Peace is Priceless

A good friend called to share her anxieties about the current economic crisis personally affecting her family. I listened intently as she described the emotional and financial struggles they are encountering; listen is all I can do. I can not make her difficult situation disappear or help her in any tangible, dramatic way. Any words of advice or comfort I offer would be lacking also. Therefore, I listen. At the end of our conversation she said, “Just pray God will give me peace.” I responded, “Peace is priceless, isn’t it.”
She wasn’t asking me to intercede for God to deliver her family out from under their uncomfortable and painful situation. She requested something far more courageous and valuable; she desired peace.
Have you ever experienced the peace which exceeds understanding as described by Paul in Phillipians 4:6-8? In these verses, Paul tells us not to be anxious about anything as we present our prayers and petitions to God. Then, the peace which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Jesus.
I have witnessed God, in His Goodness, clothe people who are in the midst of crisis with unexplainable peace. I experienced this supernatural peace when my daughter, at two years old, became very ill. During the crisis, I acknowledged cause for concern considering her symptoms and blood tests, yet peace remained. I agreed there could be unhealthy future consequences following a persistent and long term high fever, yet peace remained. Well-meaning people offered the temptation to panic by focusing on and reminding me of the negative reports, yet peace remained. Peace ruled in our hearts and minds despite our circumstance.
Peace is also necessary every day in seemingly small matters, especially in relationships, where tempers or pride can flare. How do we acquire peace?
1. Peace is a gift offered by a right relationship with God through Jesus. In Psalm 23, David gives us a foreshadowing image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who cares for our soul. Verse 2 of Psalm 23 says, “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” You must surrender your soul to Jesus as your Savior and trust in Him daily to receive peace.
2. We must also surrender our worries and burdens to Him leaving them in His hands. Often, we give a problem to Jesus then assume control of it all over again. Leave your burden with Him and trust He will work on your behalf.
3. We also must actively pursue peace. A rush of peace can come over us during troubled and painful times. However, on a daily basis we push towards peace and run away from temptations to become anxious. Replace thoughts of worry with the truth of God’s Word. Search His Word to find what God says about your situation.
I pray you will experience that peace which is priceless. If you do not know the One who gives the gift of peace, I pray you will hear and say yes when Jesus calls your name and eternally invites you into the Kingdom of God.
I encourage you this week to focus on actively pursuing peace using the 3 steps above. If you have stories of your own where God has graced you with peace in a crisis or during an ordinary day, please share those comments with us.
God bless you this week and peace be with you.

A GOOD WASHING

Don’t you love the look and feel of your vehicle after it has been freshly washed? I recently gave my van a good washing after several weeks of exposure to the outside elements had left it grimy and covered with pollen. The inside littered with forgotten or unwanted scraps of paper. The seats sprinkled with crumbs from snacks and the carpet covered with dirt from the bottom of shoes. It was long overdue for a thorough cleaning inside and out.
After being exposed to the elements of this world, do you ever feel like a good cleaning? Our souls and heart can become a trash dump from the environment which surrounds us. For instance, television shows can leave images in our mind and affect our thoughts. Songs we listen to and sing along with cause us to meditate upon questionable lyrics. Troubling conversations with others can affect our mood throughout the day.
Are you skeptical these situations affect you in a negative way? With the struggling economy, I have been watching the news more than usual. Reports can be contradicting depending on the channel you watch and tuning in consistently can become depressing. We need to be aware of the issues in our world without clinging to the gloom anchors and analysts forecast. God’s Word is the truth to which we should cling. Matthew 6:22 tells us the eye is the lamp to the body and if the eyes are good, the body is full of light. Therefore, let us fill our eyes and thoughts and words with goodness inspired by time spent with God, not inspired by societal influences.
This week, be aware of the outlets which influence you. How much time do you spend watching television with negative images and concepts? Do the songs you sing carry positive lyrics? Is your conversation wholesome and encouraging? While you become aware of the surrounding environment which influences you, I encourage you to spend time with God and His Word. Let your soul and mind receive a good washing in His presence and feel your spirits soar with a renewed hope and outlook as the grime from negative influences is washed away.
God Bless you this week!

ANGER MANAGEMENT

In our last blog, we likened Moses as a prophetic picture of Jesus. Moses acted as Savior to the Israelites saving them from destruction as a result of their wicked ways. But first, he acted as deliverer to lead them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and up to but not into the promised land. Today, I want to focus on the contrast between Moses and Jesus.
What kept Moses out of the promised land? The action which led to his exclusion from the promised land is described in Numbers chapter 20. In verse 8, God instructs Moses to speak to the rock and it will pour out water. Oh yes, Moses speaks; not to the rock, but with an attitude to the people before he strikes the rock twice with his staff. In verse 12, God is forced to deliver the bad news; Moses and Aaron will not have the honor of leading the Israelites into the promised land, nor the pleasure of abiding there themselves.
Moses had a previous experience with a rock in Exodus 17:6. At Horeb, God tells Moses to strike the rock to produce water. Therefore, could Moses have made an honest mistake when he disobeyed God by striking rather than speaking to the rock this time? After all, Moses was in the habit of striking his staff to produce results. Remember when he struck the water of the Nile to produce the plague of blood and earlier in his journey, he threw down his staff so it would transform into a snake before Pharaoh.
I feel bad for Moses and want to give him the benefit of the doubt. He had come so far and dealt with so much, only to be forbidden access to the land of promise. He was only allowed to gaze upon it. Doesn’t your heart break for Moses?
I can only guess the condition of Moses’ heart at that moment of his downfall, but God knows. Did God know Moses, in his anger, would sin if he struck the rock this time? Moses had already displayed his anger in Exodus 2:12 when he killed an Egyptian who mistreated an Israelite slave. Moses also displays anger when he throws the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. I believe God, in his mercy, was trying to prevent Moses from sinning again. Therefore, he was asking Moses to temper and control his rage against the Israelites by speaking to the rock so as not to strike in anger.
Jesus seemingly displayed anger when he toppled tables and drove out money changers from the temple where the gentiles worshiped. The temple intended for worship had become a smelly, loud marketplace for sacrificial animals. Jesus was restoring sanctity and John 2:17 (NIV) refers to this emotion as zeal because we know Jesus was without sin. Ephesians 4:26 tells us to not sin in our anger and Proverbs 29:22 says, “an angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.”
Moses disobeyed God, but I believe anger caused him to disobey and kept him out of the promised land. Later, Moses pleads with the Israelites to obey all the commands because he knows the consequences of disobedience. I have had my share of temper tantrums which have come with consequences, not blessings. Giving full vent to anger can keep us wandering in a wilderness of shame and guilt with loved ones receiving our wrath. There is no promise in the land of anger.
What sin is keeping you from your land of promise? Maybe anger is not a temptation for you. Is it gossip? Is it manipulation or control or overeating? Trust and obey God in your weakness so you can cross over into the promised land.
Blessings,
Theresa Anderson