which results in eternal death for everything sinful. It teaches that we are under God’s judgment because we were born with a sinful nature, and so naturally we sin. But God in His love sent His sinless Son Jesus to become one of us – to die on the cross and rise again so we can have eternal life instead of eternal death – which means separation from God. I knew this truth from childhood, but at age 21 I acknowledged that I was a sinner and personally accepted Jesus as my Savior, and by God’s grace, like most of you, I have eternal life instead of eternal death!!

Scripture also makes us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.(c) Several weeks ago I had decided to do something, which in and of itself was a good deed. However, when the topic of right motives was discussed in Pastor Jared’s Sunday School Class, God’s Word convicted me. I clearly could see that my motive was a selfish one. I decided then and there I would do the “good deed” in a way that would not draw attention to myself. God’s Word pointed out my error and set me straight. It’s not up to us to decide what we want to call right or wrong. Our sinful heart doesn’t have the ability or authority to make such decisions. So God in His love and wisdom has given us His Word to clearly teach us what is right and wrong.

God uses His Word to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.(d) Though issues come up in today’s world, which are not specifically addressed in the Scriptures – basic principles in God’s Word cover every possible issue. Whether it is family - church – life – death – money – service – neighbors – government, etc., etc. Guiding principles to prepare and equip us for every good work are in His Word! That’s why we need to know it and live by it!!


Let’s Pray-
Oh Father, we are so grateful for your Holy Word. It indeed is bread and life to us. Thank you for revealing yourself and your ways through your written and living Word. Help us to feed on it daily and follow its guiding light.
Amen


Footnotes:
(a) Judges 17:6, (b) 2 Timothy 3:16a NLT - (c) 3:16b – (d) 3:17



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THANK GOD FOR FATHERS

In 1909, after listening to a moving Mother’s Day sermon, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington approached her pastor requesting a Father’s Day Service.
The first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington was held the 19th of June 1910. States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. But Father’s Day was not as quickly accepted as was Mother’s Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson and his family personally observed the day. And in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended that states, if they wished, should hold their own Father’s Day observances. Many people attempted to secure an official recognition for Father’s Day, without success. Then in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day with a presidential proclamation. And in 1972, President Richard Nixon established Father's Day as a permanent holiday.

My father was in his fifties when I was born, and I only remember him as an old man. He never played with me. In fact I can’t remember him ever having a conversation with me. He wasn’t a perfect father by any means, but he did some things right. He always prayed before every meal. After breakfast he read a passage from our German Bible. Then everyone would kneel and pray out loud simultaneously. On Sundays he took us to our little German Baptist church about 5 miles from our farm-house. Even when the roads were blocked with snow, he had my older brothers hitch up a team of horses to the bobsled and took us to church. He left us a valuable legacy.

Even an imperfect father makes a positive impression on his children. Studies show a father in the home results in children being:
· 5 times less likely to commit suicide;
· 32 times less likely to run away;
· 20 times less likely to have behavioral disorders;
· 9 times less likely to drop out of high school;
· 10 times less likely to abuse chemical substances;
· and 9 times less likely to end up in state-operated institutions?

A Christian father in the home is an even greater blessing to his children because he has the scriptures to instruct him. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.(a)

On this Father’s Day may each of us honor our Father for giving us life. Let us also honor him for all the positive things with which he blessed us.


Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, how fortunate we are to be your children. You are the perfect Father who has blessed us with every good and perfect gift.(b) Thank you that among those gifts is our human father. Help us as fathers to grow more and more like you.
Amen


Footnote:
(a) Ephesians 6:4 NLT, (b) James 1:17 NLT,




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MARRIAGE IS ORDAINED OF GOD - FOR A LIFETIME

Have you ever wondered why June seems to be THE MONTH to get married? I also wondered about it, so I Googled it. The practice seems to have its origin in ancient Roman tradition. The Romans highly revered Juno, as the goddess of marriage, so June became THE MONTH to get married. A June wedding also had a practical side to it. The bride would most likely conceive and give birth early enough to regain her strength to be able to work in the harvest field the following season. That may be Roman, but hardly romantic.

In today’s western society romance is at the heart of getting married. Romantic thoughts and actions draw a man and woman together and play an important role in marriage throughout life. But romance alone is not a solid foundation. If a marriage is not built on a more lasting foundation, it can easily break apart. In the U.S., for some time now, one out of every two marriages (including Christians) ends in divorce. While there are all sorts of contributing factors, the basic cause is the failure on the part of one or both partners, to live by God’s principles and design for marriage. Neither one is ever totally blameless.

From a Biblical point of view marriage is ordained of God and is designed to last a lifetime. Jesus said: “Haven’t you read the Scriptures? They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”(a) In 1 Peter 3:1-7 we have clear instructions to wives and husbands as to their responsibility in the marriage relationship. None of us have lived up to God’s standard perfectly, but by His grace our marriage relationship has survived and even thrived.

There is always room for improvement. As husbands, are we giving the loving, self- sacrificing leadership which God’s Word requires?(b) As wives, are you working on that inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God?(c) This June may be a good time for us as partners to commit ourselves anew to fulfill our marriage responsibilities more faithfully.

But for some of you it is too late, your marriage has come apart. It has broken your heart and turned your world upside down. Even though your part in the breakup was very small, you may still feel guilt. Let me remind you, Jesus has made provision for that.(d) This June ’08 can be the month when that load is removed forever. His grace is sufficient for you. Trust Him!


Let’s Pray-
Father - thank you for making a man and a woman for each other. Thank you for the warm and rich relationship of marriage and family. We have not fully lived up to your standards. Please forgive us and help us to do better.
Amen


Footnotes:
(a) Matthew 19:4-6 NLT, (b) Ephesians 5:25 NIV, (c) 1 Peter 3:4 NIV, (d) 1 John 1:9 NIV,


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