Riches

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night, your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21 [ESV])

Jesus told a parable in this passage from Luke. Many of us have heard of it during our lives, either from our own Bible readings or from preachers and teachers. The obvious point of this passage is not to store up things for ourselves because we might not live to enjoy them. The second point often made is don't store up things for yourself when many people around you don't have enough food to eat one meal today, and quite possibly they've not eaten in days. The third point, and I consider the main point, is what Jesus stated in the last of verse twenty-one. He tells people seek the riches that are most important. Seek to be rich toward God.

How can we be rich toward God? Jesus gave us several things to think about in this chapter of Luke. He told His followers in the first three verses to beware the leaven of the Pharisees. Don’t be hypocrites; don’t teach and preach one thing but do another. If you say you are God’s child, then act like you know God and obey His will. In the second section of this chapter, Jesus told the people following Him, not to fear the ones who can kill your body. Instead, fear the One greater who can kill your body and soul. Understand you are more than body; you are spirit, too, and are more valuable to God than sparrows (vs. 4-7). Fear not your death instead know and obey God by acknowledging Jesus Christ as the Son of God and your Savior (vs. 8-12). The Spirit He puts in you will always tell you what you should do and say. Don’t be anxious about these things. Remember, God will give to you what your body needs, so don’t worry about those things and become lustful or covetous. God will give you everything you need for living, shelter, clothes, food, and drink. Just as the flowers, grass, and birds do not toil for their life and beauty, God will take care of you, too. Instead, seek His kingdom and He will provide everything else you need. (vs. 22-31) Besides this, the taking care of your body, God knows He created you with spirit, unlike flowers, grass, and animals. He knows your spiritual needs differ from your bodily needs. So, fear not; God wants you to receive the gift of His kingdom. Your true treasure is in heaven, not on earth; therefore, sell what you have and give to the needy. Instead, give yourselves moneybags that don’t grow old or get eaten by moths. Decide for yourselves where your treasure is–tangible things or in God who provides for the body and soul. (vs. 32-34)

Each of the “do nots” and “fear nots” in the verses before verse 35, relate to a person’s earthly body, heart, and mind. Jesus relates it in a way for each listener to understand their bodily life is or can be affected by their spiritual life. Don’t be hypocrites; obey God. Don’t worry about what you will eat or wear, you are more than body; God takes care of your spiritual needs and your physical needs. Don’t deny God with your actions and words, but allow the Spirit to speak through you. Don’t be anxious. Seek God’s kingdom first. Trust in God for all things. As you do these things, you grow in your spiritual life; you grow closer to God. You expect and wait for God’s moving in the world around you. So, keep on the alert so you are ready when God moves among people and for Jesus’ second coming (vs. 35-40). Don’t be caught unaware by taking care of your needs and desires, but be ready for Jesus to come. Blessed is the faithful and wise manager, His child, for you do the work He told you to do even if the Master is delayed in His coming. (vs. 41-48)

These things are richness toward God, as Jesus spoke of in verse twenty-one. Jesus will return one day. Until then, God provides for His children, the ones who believe Jesus is the Son of God. He provides all their bodily needs and their spiritual needs. So, don’t live like those who call themselves religious. Don’t live like God made you as only a physical body. Live recognizing God made you of spirit and body, and only He provides each thing body and spirit need–food, drink, clothing, shelter, and cleansing from sin, which gives you eternal life and relationship with Him.  Don’t delay accepting Jesus as your Savior. You don’t know when He is coming. He may come to take the children of God to His kingdom before you accept Him as your Savior.

Give your life to God.

Believe Jesus is God’s Son, the Savior for all people.

God will make you rich in body and spirit from His storehouses.

Lord, I must confess I fail. I fail at obeying you always. I fail to hear you because I allow myself to get busy with the day. I fail to make You more important in my life than what I want. Lord, You know we all do these things. Everyone sins against You with this rebellion to lead their own lives and take care of themselves. Then, when verses like these arise, I remember I am more than just my body. You created me with a spirit, too, one that will exist long after my body dies. When I think of that, I tremble knowing what the consequences could be if I had not accepted You as my Savior. Lord, help me to be faithful to You. Help me to obey Your command to tell all people about You. I am not so heartless that I want anyone to die an eternal separation from You in hell. Show me where You are at work and put Your words in my mouth so the people I talk to hear about You. Lord, work in the hearts of people who aren’t saved so they will seek You and accept You as their Lord and Savior. Thank you for Your patience over the years as I have vacillated between obedience to You and striving for what I thought I needed. Help me to remember You love, majesty, and power and seek only You. You will provide everything I need for life now and for eternity. Amen.

Trusting Relationship

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.’” (Matthew 16:24 [NASB])

We may have read this verse of Scripture in the past or for the first time just now. Each time you may have wondered what that really means. “Surely Jesus didn’t mean we had to carry a cross around,” we say. “Surely Jesus didn’t mean we couldn’t work or have a family or have a home,” we think. With this verse, Jesus told His followers then and through eternity, to be His disciples, the ones who follow Him, we must deny all rights to our self to Him. We must trust God so much that we will do His will no matter what He asks of us. The cross is the pain of following God’s will. Jesus didn’t wake one morning and say, “I must have nails put into my hands.” The purpose of the cross for Jesus was to do His Father’s will, to provide salvation for all who would believe in Him as the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

We may think, “I can’t do that. How can I trust God, Who I cannot see, to take care of me and give me what I want and need?” That question is the apex of the problem for people. First, all we want is not what we need. It places our desires for more ahead of God and shows our discontent for what God has given us. We want more, more, more like a child in a toy store. That question shows we have not given ourselves wholly to God. Maybe you truly gave your heart to Jesus in your past, but when you ask this question, you show you have not grown in your knowledge or relationship with God. You show you do not trust Him to lead your life to “green pastures” like David wrote in Psalm 23. Now is the time to resolve that dilemma. We each individually must decide if we truly will be followers of Jesus. Doing that will mean giving up our right to ourselves and trusting God in everything and for everything. Trusting in God is the key. If you cannot do this, then you should wonder if you truly have been saved.

The second part of this ultimate question, “How can I trust God to take care of me,” shows our lack of faith in God’s love and power. If you cannot trust God for this, then can you truly say you’ve truly trusted Jesus for your salvation. God’s love is the backbone, the reason, for the salvation He provides. If you do not believe in God’s love, you do not trust God saves or can save you from your sins and the ultimate penalty of sins, death. This last thing, being saved from death, or your lack of trust that God can save you from death, shows you do not believe He has the power to save you from what every person you’ve ever known or heard about has experienced, ceasing to be alive on earth.

Trust is the key for both parts of the first question. Without trust, faith, in God’s power to forgive our sins, provide for our needs, and save us from death and sin, and in His love, you cannot deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. You have no power to deny yourself. You have no strength of conviction to carry a cross for God’s purposes, and you show you are not willing to follow Jesus. Trust in Jesus, in God, is the only thing we need to do to receive salvation from our sins and from death. If you cannot believe in Jesus as God’s Son for salvation, you cannot do what Jesus said His followers must do in Matthew 16:24.

Do you really trust God? Do you trust His love for you, and His power to forgive your sins and give you eternal life? If you can truthfully say yes to these questions, then you truly are a follower of Jesus. So, what keeps you from doing what Jesus told His followers to do? What keeps you from doing God’s will with your life, that is “taking up your cross and following Him (Jesus)”? Be honest with yourself. Examine your heart, mind, and spirit. What keeps you from giving God your whole being-heart, soul, mind, and strength?

Without living for Jesus, your boat has no compass. You motor or paddle around aimlessly until your strength or the gas in the motors is gone. That’s it and life is done. Nothing more remains for you. Living for Jesus gives you a compass and purpose. Your purpose is to follow Jesus, to deny yourself, take up your cross (doing God’s will), and following Him.

Don’t live without a compass.

Trust in God. You will have a purpose.

In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song:

Our city is strong!

We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation.

Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!

Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD God is the eternal Rock.

(Isaiah 26:1-4 [NLT])

Lord, I thought I believed in You. I thought I trusted in You. But now I read your Word and think about it, I realize I have not entrusted my whole life to You. Please, Lord, forgive me for holding back and for not taking up my cross and following You. Forgive me for living life on my terms and only trusting You for that moment I decided to be saved. I realize, I never allowed You to have my heart and life. Lord, I give them now to You. Take all of me, my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Grow me to be more like You and use me for Your purposes. Use me for whatever You will. I will deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You. Amen.

Jolted or Joyful

“Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” John 16:20 [NIV]

Consider your planning for a great trip. You’ve mapped out your route. You’ve saved enough money to pay for it. You’ve even found a wonderful house sitter or dog sitter. After your first day of driving to reach this grand place of which you’ve dreamed, your car has a flat tire. When you go to change the tire, the engine hisses. When you find a mechanic and get to his garage, you learn your car needs a new radiator along with a new tire. One thing after another hits you as you contemplate your plans and what you are going to do. You did not plan on having difficulty and so didn’t save extra money. Now, you must use the rest of the money you saved for your trip to pay for your car repairs. Are your hopes dashed? Do you wonder what you should do, go home or go onward to your destination? How can you ever have joy on this great adventure you planned when it will cost you much more money than you saved? Life is like this. God knew what would happen before you even began your journey. He had a plan for you for that time.

The statement above by Jesus to His disciples in John 16:20 came after He began preparing them for what would happen to them when He fulfilled His purpose on earth. Jesus told them in the first eleven verses of John 16 that people would kill and persecute them thinking they were serving God. He told them these people would do this because they do not know the Father or Him. But, Jesus, because of His love for the disciples and their devotion to Him, warned them about these future dire circumstances to prepare them. After He told them He would go to the One who sent Him, He told them He recognized their grief because of these things He said. Because the disciples believed in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, He said He would send an Advocate, His Holy Spirit. Jesus sends this Advocate to each person who believes in Him.

Jesus recognized His disciples could not bear anymore teaching about His last days on earth (His departure from them) and about their future persecution and death by people who don’t believe in Him. He told them the Spirit of truth would guide them in all truth. Jesus would not leave them without a guide and teacher, One who teaches what He hears from the Father and who will glorify Christ. This Spirit will tell the disciples what Jesus wants them to know.

Jesus began teaching in John 16 by preparing the disciples. He told them He would depart from them and return to the Father, and people would persecute and kill them because they were His disciples. Yet, Jesus would send an Advocate to teach them, the Spirit of truth Who comes from Him to guide them in all truth. He returned to telling the disciples, they would not see Him and then they would. The disciples questioned what Jesus meant. How can a person be seen then not seen, except by death? Even their understanding of death meant they would not see a person after he or she died. The disciples were confused. Jesus recognized their confusion and sought to give them clarity.

The death Jesus spoke of was His own. At His death, the non-believers would rejoice, while His disciples would mourn. Yet, from the day Jesus rose from the grave, the disciples would rejoice, and the people of the world would be confused. Some people would be angry and consult others in an attempt to understand how this could happen. Jesus told the disciples they would mourn for a little while then rejoice. They would understand that earthly mourning was just for a season, but joy lasts forever because Jesus lives for eternity. He conquered sin and death forever. Mourning and grief are a momentary part of time while joy is eternal for the people who are Jesus’ followers.

For the disciples to understand this better, Jesus used the analogy of a pregnant woman in labor. While the woman labored, her pain was great, and she found it hard to experience joy because of the depth of the pain. Yet, when she held the child in her arms, the joy of his/her birth would overshadow the anguish and pain of labor. Just so, Jesus said, their mourning of His death would be overshadowed by His resurrection, His victory over death forever. Because Jesus conquered sin and death, the disciples could know joy exists forever even when pain, anguish, and trials existed. Those times of pain, anguish, and trial would last for a moment, but the joy of victory over sin and death and the eternal hope it brings would last for eternity.

While the world rejoices at your difficulties and points their fingers at how they bested the one who follows Jesus, you can know your grief for the moment will turn to joy. You can have joy despite and in the midst of whatever your circumstances may be. Though people may persecute you and kill you, Christian, you have a joy that outlasts what humans can do to you.

Let’s take that thought one step further. To love Jesus means absolute (total) devotion to Him and His will. As we pray each day in our time with Him, we ask Him to use us and to make us like Himself. Often this thought comes habitually without really thinking about what the consequences might mean. If we do not truly mean these things and do not seek Him and desire to be completely devoted to Him, circumstances will surprise us. They never surprise God. He knows our heart, our inmost being. (Psalm 139) When we pray this prayer from habit, without depth of heart, we try to make ourselves like Jesus as if Jesus is the pattern or example of supreme goodness. What we need to realize is that we cannot make ourselves like Jesus. True followers of Jesus, believers in Jesus as the Messiah, recognize He makes us into His image through His power and by the guiding and teaching of the Holy Spirit. When we truly mean what we pray, “Make me like You, into Your image for Your service,” we understand Jesus is the One who makes us like Himself. Only when our prayer to be made like Him comes from the depth of our devotion and faithfulness to Him can we preparedly and joyfully face persecution trials, and death.

We cannot make ourselves like Jesus by our power.

Only Jesus can make us like Him by His power.

God is not surprised by the depth of humanity’s sinfulness and rebellion against Him. He is not surprised people will persecute His followers and kill them. Jesus told His disciples this in John 16. He told His disciples and tells us today through the Bible and His Holy Spirit that we can have joy during life’s hard times. Why? Because Jesus overwhelmingly conquered sin and death. He lives forevermore. Humanity threw its best to defeat Him; they crucified Jesus. Yet, God’s best is greater than humanity’s best. He has power over all things, life and death. Because Jesus is victorious, we can be victorious and have joy while walking with Jesus through difficult times. Imagine having joy while grieving, and relief while being homeless or jobless. Imagine knowing without doubt something greater exists than this life and nothing in your present moment will have eternal significance. God is powerful, loving, and great. He is not surprised by what happens. He is greater than anything that occurs in your life and in the world. God loves you.

Consider what the psalmist said in Psalm 139 after stating to what depths God knew him. He said in verses seven through twelve,

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. (Psalm 139:7-12 [NIV])

Whether we try to hide from God or evil tries to hide us from God, God is greater. Even in those supposedly hidden places and in darkness, God’s hand will guide you and support you. Nothing can separate you from God. Paul spoke about this victory from evil for us in Romans 8:36-39. He wrote,

Just as it is written “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [NASB]

Hard times will come. People will hurt us. Some people may kill Christians. We recognize these things are true. They are part of human history, our present time, and humanity’s future, but we don’t have to linger and quiver in our minds and lament. Because Jesus is our Lord and by His power, He changes us and makes us more like Himself daily, we have hope beyond this current difficult time. This moment will not last, but eternal life with God in His kingdom will last forever. We are more than conquerors, more than victors, and nothing can separate us from the love of God. Yes, pain will come and is with us now, but we have an eternal, unquenchable joy found only through Jesus Christ. For now, we may have grief, but we can hold onto the joy Jesus gives to each of His followers. We will see Jesus; we believe right now and at the times we face difficulties, always, He is with us. Nothing and no one can take this joy from us.

Jesus gives us eternal, unquenchable joy.

Consider that great adventure you planned, and the expensive car repairs you didn’t plan for on the way to your destination. Will you allow the difficulty to steal your joy about the adventure? Will you seek God and His will, walking in the power He will give you for this situation? God has a plan. That plan includes His love for you and your spiritual growth. What will you do, focus on the problem or on God, who knows what is happening and has a plan to walk with you through the difficulty? These problems are fleeting, but God is eternal and your salvation through Him is eternal. Let the joy He gives you be greater than the burden of the problems. One is eternal and the other momentary.

Problems are fleeting, but God and His salvation to you are eternal.

What grief or what difficulty has come upon you and is causing you to lose sight of Jesus. Are you working through your difficulties with just a human perspective? Keep your eyes and heart on Jesus. Keep looking at Him. His joy, the joy He gives to you, is greater and longer lasting than your grief and pain. Let your momentary difficulties bring glory to Jesus Christ. The song writer, Helen Howarth, reminds us of this in her hymn called Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

(https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/645)

Let your momentary difficulties bring glory to Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, so often I get caught up in my troubles and I lose sight of you as I try to figure out why the problem has happened and what I can do to get out of it. Lord, forgive me for living in my own strength. Forgive me for losing perspective and seeing life from an earthly standpoint. Forgive me for not seeking You, looking to You, and allowing You to be the conqueror of my situation. Lord, truly, I am to be made like You by Your power, not my own. I don’t want to make myself in Your pattern, but for You to make me like You. Help me to grow, to be more devoted to You, and to love You with my whole being. Help me to trust You completely and have the joy You give because You are the Conqueror. This current difficulty is a moment in time, but Your power and joy are eternal. Thank you for loving me, for saving me, and for giving me hope and joy amidst pain, trials, and death. Amen.

Beware and Seek

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Jesus taught His Sermon on the Mount to a multitude of people. Some were Jews, others were seekers, and some were His disciples. Jesus began this part of His sermon the way He ended it, with a command. He began the first command on a negative note. Jesus ending command was positive.

Jesus said in verse one, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them.” He put people on notice not to do something in verse one. Jesus taught the people not to do things to “be noticed,” to receive honor, prestige, and glory. If you aim to do good things, those good deeds are ideas from God and He should receive the glory, not you. When you give to the poor, no one besides the person who you helped, God, and yourself should know. Jesus said the same thing about praying. You should not pray so people will notice you, but instead pray to God for Him to notice you, and to develop your relationship with Him. Prayer is about building your relationship with God and staying in a close relationship with Him. If you pray so others will see you and give you honor and praise, that will be your only reward. You get what you wanted-honor and glory. Your intention for prayer would not be for God to hear you, for you to hear from Him, and to have a deeper relationship with Him, but for people to recognize how “devout” you are. This desire for honor and glory is not righteous. Taking the honor and glory steals from God and makes you unrighteous.

What happens, though, when you pray so people will see or hear you or when you do good works so people see you doing them, the deeds God initiated in your heart? When you do these things to receive honor for yourself, the focus of your heart has changed from God to yourself. Instead of living a “top-down” life, that is acknowledging God and His will as primary in your life, you live an upside-down life with your will being primary in your thoughts, words, and actions. This leaves God to be secondary or non-existent in your life. The latter is of what Jesus told His hearers to “beware.” If you live an upside-down life, then your honor and glory, and your desires are primary motivators in your life. But, as Jesus pointed out in this chapter, you will end up worried and concerned about daily life things such as clothing, food, and drink. You might receive honor for yourself, but you end up worrying how you will provide for yourself and your family, basic things of life. You will have excluded God from your life and trust in Him that He will provide all your needs is nonexistent.

Why does this happen? It happens because God is not primary; He is not Lord of your life. When God is primary in your life, you can pray as Jesus taught in verses nine through thirteen. You reverence God and acknowledge He is the true God, and He is holy, not you. You seek His kingdom, His reign and wisdom, to come rule over earth just as it is in heaven. You desire God’s reign in your own life, too. For this to occur, you recognize only God is righteous and makes people righteous. In being made righteous by God, you want and sometimes must apply discipline to seek a growing relationship with Him. Your growing relationship with God teaches you that God will always take care of your needs. Just as He beautifully clothes relatively small, inconsequential creations like birds and the lilies of the field, He will clothe you, a human made in His image. As long as you stay in a relationship with God, Jesus said, you need not worry about what your body needs.

Jesus basically said to stay in a “top-down” relationship with God as primary in your life. With God at the head of your life, you recognize Him as God and King over you. You receive your righteousness from Him and acknowledge He is Lord. Your main goal in your connection with God who gives you righteousness is to stay in a growing relationship with Him. When you choose as the main thing in your life to have a growing relationship with God, then all other things fall into place. God remains King of your life, you give Him honor and glory, He provides everything you need, and your love for Him deepens so you obey Him.

 This is what Jesus meant in verse thirty-three when He told His followers, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus emphasized this point for a second time in this chapter. At the beginning of the chapter, He spoke about it in a negative format using the command “beware.” At the end of this chapter, Jesus used the positive command “seek.” “Beware” of doing this (seeking your own glory) and, instead, “seek” for God is what He told His hearers. What did Jesus mean when He told the people to seek God’s kingdom?

Our primary task as Christians is to stay in relationship with the God of our salvation and righteousness. That should remain our focus. Being in a close relationship with Him means we will obey Him when He tells us to do good, pray, fast, visit the sick, teach, preach, or any other thing He commands us to do. Our obedience shows our love for God. When we seek a growing relationship with God so that our will is to obey Him, that is “seeking first His kingdom.” Because we seek God, He will provide for all our needs. We will not put our glory or honor first and seek to provide for ourselves what we think we need. Instead, we seek God first. Instead we give God the glory. Instead we let God take care of us.

As Jesus said, we cannot serve two masters-God and our own self. We will end up hating one and loving the other. Instead of trying to make yourself master of your life and ending up worrying how you will give all your family needs, pay your bills, or bring your prodigal home, let God be Master of your life. Let Him provide for you. Let Him bring your prodigal home. Let Him be your Lord and Savior, your King. Anything you give yourself and family will be destroyed, rust, or rot. God gives what you need, and it will last forever. Instead, do as Jesus taught and don’t worry.

“Seek first His [God’s] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” [NASB]

Lord, please forgive me for trying to rule my own life. You’ve been patient and watched me as I tried and fumbled. Lord, I recognize You as my Savior and King. Please forgive me and take control of my life. Help me grow in my relationship with You each day. Give me the burning desire to seek You daily. Use me for whatever you want. Lead me in your ways. May You receive all the honor and glory. Provide everything I need. Help me not to worry but give all my cares to You. I am taking my hands off the steering wheel of my life, Lord. I give its control to You. Thank you for being King and ruling with unconditional love and wisdom. Amen.

Trusting Peace

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27 (NASB)

So often we fail in having/experiencing peace where we have no control over a situation or outcome. Yes, we believed in Jesus for our salvation and we have peace about our sins and salvation, but as we grow, we find other areas of our life that we withhold from God, maybe not intentionally, but withheld it is. How do we know we do this? We are frantic, agitated, and have no peace and no rest. We scramble trying to make “it” work or trying to change an outcome. We worry about a person, a job, a home, anything really. This shows us we are not at peace. It shows we have not given everything to God to take care of. We haven’t entrusted that person, situation, or thing into His care wanting His perfect will. Why? We are afraid and don’t trust God. We are afraid pain may be involved-pain in our hearts. We are afraid God won’t give us what we want.

This fear, this being afraid, does not come from God, but from Satan. He uses our humanness to desire things knowing they contradict God’s perfect will for our lives. Satan uses our human frailness of desire to lead us not to trust God completely. He leans into us and we lean away from God. Fear becomes a resident emotion. It stays until we trust God and give to Him that part of our lives-the person, situation, or thing with which we wrestle for our own outcome. To grasp the peace of God, we must let go of our desire for these finite things and instead desire God, trust Him and hold onto Him. We should pray for the strength to grasp the peace of God. God’s peace is everlasting and is not fleeting like the peace the world gives. Getting that thing, conquering that situation, or gaining that person’s trust, allegiance, and/or covenant gives peace only for a time, not for eternity. Fear then will return. If we grasp onto God by trusting Him in that situation instead of trying to take care of it ourselves, then God’s peace given to us will carry us through as we trust Him and follow Him with obedience.

Often it seems easier to get the peace the world offers because we can work at it for ourselves. The work ethic has taught us self-sufficiency. “Why ask God for something I can do myself,” is often what we think. When we do this, we make ourselves our god instead of seeking God’s will and letting Him provide what we need and sometimes what we want. When we gain what we want through the actions of our own hands, we have peace, but it doesn’t last. We realize too late we didn’t seek God, trust Him, and get His peace. It seems hard to keep hold of the trust in God that gives His peace. Our trust is imperfect; yet we say, “But I trust Him, I trusted Him for my salvation. Doesn’t that mean I trust Him?” Trust in God grows in us as we seek Him and His perfect will. God permits us to make decisions. Those times of decision are where we can exercise trust in Him, grow more like Christ, and gain peace.

How do we do trust God more? How do we re-orient our minds so that we seek God first instead of striving for ourselves to gain what we want? We must go back to the time of our salvation and then walk through our memories recalling the times God worked in our lives. These spiritual markers remind us of who God has been for us, what characteristics of God we saw at work in each of those situations. To trust God for our current situation(s), we must remember His love, grace, and mercy that provided salvation for us. He still loves us and wants good for us. Paul stated this same thing in Romans 8:28 when he said, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

As we continue our walk through our memory garden of spiritual markers, we arrive at a marker that reminds us of God’s power, might and dominion. That marker came from the moment we recognized God created us with His creative power and provided for and protected us with His mighty hand. He is greater and mightier than all things created. That is when we also realized He is Ruler; He has dominion over all. We realized we could trust Him to do what He said He would do. We realized He would take care of all our needs. Now we must take that trust that comes from believing these things and more. Don’t let it be hidden from our hearts and minds. Receive God’s peace because of it. He is Lord over all. Nothing defeats Him or surprises Him.

God already has the plan to take care of our situations for which we thought we had to strive. We must trust His heart and receive the peace He gives through His indwelling Holy Spirit. Remember, Jesus said to His disciples in John 14 He would send His Spirit to teach and bring to remembrance all He said. The Holy Spirit is the Helper. He will remind us of God’s truth.

Trusting God and receiving His peace sounds easy when we step back to gain perspective. That process of stepping back from our situation is the first step toward peace. Our humanness gets in the way of seeing and/or obeying God and skews our perspective if we don’t step back. When we step back, we realize we are not the god of our lives. We realize we will not receive lasting peace if we seek our own will. When we step back, we recognize God is bigger than our circumstance and our desires. These do not define or limit Him. He is still Master and defines and limits our situation. God provides the correct way and that gives perfect peace. Doing this, stepping back and letting God take control of the situation, grows our trust in Him. It gives us another spiritual marker upon which to look back in the future to remind us of when God led the way, gave us the better way, and gave us lasting peace.

Having peace requires effort on our part. That effort is stepping back and trusting God’s perfect will to effect the best plan for our situation. Christ offers peace. He said in John 14:27, “Peace I give you.” We must accept and grasp Christ’s peace by stepping back and letting God be Lord of our lives. We are each works in progress. None of us on this side of heaven is completely remade into the image of God. We are daily being made more like Jesus. We must daily set our hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1). We must take to heart, and put into our minds and spirits, the final phrase of John 14:27. He said, “Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Jesus gives peace, lasting peace, unlike what the world gives. Will we step back from our situations, see God as our Lord, the mighty, powerful Ruler, and trust and obey Him in the situation? We should not trust in ourselves to deliver us from our situations and desires, but rather we should trust in God who raises the dead, creates all things, and loves and saves us from our sins. (2 Corinthians 1:8-10) Trusting and obeying God gives perfect, lasting peace.

“Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Refreshing Peace: A Psalm 4 Devotional

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8, NASB

God anointed David as His chosen king over Israel. Absalom, his son, in disobedience and rebellion, tried to usurp God’s chosen king. David fled from Jerusalem while many of his counselors and soldiers sided with Absalom. Through this frightful time, David could have feared and lost heart. Instead he provided a testimony and gave instruction.

In Psalm 4, his song and prayer to God, we hear David’s distress and his confidence in Jehovah. His confidence in God hearing his cries of distress are evident. David’s recognition that God is righteous and the source of his own righteousness shows he knows from whom his blessings come and who is all-powerful.

After addressing God in verse one, David spoke to all people, not just his pursuers. He taught that God sets apart the godly man, the person who seeks Him. David gave himself as example that God hears and responds to the person who seeks after Him, the person who is set apart for Him.

David explained how to be a godly person, one whom God sets apart. He gave six commands to people who want to be God’s child.

·         David said to tremble and be in awe of and fear God. This comes from recognizing who God is. Trembling is a physical reaction and an internal reaction to the mightiness and greatness of God.

·         He told the people not to sin, but to follow the LORD and His commands. To sin means to miss the mark. God created the world and established its morals of right and wrong. When we sin, we deliberately rebel against God and His commands, laws, and precepts. Sinning is desiring what you want more than what God wants. It is turning away from God.

·         David instructed people meditate in their heart about God and His Word. Meditation requires quiet and calm so he suggested being in bed (lying down) or the bed chamber. Jesus taught His disciples to pray in their closets, their quiet place.

·         Be still in mind, heart, and body to ponder on God. Let no distraction come between your inner self and your meditations on and with God. Being in a quiet place like a closet or bedroom aids in being still in body, mind, and heart.

·         Offer sacrifices of righteousness to God, which can only be done when that person is in right standing with God through His forgiveness of the person’s sin. Righteousness is more than following the laws God set in the Old Testament. It comes from God, the source of righteousness, by a person’s confession and repentance of sins and God’s removing the guilt of that sin from that person’s soul so no wall remains between him/her and God. The penalty of sin is death – permanent separation from God. God provided His Son to die our death penalty so we can be righteous and come into His presence – be His children. When we are righteous, we can be in the presence of God and offer sacrifices of righteousness.

·         Trust in the LORD. Be secure and have absolute confidence in the LORD for your safety. Though people can hurt and kill your body, nobody can destroy the soul of a child of God. Trust in the LORD brings boldness in faith knowing nothing can separate you from the LORD.

In God, David found his greatest blessing. For David, God was of greater worth than abundance of grain and new wine. Being in the presence of God, being made worthy by His righteousness, gave complete joy, contentment, and peace to David. Knowing and having this – a saving relationship with God – gave David perfect peace so he would rest from his worries and sleep, getting complete refreshment. He trusted God to guard him. He let down his own guard, which allowed him to get perfect refreshing rest because of the perfect peace that trust in God gives.

Do you have this perfect peace? Can you let down your guard knowing God is protecting you and providing for you a greater bounty than what the world and your striving can give? If you seek this kind of relationship with God, do what David taught.

·         Meditate on God.

·         Be still and know Him.

·         Tremble and know Him.

·         Receive His forgiveness and do not sin.

·         Offer sacrifices of righteousness.

·         Trust in the LORD.