Peace doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from knowing and trusting in the One Who does. Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) And He promised His disciples in John 16:33 that His peace went way beyond any peace the world could offer. There’ll be many times throughout our lives when we won’t be able to fully comprehend the chaos around us. But nevertheless, as a Believer, we can peacefully go through the experience because we are “in Christ.” This type of Divine peace is especially inexplicable because it “guards” our heart in the very midst of the trouble…allowing the peace of Christ to rule. (Colossians 3:15)
Galatians 2:20 ” I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Our identity isn’t defined by other people’s approval. Rather it’s in God’s plan and purpose for our life. So we need to just stop chasing validation from people…for we’ll never measure up. That’s because, if our peace depends on other people’s opinions – we’ll be continually crushed by the impossible perfection that they demand. Our true identity and validation must then come from Christ…rooted in being a new creation, adopted as God’s child, and united with Christ in righteousness. (II Corinthians 5:17) Therefore, our confidence and worth will never come from man’s validation…but only from our relationship with Christ.
Acts 13:48-49 ” When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the Word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. The Word of the Lord spread through the whole region.”
Paul and Barnabas had been sent out to preach the Good News…and their first major synagogue sermon was in Pisidian Antioch. (Acts 13:14-49) They drew large crowds of both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles eager to hear them. Many believed the Gospel Message as Paul linked the Old Testament to Jesus coming to save the world from sin. But many Jews took offense and opposed them…rejecting Jesus. So Paul and Barnabas instead gave their full attention to the Gentiles, who were overjoyed to be chosen of God. For despite the Jews rejection, it didn’t stop the spread of the Gospel…it instead accelerated it. For nothing and no one can stop the spread of God’s Word by the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 3:21 ” My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, don’t let them out of your sight; they’ll be life for you.”
Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Discernment isn’t a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong…rather it’s telling the difference between right and almost right.” We see this everywhere in the world today. Stories and facts get spun to fit whatever the person is championing at that moment. Soon, the truth keeps getting watered down, until no is sure what’s true and what’s false. In Ephesians 5:10 we are told to try and discern what is pleasing to God…and the best example of this is King Solomon’s prayer in I Kings 3:9, where he asks God for a heart of discernment and wisdom. Therefore, all we have to do is ask, (James 1:5) and God will give us discernment, discretion, and wise judgment to perceive the truth from the half-truths out there.
Judges 2:10 ” After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.”
I read a great quote from the English preacher and leading 19th century Reformed Theologian, J.C. Ryle, which said, ” When a generation tolerates sin, the next will celebrate it, and the generation after them won’t even know it’s sin.” Psalm 78:5-7 stresses the need for one generation to declare God’s power, might, and wonders to the next generation…teaching them so they would know God. Sadly, this “forgetfulness of generations” goes hand in hand with the spiritual decline we see in many Churches today. The intentional teaching and discipleship of God’s Word gives way to a more social agenda…and soon the world has watered down the Word to make it palatable, but not convicting.
I Peter 3:9 ” But on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
I don’t know who it was, but some neighbor retrieved the trash can from the street and placed it next to the garage door this morning. My very first response when I saw it was, “They didn’t have to do that!” But this verse in I Peter is very plain…we are to offer good, kind, and uplifting blessings to others… and in turn we are blessed in the process. But for many of us, being on the receiving end feels awkward…for we’d rather be the one blessing others. Nevertheless, don’t turn their good intentions into an uncomfortable moment. Receive the blessing with thankfulness, humility, and appreciation. For if you think about it, all blessings, whether from others or God are gifts to help us grow.
Matthew 11:23 ” Come to Me, all you who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest.”
The Lord’s invitation to mankind excludes no one… and “Anyone” is as broad as the entire human race. How? God isn’t concerned about where we have been, more than where we’re going. We can look at someone and think to ourselves, “God could never reach that person.” But remember, God doesn’t look at the outward…and our sorted pasts make not a bit of difference to Him. He only sees our potential in the eternal work of His Kingdom. So the next time you question God’s choice…remember, His invitation is universal, (Isaiah 55:1-3) it has no barriers, (Galatians 3:28) and His Salvation is for everyone. (Titus 2:11)
Psalm 18:6 ” In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.”
King David wrote 75 of the Psalms. But instead of celebrating his victory over the giant Goliath, he wrote about his fears, his failures, his tears, and his desperate need of God. That’s because it took only a few minutes to dispatch Goliath with his sling…but dying to his flesh was an everyday battle within. In Psalm 18, David wrote of the snares of death and floods of ungodly men that overwhelmed him as he ran from King Saul…until God delivered him. In Psalm 42, David writes of emotional despair, deep spiritual discouragement, and his feeling that God had abandoned him. “My tears have been my food day and night.” But again, reminding himself that there was still hope because of God’s steadfast love. Finally, in Psalm 51 we see King David’s broken and contrite heart as the prophet Nathan confronts him about his adultery with Bathsheba and the death of her husband, Uriah. We see his profound remorse and repentance as David honestly admits to his sins…praying for forgiveness and restoration. King David may have supernaturally killed Goliath with God’s help…but he was also honest enough to know just how evil and wicked his flesh was without God’s help.
Matthew 14:23 ” He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.”
The longer our journey with the Lord, the more we treasure the abiding peace that only we can experience when we’re alone with Him. Across the Gospels we see Jesus making a deliberate effort to get off by Himself to pray. This habit of withdrawing to solitary places wasn’t just a personal practice…it was central to His mission, spiritual life and an living example for His disciples. It was there that Jesus could give His undivided attention to His Heavenly Father…away from the noisy crowds…and ensuring that His ministry was aligned with God rather than public pressure. This private time renewed Jesus physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It also modeled to the disciples (and us) the need for personal time with God. It wasn’t escape from the crowds, but rather obedience that drew Him away…enabling Jesus to come back renewed in strength, clarity, and alignment with God’s eternal plan and purpose.
I Thessalonians 4:3 ” This is the Will of God, your sanctification.”
Do we repent enough to be forgiven…but do we surrender enough to be changed? John 1:29 tells us that Jesus is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. In other words, Jesus Christ came to earth in order to be the limitless propitiation (appeasement) for the wrath of God. And when we repent, we realize what God has done through Jesus’ blood on the Cross. But at that moment of conversion, the process of sanctification starts. It’s a process of being made holy…working together with the Holy Spirit as a cooperative venture…until we take our last breath here on earth. But it takes work by both parties to bring about change. (Philippians 2:12-13) We have to want to change in order to change…for the Holy Spirit can chide, convict, prompt, and instruct…but we have to be willing to listen and obey.
