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).