peace

Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.

Wow! What a power scripture. This scripture has 2 parts. First it says, depart from evil and do good. It doesn't say hang around and see if you can change evil. It simply says depart. dark things are very powerful. Pastor Chris said it wonderfully today. being a Christian is hard. It's the hardest, most challenging thing you will ever do. evil, well it can be fun, it can look like the easier road. Chances are, if you stick around trying to change it, it will change you instead. This scripture says, depart from it. That doesn't mean you can't try and be a positive influence. some may argue that we can't be the light of Jesus if we are never around people who don't live right. That's true, but i submit that this scripture is telling us to keep our distance.

2nd part of this says SEEK PEACE then follows up with PURSUE IT. That is an action. now i don't think these 2 things are in the same verse accidentally. You flee from evil, keep yourself in check, make sure you are doing right and actively pursue peace.

The scriptures say whatever is pure, holy, just, honest, true think on these things. Peaceful thoughts lead to peaceful actions.

Let's face it, we are all going to be in difficult situations. We may be face with evil, we may be faced with something that tries our patience, we may be faced with hard decisions but if we are in the habit of ACTIVELY, day by day by day by day thinking on peaceful things, it will be natural for us to call upon those reserves when we need them.

Peaceful thoughts lead to peaceful actions.

Pursue peace...don't sit around and hope for it. don't be a dormat and lie around waiting for it, PURSUE it. don't be around people in constant turmoil looking for a fight. come away from that person or situation. Jesus had times when he came away from it all. He went into the wilderness, the garden of Gethsemane before they led him away. He came away from people and situations so that he could pray. He needed to pray and think on peaceful things. He needed to reconnect with His Father so he had reserves to tap into when He needed them. Let's remember Jesus was the son of God but he was in HUMAN form. Let's learn from that. He went away to pray. If you spend time in the Word each day, if you have a regular alone time with God, you will be building up your "reserves" so you have them to call on when you need them. AND you will need them.

What are you going to do this week to actively pursue peace? Share your comments with me.

Changes

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Have I really been crucified with Christ? Do I truly no longer live? To be crucified with Christ requires radical change. Do we begin changing and then get to a comfortable place and stop, happy with who we are? I think we do. We have to be constantly reminded that God's not happy with where we are. He still wants us to change and grow into the person he created us. But that change can't ever stop, it won't be complete until the day we are with him.

How difficult it must have been for Jesus not to come down off the cross. he could have done it. They were daring him to do it. They were double dog daring him! But he didn't. He allowed himself to be beaten, tortured and completely humiliated...for us. Could I have suffered so much pain and humiliation and not come back with an "oh yeah! well watch this!"?

Let's not become complacent. God's not done growing us. Seek the growth opportunities even though it may be excrutiating and leave stretch marks!

Listen to the Music

Ok, so I just received an email about someone who is facing the "jump and the net will appear" but what happens when you have multiple ways to jump and you don't know which way God is leading you. This is a very real question. Even for the seasoned Christian this can be tough. You think you are hearing from God but you're never quite sure.

Recently, one of our elders spoke about how you hear God. Now we all experience God is different ways, and "hear" him differently. Some hear God through all different types of books, some hear God through music, or through His written word in the Bible, others feel a tugging on the Spirit and can sometimes almost audibly hear God. However you hear God, first you have to be silent. Our elder spoke on meditating with God.

I love this part, get away some place alone and free of distraction. Clear your mind and focus on God. Breathe deeply and slowly and just focus on God. Many things will try and distract you. The first time I tried this I was interrupted by children who woke up way too early and just had to know the lyrics to the song There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. Another time I tried it, I fell asleep and got some much needed rest but didn't hear from God. Don't give up! It will be worth it. Give yourself 20 minutes a day of just being still and quiet and focusing your attention on God. When you are silent and still and focused on the Conductor, you will hear the music. Remember, when the Conductor approaches the his musicians and lifts his little stick he finds musicians that are completely silent and still, focused on him, ready to perform. Are you poised?

If anyone tries this, share your stories with me. The funny ones are great to hear and the ones where you hear from God are even better.

Locusts

I was recently reading something about locusts. I know it sounds disgusting but it was not so much about locusts as it was about me. Apparently, locusts wait until the wind blows and then jumps, and the wind carries him to his destination. A locust cannot navigate where he goes or fly against the wind, change his direction, he just goes where the wind takes him. He's completely dependent on the wind. I want to be like a locust. Before you say the same thing, remember to be careful what you pray for. It might be hard. God might put you in a situation where you have to depend solely on him.

So here is what I'm thinking when I think about the locust. I fill my life with books and try and learn as much as I can and make informed and logical decisions. But there comes a time when I have to let go and let God. I must at some point stop thinking and when God moves, move with Him. There comes a time when I have to trust Him, recognize it's His timing, not mine, and just take a leap of faith.

I was watching an episode of Monk the other day and one of the characters said "jump and the net will appear". That struck me. It didn't say, wait until you see the net and then jump. It didn't say pray about it for a month, discuss it with joe, john and sally. It said jump and the net will appear. God is the net. The net is always there, but sometimes from our perspective or view we can't see the net, it doesn't mean it's not there.

Now imagine, you are at the circus and you see the highwire act. Before the acrobat jumps out onto the bar swinging in the air they wait for their cue to the music. They are so in tune with the music and so sensitive to the music, they really aren't paying much attention to the bars they have to catch and twirl on, they are focused completely on the music. God is the music. Be sensitive to His Spirit leading you. If you are sensitive to the Spirit you will hear the music, you will feel His wind and you will know when to "jump and the net will appear".

Don't focus on your past or what you think you can or cannot do or should or shouldn't do. Focus on the music. Let it guide you. "be strong and courageous for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go". People will think you are crazy, jumping before you see the net, people thought Jesus was crazy too. When God moves he doesn't call for a vote or take an opinion poll, he just moves and he's looking for strong and courageous people who will jump before seeing the net. People who will say "here I am! Send me!" without knowing where they are going.

I want to be courageous! I want to be like a locust or an acrobat and fly with the wind.

Habakkuk

As I was reading Habakkuk chapter 3 today I read something so amazing. Habakkuk has just been given the news that his entire people are going to be brutally conquered by the most savage people called the Babylonians. This would make even strong men cry. But what does he do? Did he cry or beg or bargain? no. He simply thanked God for the day that He will bring disaster on those who will be conquering them. It's like, ok God I know you're mad and you're gonna do this but i'm going to focus instead on the day that you will turn the tables back around. Habakkuk says, I will wait patiently for the day... patiently. God just told him that their entire civilization was going to be conquered and he says he'll wait patiently. Wow! That blows my mind.

Then he says the following in verses 17-19
"Fig trees may not grow figs, and there may be no grapes on the vines. There may be no olives growing and no food growing in the fields. There may be no sheep in the pens and no cattle in the barns. But I will still be glad in the Lord, I will rejoin in God my savior. The Lord God is my strength."
in other words, we may be starving to death, our carcasses left out for the buzzards but I will be glad because this is God's plan and He will give us the strength we need.

Suddenly, I feel petty. I feel like my problems, although they seem tough to me, don't even compare to this and although, I do cry out to God and I do believe that his will is perfect, I wouldn't say I always rejoice in it. That's where I need to grow. Perhaps I am in the midst of growing in that area now. Whatever the case, I will rejoin in the Lord for He alone is my Savior and He alone gives me strength for whatever comes my way.