2 Samuel 13:1-39; John 17:1-26; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 16:6-7
"When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him." Proverbs 16:7
In many evangelical Christian circles, the main focus of bringing people to the Lord is the eternal salvation of their souls. That is, of course, the most important reason. However, I must say it's by no means the only reason to ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life!
Yes, God wants us to join Him in heaven when our earthly body dies. But He also wants to make earth a bit more heavenly for us while we're still living. Walking with Him and following His Word brings us tremendous blessings the world could never offer us.
One of the greatest gifts God has given me as I walk through life is His peace. No matter what happens to me or those I love, Christ living in me comes to the rescue and carries my burdens. I am free to do what I need to do without fear, without worry, and without despair. Philippians 4:7 says, "and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus".
When I went to Hong Kong many years ago, I felt like I was putting my life in my hands each time I got into one of their taxis. IF there were traffic rules, nobody followed them. One day, our taxi driver slammed the car into a bus. Both drivers got out, screamed at each other for a few minutes, then got back in and drove away. There was no relaxing for me...it was quite the opposite! I had a complete lack of faith any of the drivers would get me safely to my destination!
With God it's different. He is bigger than any circumstance. When I place Him in the driver's seat of my life, I'm still in the car, but I can relax and let Him steer...even if the roads I travel are filled with tough situations.
I love today's passage. It reminds me that my responsibility is to please God. When I live according to His will, doing the things He wants me to do, He makes even my enemies live at peace with me. Just like it says in Philippians, it's a peace beyond anything I can understand or explain. But it's real just the same.
I look forward to going to heaven one day, but in the meantime, I'm grateful God loves me so much He gives me His peace while I'm still here on earth. His peace is available for everyone...don't leave home without it!
God bless you!
Pastor Susan
No comments:
Post a Comment