Bad Things

Image via Wikipedia Bad Things

 

Think of the misery that comes into our lives by our restless gnawing greed.  We plunge ourselves into enormous debt and then take two and three jobs to stay afloat.  We uproot our Families with unnecessary moves just so we can have a more prestigious house.  We grasp and grab and never have enough.  And most destructive of all our flashy cars and sports spectaculars and backyard pools have a way of crowding out much interest in the family, love of people, and those areas and virtues that make life worth living.  How clearly the Apostle Paul saw this when he warned that our lust for wealth causes us to fall into Many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction" (1 Tim. 6:9).

But we do not need to be imprisoned to greed.  We can be ushered into a life of peace and serenity.

We weary of competing commitments and exhausting schedules.  We desire to be obedient to God in all things, and have a growing knowledge that this frantic scramble is not his will.  We yearn to enter the deep silences that give unity and direction to our lives.

Desire, however, is not enough.  If we expect to enter the inward peace for which we were created, we will need to order our lives in specific ways.  The things we do will not give us peace, but they will put us in the training program where we can receive it.

It is wonderful - this resting in God, this stilling of frantic activity this seeking first His Kingdom. 

We must have a time to still the churning, to quiet the restlessness, to meditate on the almighty God who dwells in our hearts.

The experience of pressure is an intrinsic aspect of all Christian living and it appears that this has always been so.  You are invited to identify with one or more traits or experiences of biblical leaders under pressure, and seek to apply new learning in specific areas of your own life.  There is a flow of experience and wisdom in the community of faith there is much that we can learn from the past.  In particular, the varied dimensions of brokenness portrayed in the lives of biblical leaders, and the rich learning - and sometimes healings - which they experienced by the grace and love of God, may inform and give profound insight to servant - children in the modern church.

Ask him for help

Image via WikipediaAsk him for help

 

How does your life say "God, I don't trust you" in money matters, relationships, honesty, entertainment choices?  Tell God all of your worries.  Admit your defiance and ask him for help.

When was the last time you tried to sneak something past God so he wouldn't notice?

Another aspect of Trust in our Father; is that we should not worry or be concerned about situations that occur in our life.  If we as earthly children would worry and concern ourselves with areas of the responsibility of our parents, we would become nervous wrecks.  We would also dishonor our parents by implying that they cannot handle these areas.  We are useful only to the extent that we allow God to use us.

(Isaiah 10:15)But the Lord says, "Can an ax claim to be greater than the man who uses it?  Is a saw more important than the man who saws with it?  A club doesn't lift up a  man; a man lifts up a club."

The struggle we have with a holy God is rooted in the conflict between God's righteousness and our unrighteousness.  He is just and we are unjust.  This tension creates fear, hostility, and anger within us toward God.  The unjust person does not desire the company of a just judge.  We become fugitives fleeing from the presence of One whose glory can bind us and whose justice can condemn us.  We are at war with Him unless or until we are justified...

I remember the sultry summer day in 1945 when I was busy playing stickball in the streets of Chicago.  At that time my world consisted of the piece of real estate that extended from one manhole cover to the next.  All that was important to me was that my turn at bat had finally come.  I was most annoyed when the first pitch was interrupted by an outbreak of chaos and noise all around me.  People started running out of apartment doors screaming and beating dishpans with wooden spoons.  I thought for a moment it might be the end of the world.  It was certainly the end of my stickball game.  In the riotous confusion I saw my mother rushing toward me with tears streaming down her face.  She scooped me up in her arms and squeezed me, sobbing over and over again, "It's over, it's over, it's over!"

It was VJ Day, 1945.  I wasn't sure what it all meant, but one thing was clear.  It meant that the war had ended and my father was coming home.  No more airmail to far-away countries.  No more listening to the daily news reports about battle casualties.... The war was over and peace had come at last.

That moment of jubilation left a lasting impression in my childhood brain.  I learned that peace was an important thing, a cause for unbridled celebration when it was established and for bitter remorse when it was lost....

When God signs a piece treaty, it is a sign for perpetuity.  The war is over forever and ever.  of course we still sin; we still rebel; we still commit acts of hostility toward God.  But God is not a co-beligerent.  he will not be drawn into warfare with us.  We have an advocate with the Father.  We have a mediator who keeps the peace.  he rules over the peace because He is both the Prince of Peace and He is our peace.

(From The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul)

God's Word teaches us sound doctrine. When was the last time you memorized a verse? Memorize Psalm 119:105. Consider memorizing one verse a week.

Image by Klearchos Kapoutsis via FlickrGod's Word teaches us sound doctrine. When was the last time you memorized a verse? Memorize Psalm 119:105. Consider memorizing one verse a week.




(Isaiah 26:3)"You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm."



What makes the Lord worthy of trust?



We see in this statement that we must stay with the program and then we will gain peace. This also means trusting him to control our lives for us and provide for us; therefore it means truly becoming his child. When we are devoted to him, our whole attitude is steady and stable.



"It is the will of God that we surrender our wills. Even though St. Paul talked much with our Lord and our Lord with him, these conversations remained fruitless until St. Paul surrendered his will and said: 'Lord, what wilt thou have me do?"... The only true and perfect will is the one that has been merged with the will of God, so that the man has no will of his own. Indeed one step taken in surrender to God is better than a journey across the ocean without it... Perfectly to will what God wills, to want what he wants, is to have joy; but if one's will is not quite in unison with God's there is no joy" (Meister Eckhart - The Talks of Instruction).



What is my plan of commitment?



The twenty-eight chapter of Deuteronomy is a powerful statement of the basic order of the universe. It does not claim that the individual who observes the laws of God will always receive prosperity, but it does state that there are certain laws according to which the world is run and that these are basic required rules. Any people group which runs contrary to these rules comes to grief, and conversely the individuals that observes them is assured of a future relationship with God. Justice, charity/love and integrity - rear their own reward because that is the way the world is meant to be run. Behind the chances and changes of life there is a pattern which the Creator has laid down for the smooth running of the world he has made. We have a choice either to share our relationship with others in accordance with these guidelines or we should not expect a rewarding future after we pass over to our permanent home. The real test of value is how well something holds up under the wear, tear, and abuse of everyday life.

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