Peace.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in Jehovah forever; for in Jehovah, even Jehovah, is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26:3-4

     We have a precious promise from God, that if we set our minds upon Him in faith, we will be kept in perfect peace. His word assures us that God is an everlasting rock, a place of safety for all those who seek shelter in Him from the storms of life. This peace however, will only fill our hearts and minds as we trust Him. 

     We often come to God with our cares and burdens, but like Peter walking on the water, we take our eyes off of Christ, and instead, we focus on our circumstance and begin to sink. This verse makes the point that we must keep our focus on Christ and not our problems if we would have peace. The Apostle Paul writes, 

In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

     As the hymn states, "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer." 

     This peace is a peace that goes beyond our understanding. How can we be filled with a calm, with peace, when things seem to be falling apart all around us? The answer is found in God our rock, and by putting our confidence in Him.

Expendable.

     Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.
                                            John 12:24

     It may seem shocking to many, but the reality is that we are expendable to God! Yes God loves and cares for us. He who sees the sparrow fall, and knows the very number of the hairs on our heads, is concerned for us through the trials we go through. Yet, we are expendable. 
     God calls us to lose all for His sake, in His service; even our very lives if necessary. When He calls us to lose our lives for His sake, we might very well face persecution and martyrdom. We are in a spiritual battle for the kingdom of God and the souls of men. Just like an army will count men as expendable, sending them out to die for the greater purpose of winning the war, we too are sent out to die for the sake of the gospel, giving our very lives if it so be, so that another can find life in Christ.
     Remember, we are living in these bodies upon this earth for a short time. We are spiritual beings with souls that will live on throughout eternity. To face death for Christ is truly no loss to us, as to be absent from this body, is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:6-8). So even though we are expendable for the cause of Christ, it is no real loss to us, in fact, it is great gain.

Christ In You The Hope Of Glory!

     Even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the hope of glory: whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.
                                      Colossians 1:26-28

     There is a book written by A. W. Tozer that is titled, "Man the Dwelling Place of God." This is something however, that is often overlooked in our Christian walk. We often look at the above verse, at least I know that I have, and think of the "hope of glory" as going to heaven some day. Indeed, for those of us who know and follow Christ in this life, we will someday spend eternity with Him, sharing in all of the glories of His heavenly kingdom. But we often fail to realize the full implication of what it truly means to be indwelt by the living God; to be full of His Spirit, and to be conscious of His glorious presence. This is what David refers to when He declares that the one thing he sought after was to dwell in the house of the Lord all of his days (Psalm 27:4). To dwell in the secret place of the most high (Psalm 91:1) has now been made possible to us through Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to enter in to the most holy place, by the blood of Jesus, and through the veil of His flesh (Hebrews 10:19-20). We are now the living temples of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us (1 Cor 6:19-20). Think about it. Christ in you the hope of glory! We share in intimate fellowship with Him while we sojourn upon this earth, awaiting the final consummation, when we will see Him face to face.

Lights in This World.

     Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good...
              3 John 1:11a

     This world lies in darkness. We see evil abounding everywhere. Although this world is darkened by sin, we are called to shine forth as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Phil 2:15). Dare to go against the current of this world! Let your lights shine forth in this dark day! As you joyfully follow Christ, your good behavior will become evident to all, proving that your deeds have been wrought in God. 

    Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
                Matthew 5:16

Kept From Stumbling.

     Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and forevermore. Amen.
                                             Jude 1:24-25

     What a wonderful promise to us, that God Himself will bring us safely home, to stand in His glorious presence, complete in Him, beyond reproach. In this life, we travel a dangerous road, with temptations and trials on every side. The world seeks to draw our hearts away from our Lord, with all of its vanity and pride. Yet we see in this and other numerous scriptures, that in Christ we have all we need to remain free from spot or stain. In Christ we have the power to overcome temptations. His grace is more than enough for every need, to those who through faith, are made partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).
     Able to keep us from stumbling! He will set us before His presence, without blemish. This is the overcoming life. We were once mired in sin, unable to change. But through Christ, we are now free. We can live upright lives, beyond reproach. We can know what it means to have a clean conscience; to be able to lay down in sleep without our hearts condemning us. What a blessed thing, to be so guarded by Jesus Christ.
     He has called us to live holy, upright lives. Faithful is He that has called us, and faithful is to do it (1 Thess 5:23-24)!

A Prayer For Understanding.

     Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
                                    Psalm 119:73

     It is only right that as God's creation, we should be willing to serve Him. It is also right that we go to the God who has created us for understanding, so that we would know His commands, and learn to be pleasing unto Him.
    

Knowing God.

     For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.
                                 Hosea 6:6

     The vast majority of people seem to believe that the way to God can be found through forms and rituals. This is how all of the world's religions work. The individual approaches their god through sacrifices, rote prayers, and various other religious exercises, that give one a false sense of God's favor.
     Sadly, many who call themselves Christians also approach God in this way. They pride themselves on all of the religious rules and forms that they maintain, thinking that this is what God desires.
     God desires us to know Him intimately. This is what eternal life is, knowing God, through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). He cannot be found through all of our empty traditions. We worship in Spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). The pursuit of God is carried out by faith, as we humbly submit ourselves to Jesus Christ, allowing Him to form Himself in us.
     Exercising justice, and compassion are what God really wants from us, as we walk humbly with Him. This far exceeds all the sacrifices and offerings we could ever bring to God (Micah 6:6-8).
    

Sacrificial Love.

     Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
                                            1 John 3:16

     Jesus has shown us by His sacrificial death on Calvary's tree, what love looks like. There was nothing in us deserving of this act of the highest form of love. God commended his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Understand this. We did not deserve this act of love. There is nothing in us to make us special to God. We were rebels, we were sinners, we spurned Him and His law. Our sinful deeds only gave the outward proof of the inner hatred we held for God.
     Now as redeemed children of our heavenly Father, we are called to love each other in the same self sacrificing way that Jesus has loved us. John goes on to tell us that if we see our brother in need, we are to do what is within our capabilities to meet that need. That is how love responds to the pain and suffering around us. That is the response of Christ within us to the pressing needs we encounter on a daily basis. To withhold what is good, from one who is in need, is to refuse to love that individual (1 John 3:17-18; Proverbs 3:27). How can the love of God be in us?
     Jesus calls us to the highest form of love-

     "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things I have heard from my Father I have made known unto you. Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye may love one another."
                                            John 15:12-17
    

Jesus, the Living Word.

     In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
                                           John 1:1-4

     And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.
                                            John 1:14

     For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
                                        Colossians 2:9

     In these last days God has spoken to us in His Son Jesus, God in the flesh (Hebrews 1:1-3). As Jesus told His disciples, "He that has seen Me, has seen the Father" (John 14:9).
     Many false religions have invented a Jesus that fits into their "theology", but in fact is a departure from the biblical revelation of Christ. Their Jesus is nothing more than a "golden calf", an idol of their own invention.We are warned that to depart from the teaching of Christ, is to lose God, but to walk in the biblical revelation of who Jesus Christ is, is to have both the Father, and the Son (2 John 1:9).
     We must be certain that we are pursuing the right Jesus! 

Our Souls Delight.

     Delight thyself also in Jehovah; and he will give thee the desires of thy heart.
                            Psalm 37:4

     When God is our delight, we will be completely caught up with Him. We will desire His way, His will, His glory. Our plans and desires will fade as we view the greater excellency of the divine purpose. The desires of our hearts will no longer reflect self, but Him.

The Benediction of Grace.

      The scriptures close with this benediction,

     The grace of the Lord Jesus be with the saints. Amen
                                  Revelation 22:21

     What a fitting close to the revelation of God to mankind. As His true saints, the called out ones, devoted to Him, we need the blessing of His grace. We can be assured that He will provide everything we need to be fruitful in His kingdom. 
     In Him we have all we need. He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor 1:30). His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor 12:9).

     

Loving Jesus.

     Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
                                     John  14:23

     True biblical love is not self seeking (1 Cor 13:5). It seeks the good of others with no thought of self. Often we see someone do something for somebody else that seems kind, but it is done with the thought of some benefit for self. This is not love. Many try to keep God's commandments with self preservation in mind, but this only amounts to selfishness.
     The one who loves Jesus will, out of that love, live to please Him. Their desire is for Him and His glory. They live to promote the highest possible good that they can, for Him.
     We see even in our own relationships, that when we love someone with a unselfish love, that we will go to great lengths to please that individual.
     It is therefore only natural that if we love Jesus, we will obey His commands (John 14:15, 21).
     Look at the promise we have from the Savior, to come and dwell with us in intimate fellowship, if we truly love Him, with an obedient love.

Our Exceeding Great Reward.

     Fear Nor Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
                                     Genesis 15:1b

     Just as God spoke these words to Abram, telling him that He was all he needed, God speaks these words to us as well-

     And without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
                                       Hebrews 11:6

     It is not enough for us to mentally assent to the fact that God exists. It is not enough to trust Him with our needs and desires. 
     God is calling us to seek after Him. We must believe that He exists, and because the Almighty God exists, and has revealed Himself to us, we must seek after Him. We are called to pursue Him with a determination that will not say no. He is our great and exceeding reward. Nothing on this earth can compare to the glory of knowing God in an intimate manner. To possess the Almighty God who dwells in the high and holy place, in our humble and contrite hearts, is man's highest honor (Isaiah 57:15).
     If we would  lose everything we owned, and yet possess God, we would have all.

His Will Only.

     Jesus calls us to have no will but His alone. What a blessed thing to be free of all the strife and turmoil of our cluttered lives as we live out the words of the Lord's prayer-

     "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth."
                                        Matthew 6:10

     It is the clamoring after the things of this life, even the essentials, such as food and clothing, that keep us from the peace that one finds as they live for Christ alone.
     Jesus tells us to step out in faith-

     "But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
                                       Matthew 6:33

     We can find peace in our daily turmoil, fulfillment in our seemingly empty lives, if we would lay our plans, agendas, and wills down, and pick up one only, His.

Everything I Need.

                  Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want.
                                           Psalm 23:1

     As the great shepherd our our souls, we find all we need in Christ Jesus. What can we possibly lack of that which is essential to our spiritual life and the well being of our souls (2 Peter 1:3).
     God did not spare His only Son, but freely gave Him up for us. We can confidently trust Him to supply our every need (Romans 8:31-32).
     

Innocence.

     I will wash my hands in innocency; so I will compass thine altar, O Jehovah;
     That I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard, and tell of all thy wonderous works.
     Jehovah, I love the habitation of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwelleth.
                                          Psalm 26:6-8  

     Jesus tells us that it is the pure in heart who will see God (Matt 5:8). The Psalmist desired the presence of God above all else (Psalm 27:4). He understood that the stain of sin would mar that fellowship he sought after. His desire was to remain separated from all that defiled, and to live in the presence of God, in  adoration and thanksgiving, in awe of His glory.
     
     "Father God, may we like the Psalmist, desire you above all else. May we dwell in innocence all the days of our lives, in the glory of your presence."

Integrity.

     Judge me, O Jehovah, for I have walked in mine integrity; I have trusted also in Jehovah without wavering,
     Examine me, O Jehovah, and prove me; try my heart and my mind.
                                        Psalm 26:1-2

     Integrity is a mark of an individual in love with the Savior. The one who longs to see Jesus will purify himself, as Christ is pure (1 John 3:2-3). As sin blocks our fellowship with God, it is essential that we allow His Spirit to try our hearts, to point out any impurity in us. Let us lay aside all that weighs us down, and the sin that so easily besets us and run the race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1-2),

A Patient Trust.

     My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my expectation is from him.
     He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my high tower; I shall not be moved.
     With God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
                                          Psalm 62:5-7

     It can be difficult to wait in silence for God when in the midst of difficult circumstances. We tend to want to do things our way, and in our own time. 
     We can learn a lesson from the life of Abram. The promise of an heir seemed our of reach, so at Sarai's urging, he took Hagar, his wife's servant, and she conceived and bore him Ishmael. However he was not to be the child of the promise. By taking matters into their own hands, instead of trusting in God, they faced some unwelcome consequences to their actions (Genesis 16:1-15, 21:8-21).
     True faith is a faith that endures, even in silence, when it seems that God is not doing anything. If we hold fast, we will see the salvation of the Lord. He is indeed a rock and a high tower of defense for those who wait for Him.

Rest For the Weary.

     Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
                              Matthew 11: 28-30

     We can become caught up in the cares and anxieties of this life, or become entangled with the things of this world; the vanities of life (Matt 6:31-32; 1 John 2:15-16).
     We have a promise from the Lord Jesus. We can find rest for our weary souls if we lay it all down and take up His yoke.
     Are your burdens too heavy to bear? Give them to Jesus.

    

A Promise to the Thisty.

     The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I Jehovah will answer them, I, the God of Israel will not forsake them.
                                   Isaiah 41:17

     What a wonderful promise we have from the Lord. He will not forsake those who are desperate for him.
     The things of this world cannot satisfy the longing in our souls that only He can fill!
     See the wonderful promise of refreshing; rivers on the bare heights, fountains in the valleys, the wilderness a pool, and the dry land springs of water (Isaiah 41:18).
     He is more than enough for each and every situation we may find ourselves in. He truly satisfies the longing soul.

Thirsting For God.

     As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee O God. When shall I come and appear before God?
                                   Psalm 42:1-2

     Intense thirst will drive one to desperation. This is what the relentless pursuit of God involves; desperation for Him.
     The one who in desperation seeks the presence of God as his one and only desire, will find Him (Psalm 27:4), and find refreshing for his soul.