Peace

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

John 14:27

Tragedy often hits like an earthquake. In a few short seconds, the world as one knows it is transformed with great suffering and loss. Sometimes it comes in a phone call...a knock at the door....or, in an e-mail. The event is forever burned into one's memory bank as the pain sears it so that one can never forget. Every human being experiences loss. It is part of life. The worst thing about the tragedy of loss is not just the immediate condition one experiences; but, it is the crippling perpetual fear of future losses. Anticipation of "the worst" can taint every day of one's life for years to come. Yet, God tells us not to fear. In fact, He tells us to trust wholly in Him. How does that work when the fear is there and very real? How can it work?

Fear is natural, and it is a normal response to uncertainty and danger. Yet, fear is not a virtue like caution or prudence. Fear simply robs our lives of joy.. The question is therefore, how do we face joblessness or drive on bad tires we can't afford to replace? How do we remember the loss of a child and not cling desperately to the children we have left? How do we live in peace and victory?

Certainly trusting God and putting Him first is the answer. But, while it is easy to say we need to trust God, it is often much harder to do. Simon Peter knew Jesus personally and had watched him perform many miracles. Yet, when he jumped out of the boat to walk out to Jesus on the water, he still became frightened by the wind and waves. And, when his fears kicked in, he began to sink. I understand Peter; I am just like him; and, I suspect that everyone else is also.

So, how can one stop being afraid of the wind and waves when they roar above us and are about to crash down upon us?

Step #1: Discover Who God is.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." -2 Timothy 3:16

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." -John 16:13-14

It's difficult to trust a stranger. If one wishes to conquer fear, one has to start by truly getting to know who God is by prayerfully reading through His Word. We also need to ask God for the guidance of His Spirit. God is glad to give us His Spirit to help us (Luke 11:11-13).

Step #2: Discover that God is love.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. Fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love." 1 John 4:18

When God says He loves us, we believe Him. It's not humble to say, "Oh, I'm not important to God." God knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:29-31). You are extremely valuable to Him. No matter what one feels (feelings come and go with hormones and food),every human being needs to just start taking God at His word. He said He loves us. By faith, we should believe Him.

God does love us. He lavishes us with value. He loves us so much that He allowed His precious Son to be mocked and beaten and slaughtered in order to buy us back from death. It wasn't a whim. It was the amazing, deep, true love of a mighty God. We need to choose to believe that what Jesus did on the cross is our only hope of salvation.

We also need to remember that He doesn't love us because of how good we are. He loves us because of how good He is. That means that when we've had a really rotten day and we've messed up, we don't have to run and hide from Him. We can run to Him and seek His healing and cleansing right away.

Step #3: We love God back.

"We love him, because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

How do we love God? We obey Him (John 14:15). And when we fail, we quickly confess and repent from sin. We listen to Him. We trust Him. We worship Him. He gave His Son for us, which alone is worth all the rejoicing in the world.

Praise and worship brings about amazing results. The anomaly is that when we need Him the most, Satan will do whatever he can to keep us away from the body of Christ. Fear, resentment, anger, bitterness are the tools that the evil one uses to separate us when we are hurting from the body of Christ. The battle is always there. The question is: "What will you choose to do about it?" We can say, "I believe you love me," but turning that into, "Thank you for loving me," makes all the difference. We can praise God for His protection, thank Him for His love, delight ourselves in Him. It is safe in His arms. It is safe living in the center of His will, no matter where His will leads us. And, as we praise Him and worship Him and enjoy Him, the fear cannot remain. That is why being part of a family of God that gathers regularly to worship is so necessary for one's spiritual well-being. We were made to be part of a family. There are no "Lone Ranger" Christians because Christ is the head of his church.

Step #4: We remember that our lives are not our own.

" What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1Corinthians 6:19-20

One song's lyrics say: "Thank you, Jesus, for the life you've given me. Thank you, Jesus, for the things I cannot see. I will worship you, the great and might Prince of Peace. I will honor you, Lord of Love, King of Kings. Here's my life a sacrifice to you. Here's my life a sacrifice to you."

When our lives truly belong to Christ and we are wholly given over to His purposes, then we know that every thing – even tragedy – will be used for excellent, wonderful things. He can use it all. As Paul said:

¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Fear sometimes seems unbeatable. For each of us, our fears are very real. Salt water up one's sinuses can be painful each time we crash under the ocean waves. But, in God's power and in God's eyes, this is nothing. To God, the terrible monsters that we see rise up above us and which threaten our very existence are merely origami tigers. They look fierce: but, in God's hands we are in no real danger. God does not need a good economy to provide for us and pay our bills. If He sees fit to give us a broken down car to drive, then He is capable of holding that broken down car together for us. He can protect our children and our loved ones. He alone can heal our hearts, and He is never worried.

The Letter to the Church in Ephesus

¹ "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands. ² "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; ³ I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicola'itans, which I also hate. ⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' ⁸

Revelation 2: 1-8

I have been reading a couple of books on Revelation of late. Sometimes when reading books of eschatology, I am tempted to just give up trying to understand all the symbolism and hidden meanings. But the first part of the Book of Revelation was a revelation to the writer about specific churches in a specific time frame from the risen Lord. I think the messages are universal in that they apply to all churches in all times; but, the messages are specific.

The church in Ephesus was one of the earlier churches planted by the apostle Paul. His letter to the church in Ephesus gives us an insight into its community of faith. The church was standing firm in its faith and doctrine and was doing good things. But, there was a serious problem. Verse 4 says that they had abandoned their "love that you had at first" for the Lord. I can collective hear the church saying, "What? What do you mean? Aren't we doing great things for the kingdom?" But, the issue goes to the heart of each believer. Unless one is acting out of love and gratitude for the personal relationship of Jesus as Lord, there will always be something missing. The apostle Paul told the church in Corinth the same thing. One can even give his or her body to be burned; but, if that person does not have love it means nothing. Too many Christians go about the "work" of the church as faithful employees taking pride in their work. But, they are doing it for themselves. The message is direct. The church needs to "repent". Or, Jesus is going to remove his lamp stand. Note that Jesus is not getting this third hand. He is "among" his church when he speaks these words. He knows what lies in people's hearts.

This is not an idle threat or punishment. It is a simple fact. If a believer is not connected in spirit and in truth to the body of Christ, then there is no relationship. If there is no relationship, there can be no fruit of the Spirit. The battle today is being waged at the congregational level. Are people willing to commit to becoming part of the family of God by being in relationship to brothers and sisters under the Lordship of Jesus Christ? The reward is the promise made by the one who conquered death. He reminds the reader in the first chapter that He holds the keys to Hades in his hand. Jesus broke the gates of hell and restored the possibility of life eternal with Him. If we "conquer" we will get to eat of the tree of life with Him in paradise.

Psalms 16
¹ A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. ² I say to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee." ³ As for the saints in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. ⁴ Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their libations of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. ⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. ⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. ⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. ⁸ I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. ¹⁰ For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit. ¹¹ Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

We were made for worship. Worship is of key importance to our lives. We are blessed when we worship. We worship in many ways. When we live our lives by loving our neighbor as our ourselves, we are worshiping. One can worship in song or in dance. There is a special kind of worship though when we come into the presence of God himself. It is a cause for reverence, bowing or falling down and showing God our heart.

Worship is the place that God promises to "meet with us", because worship is something that is done on the inside, i.e. in our spirit. John 4:23-24 tells us in Jesus's words: "..the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth." Worshiping the Lord, then, means coming into His presence, adoring, praising and loving Him int he same nature as He - in the spirit.

Many of us have been taught that we have a responsibility to worship. But, so often when asking a believer what true worship means or how its done, many look like a deer caught in the headlights.

WHOM DO WE WORSHIP?

Worship springs from gratitude. A believer can worship the Lord with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength because one has invited God into heir lives. Non-believers cannot worship in this way. Jesus said in John 3:5-6:

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Until one has confessed a belief in Jesus as the Messiah and come to the realization that one is lost without Him, repented and been baptized in water and of the Spirit, only then can one truly worship. Though God does need our worship, he is seeking those who wish to come to Him.

WHAT MAKES "WORSHIP" SO IMPORTANT?

Worship is important because it is the reason Christ came to earth. The entire book of Revelation concerns the importance of worship. Look at Revelation 4:8-11:

"The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

Other pertinent Scriptures are Revelation 11:16 and 19:4, and there are many other Scriptures in the Word that tell us God is seeking true worshipers. Scriptures like Psalm 95:6-7: "Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand..." And Psalm 99:5, "Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy."

If one does grasp worship now, heaven would be a boring place for those who fail to connect with God. Worship is critical because it's the key to God's presence. It's what brings us intimacy with the Father. In other words, worship is a two-way communication. We come into His presence by loving, adoring and exalting Him. He then makes Himself known by communicating His Love and His inspiration (and revelation) back to us. This, of course, results in inexpressible joy for us.

This daily communion is what allows us to endure difficult circumstances. If we are hearing from the Lord and keeping our eyes only on Him, we can withstand anything. Worship, then, is not only the key to intimacy, it's also the key to withstanding trials and problems and restoring the joy of our salvation.