Peace Within

Job 20:20-21 - “Because he knew no quiet within him, he does not retain anything he desires. Nothing remains for him to devour, therefore his prosperity does not endure."

The Psalmist David concurs with this scripture from Job when he states how delighting in the Lord results in obtaining the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). Often, the reason our prosperity is not sustainable is because we are not seeking the Lord's will with the riches He has entrusted. This is not only material wealth. Of greater importance is the wealth of love and kindness that we show to others which results in great peace.

We can only keep what we give away, beloved. If we are seeking to store up any kind of riches here on earth, whether material or spiritual, they will soon make wings and fly away and leave us empty. However, if we continue to give purposefully, then God will continue to fill us to overflowing.

Do we want to know peace? Then grant peace to others. The same can be said for anything we desire. All things which we desire that we give to others will then be ours in abundance.

Return to God

Hosea 5:4 - "Their deeds will not allow them to return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, and they do not know the Lord."

When I was deep within my sin and addiction, I had created such a legacy and heritage of sin in my life it became impossible to get "better." Often, people can become more religious and turn toward God. This, in itself, does not ensure salvation. However, for some of us, we lost the ability even to turn to God because we had been sleeping with the world too long. It meant coming to a bottom of utter despair. Then, the miracle happened! God was able to turn and repair our titanic vessel from the iceberg of sin which was sinking us.

Some of those reading this are still trapped in the icy waters of despair. They have fornicated with their sin for so long that they no longer know how to start getting free. There is hope. We must turn to God and ask Him for the power to turn. There is no other way when we are so enmeshed in the sin that continues to enslave us. Seek God today for there is salvation if we will but trust He will save us.

Reasonable Expectations

Matthew 6:34 - "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

It is easy enough to tell someone not to worry about tomorrow. However, in order for there to be a logical replacement for worry there must be proper expectation. Jesus tells us plainly in this scripture that we can expect trouble, often on a daily basis. This, in itself, might create a hopeless despair of soul. However, Jesus also wants us to expect God's provision as He suggests in the previous verses regarding the birds of the air and the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:25-33).

Expectations, whether hopeful or hopeless, will invariably rule our day. It just depends on which we decide to put our hope. Will we hope in God's promise that He will meet all our needs in Christ Jesus? (Philippians 4:19) Or, will we succumb to the anxieties of the day and create a cesspool of doubt and worry in our souls? It all depends on how we allow common, everyday expectations to either propel us toward the Solution or deeper into the problem.

Stronger and Stronger in God

Job 17:9 - “Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger."

Mankind does not become righteous, but we are made righteous by accepting the free gift of God in Christ Jesus. However, the true mark of a man or woman's salvation is whether they are growing in God. We often see many in the church who appear no different than their profession of faith from 30 years earlier. They have not grown in grace because they have not held to the way of God, allowing sanctification to have its perfect way.

Are we growing stronger and stronger? If we have not first become weaker and weaker through our realization that God is our Great Sanctifier, then we are still trusting in our own strength to make us "better." Beloved, we must consecrate ourselves by denying the flesh and our own power to save us. Then, God will step in and do the work of sanctification and make us holy even as He is holy.

Subtle Temptation

Matthew 4:3 - "And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'”

In Philippians, we read when Jesus came to earth, He emptied Himself of His rights as God to become a humble bond-servant of mankind (Philippians 2:5-8). In this passage in Matthew, Satan tempted Jesus in a moment of vulnerability to refill Himself with His rightful position as part of the Godhead. If this would have happened, then the devil knew Christ would have disqualified Himself as the perfect man. He desired Him to meet His own needs rather than allow God the Father to provide.

Our temptation from the evil one is similar. He would have us step out of our relationship with the Son, as Satan wanted Jesus to do with the Father. After all, did not God say He would "give us this day our daily bread?" What is the harm with helping God get it for us? Frankly, this type of thinking is born in hell if God is not the One with whom we are listening. In order to come to a place of true sonship, we must empty ourselves of ourselves and then allow God to meet our needs in every instance. Anything less than this is idolatry and self-worship that demands our needs be met from our own resources.

Not Knowing God's Plan

II Chronicles 20:12 - "O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

When we face the greatest challenges in our lives, God's wisdom may not be readily apparent. We may not have clear direction and may feel like we have to do something to help out the situation. However, times like these when we know not what to do are often times the place of greatest power. Our own impotence is often displayed when we come to the conclusion that we have neither the mind of Christ in a situation nor the wherewithal to carry it out. These are times when we must merely stand and see the salvation of God.

Waiting without any action on our part may look like spiritual suicide. In Jehoshaphat’s case, it must have seemed absurd to some to meet the enemy with musical instruments, praising the Lord, rather than taking decisive action. However, the outcome of the battle in II Chronicles 20 tells us the opposite. Waiting on God's salvation resulted in the enemy destroying themselves.

Are you facing a life challenge where God is silent and you know not what to do? "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14) In your waiting, praise Him for the answer. It will come, beloved, if we wait on Him.

Loving at All Times

Proverbs 17:17 - "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

What does it mean to love at all times? Solomon is not speaking of sentimental emotion, although that can sometimes be part of true friendship love. If we need a definition, love has no better definition in scripture than in the thirteenth chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. Here we find that "love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (I Corinthians 13:4-7) In a nutshell, love does nothing from self-interest but in the interest of others.

The consistency of loving as "at all times" is only possible through Jesus Christ. Perfect love was never meant to be the heritage of mankind outside of God living within. It is an impossibility to achieve oneness with love outside of this relationship. Other religions can believe they are loving and sympathetic to their fellow man. The capacity to love will always be limited or unlimited through seeking to love from ourselves or through Jesus Christ, respectively.

God is love, beloved. However, mankind's love will only imitate the divine. Once God has a man or woman's heart, then He can love constantly and continually through their broken and surrendered lives.