Just a quick note, this was written several weeks ago and originally meant to be a seminar

​Peace amidst the Chaos
 
We are living in what many are calling unprecedented times. I don’t know about that, exactly, but I do know that for most of us, we’ve never personally experienced anything like the global, national, and individual unrest that is happening right now. I personally feel things very deeply including the pain of people around me. The sights of men being murdered, the riots that followed that, the divisiveness of elections, and of course the stress and isolation as well as financial difficulties from quarantining due to Covid-19 have affected me as I am certain it has affected most. I was told by someone close to me that she saw me more acutely affected than many from the George Floyd and Ahmaud Aubrey murders. I don’t know about that, but I know I am profoundly angry and sad and hurt by those murders as well as the many other injustices I see around me.
I am Caucasian, and an African American friend made a general statement that any non-black person could not understand the unrest. Once again, I don’t know if that’s true or not. I am not black, but I am human. I was offended by her statements until I remembered nothing can truly offend me in Christ. I have to have mercy on others as Christ has mercy on me. She is hurting too, maybe more than I am hurting. I don’t know her life or experience and she doesn’t know mine.
As people fight over things like protests, riots, elections, masks, business, and leisure, I have been becoming increasingly anxious and depressed. I know I am not alone in this either. I’ve heard so many people talking about their own depression, some who have never experienced it before and don’t understand what it is, some who have suffered for years. I have listened as many talked about worries, anxiety, and even panic attacks. I have even been wrongly envious of people getting three to four times more per week from the government than I receive at my work as I experience the privilege to depend on the Lord my God.
But, as believers, we do not have to give in to the chaos and worry. We may be moved in love by the sad and broken world we live in, but we do not have to fall victim to the schemes of the enemy to destroy our hope, joy, or love. We do live in this world, but we are not of the world. We are not the same as the lost. We are in a position to change things, to control our responses, and to glorify God through any tribulation.
It is easier said than done, right? Where do we start? We start with Jesus. We start with believing God is who He says He is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then, we take control of our thoughts and hearts, we respond rather than react. We depend on the LORD to be who He is so that we can be who He says we are. We remember that this earth is temporary but our life in Christ is eternal. We remembered that suffering and tribulation is promised and prophesied; but so is perfect peace, everlasting joy, and undying love.
God told us to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Who is God? He is All-Powerful. He is Sovereign. He is Love. He is The LORD of Hosts. He is the Prince of Peace. He is Omniscient. He is Wonderful Counselor. He is Father. He is Savior. He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. He is our Helper. He is the Great I Am.
He is the God who Sees you. He knows you perfectly. He created you with purpose and has good plans for you. He is with you and He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). He will fight for you and you only have to be silent (Exodus 14:14).
Our part is to be still and to be silent. We aren’t trying to find peace through works and labor. We don’t get to know God by laboring, we get to know Him through being still, letting Him be God, letting Him fight for us. We need to rest. Especially when all these circumstances exhaust us. The author of Hebrews told us to strive to enter God’s rest. It seems like a contradiction to strive to enter rest. It isn’t. Enter God’s rest and being still and silent are choices we make, especially when the natural reaction is to worry and cry and yell and fight.
Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, our Savior purposely sought rest and solitude (Luke 5:16). He withdrew to be alone with the Father often. The scriptures share several instances when He took time alone with God and when He chose to withdraw with the twelve to teach. When others were reacting with fear to storms, Jesus exhibited His faith and peace by resting so He would be prepared to do the Father’s will. Matthew 8:23-27 tells us
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Even the winds and sea obey Jesus, why do we think He can’t or won’t be our Lord and Savior through any circumstance? He is able and willing (Matthew 8:3). He loves us and He thinks of us more than we could imagine. The world and everything in it belongs to God. We may see chaos, but the Creator knows His plan and we trust, we know nothing will thwart that plan. Acts 17:24-28 reads,
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.
Job 42:2-6 says this,
“I know that you can do all things,
    and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
    but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
    and repent in dust and ashes.”
What are God’s plans? Well, of course He has plans for us on this earth. Jeremiah 29:11-14 says this,
 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
His plans for us are good, for a future, and a hope. Are we seeking Him? Do we really want to know Him? To know Him, to know who He is we need to seek Him. We seek Him not welfare, not a future, and not a hope, but God Himself. If we look seek to know Him, we will find Him. We will know He is God. Those are the plans He has for us.
But ultimately, His plan is for us to spend eternity with Him. This earth is just temporary, it is an opportunity to bring as many people to Him as possible. What will even a very long life of 120 years be like compared to a billion years, 10 trillion years, and forever?
This earth has to be destroyed before we get to the beautiful forever God has promised us. The bad stuff, the terrible stuff is not God’s doing but He is using it to bring people to Him, to give them every opportunity to confess He is Lord and be His very own. But then... Oh Believer, let’s read it in Revelation 21:1-8
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
This is our hope, this is our assurance. This is our promise! It is real. It feels far off. I know it does. After a thousand years with Jesus, I will not even think about the pain and suffering I went through in my earthly life, but right now, it is with me and I am in pain. I don’t know how much more of this injustice, pestilence, and war I can take. But eternal life doesn’t begin on the day we enter Heaven, eternal life began the day we confessed Jesus as Christ and Lord. God is with us and He will never leave us.
I don’t have to cry out for justice, because Justice will come! He will come riding on a white horse (Revelation 19:11-21). He has said, “Vengeance is Mine!” (Deuteronomy 32:35).
This life is difficult!. Yes, Jesus is coming and He is bringing us justice, but sometimes I forget. Sometimes, I give in to the selfishness of my humanity and I find myself too often giving into myself and becoming more depressed, anxious, and even bitter and angry. Believer, I am not alone, you are not alone! God is with us! He is Emmanuel. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
But, we are also a part of the body of Christ with brothers and sisters who walk beside us. If you are not part of a local church, if you are trying to be a Christian without being a part of the body, you are short-changing yourself and you are not walking the way Jesus intended. My own local church are so much a part of who I am, I understand the concept of the bride being united as one with the Groom. I could not go through any of this without my beloved brothers and sisters walking beside me.
How do we go through a time like this? How do we make a difference in a world that seems to be degenerating exponentially day by day? What can we do?
Paul said it this way in Romans 12:9-21,
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It may sound like too much. It really isn’t. Let’s look at that passage again, this time from The Living Bible.
Don’t just pretend that you love others: really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with brotherly affection and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always. 13 When God’s children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.
14 If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, don’t curse him; pray that God will bless him. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Work happily together. Don’t try to act big. Don’t try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil for evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honest clear through. 18 Don’t quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, just as much as possible.
19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. Don’t take the law into your own hands. 20 Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink and you will be “heaping coals of fire on his head.” In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for what he has done to you. 21 Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good.
Point by point this says,

• Really (tangibly) love others.
• Hate evil, stand on the side of good.
• Take care of one another. See a need? Meet it!
• Love each other with empathy, truly be happy for each other’s happiness, be truly distressed for each other’s sorrows.
• Don’t think you’re better than anyone else.
• Whatever you can do to live peacefully, harmoniously with everyone. (no arguing, fighting, etc.)
• Don’t payback evil for evil, be honorable.
• Don’t avenge yourself. Vengeance belongs to God.
• Conquer evil by doing good.

In other words, Love one another. Love others. Love in action as well as in your heart. Love.
I know we can still feel anxious, we can still feel so devastated we wonder if we even want to keep going. What then? Paul said this in Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Wait! How am I supposed to rejoice when people are fighting all around me, when I don’t know how the rent is going to get paid, when men are pointlessly murdered and the world is falling apart all around me? Well, Believer, firstly, you have the hope that we talked about in Revelation 21, you are saved. Your suffering, our suffering gives us all the more reason to rejoice! 1 Peter 1:3-12 in The Message describes it this way,
 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.
6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
10-12 The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah’s Spirit let them in on some of it—that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves—through the Holy Spirit—the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!
You must purposely choose to rejoice, to bear in mind all this. We have that choice, we can control our thought life. And in controlling our thought life we control our responses and our actions. Paul tells us to fix our thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all we can praise God for and be glad about. Purposely choose to think about what we can praise God for and do it.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 says,
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Yes, we can rejoice through any circumstance. There is always something to praise God for! Go ahead right now and make a list of five things for which you can praise the Lord. What is true? What is beautiful? What is good? What has God done for you? What is God doing for you? If you are able write the list down, add to it as often as you think of something to add. Do this, do this for yourself. You can even use social media to your advantage instead of your detriment by posting praise instead of complaints, blessings instead of curses, gratitude instead of grievances.
As a side note, personally, for the most part, I had to get off social media. People feel free to fight, be hateful, and angry or overshare their politics behind the safety of a smartphone or computer screen and I just had to stop reading all of that stuff. But that is me, not you. You might find there are certain people or situations that add to your stress, from which you may want to further yourself. You may not.
Let’s return to Philippians 4:4-9 Verse 5 tells us to “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” What does that mean? Be levelheaded, don’t panic, don’t be the person running around screaming that the sky is falling because an acorn hit you on the head. Be rational, think. Be fair. Be sensible. Jesus is coming. We can’t forget that. That helps us remain reasonable and wise and it also helps us to glorify God as people observe us and note our calm faithful response to circumstances rather than our fear-fed reactions.
Verse 6 is the core to not worrying, it says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” So, the key to not worrying is don’t worry? Yes, but not just don’t worry. Instead of worrying pray, pray about everything, tell it all to God, every need, every concern, every hope, every request. As you pray, thank Him, thank Him for what you are praying for, knowing that whatever you ask for in His name, He will give you. Let me list a few verses that repeat this promise: Matthew 18:19 and 21:22. Mark 11:24, John 14:13, 15:7, 15:16, and 16:23, James 1:17,and  1 John 5:14. Thank Him for what you have, thank Him for what He has given. Be thankful.
The Living Bible says it simply this way, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.” This is your choice, your response to what could make you worry rather than your fearful reaction to circumstances. The promise that comes with this command is in verse 7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
People really don’t understand that peace, they may question it and give the wonderful joy of an opportunity to share His love, word, and gospel with them. But it also benefits us personally peace in the midst of chaos, is wonderful. Peace feels good! Peace makes it easier to live out the Word of God to live in the love we have been commanded to live. Our lives transform to more naturally display love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. That leaves us free from law and rules; it leads to true freedom to love one another as Christ loves us. It is not freedom to sin, even though there is no sin in Christ (1 John 3:5); it is freedom to love more, to rejoice more, to have more peace, mercy, patience, faith, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.
Beloved Child of the Living God, have you like me been tormented by the pandemonium of this extraordinary time? Wash your hands of the worry, draw near to God. You will feel His closeness to you. Love, rejoice, pray, be thankful, take control of your thoughts. Be still and know He is God.
 
 

​Psalm 86
You can’t count on circumstances, people, or even yourself for real joy and true peace.  Those things come from God. He never promised us rosy happy days or a life on this earth without hardship. But He gives us a way to know peace and joy through our suffering. King David understood this. He knew that even in the deepest pain he could know the greatest joy and during the most turbulent struggles he could have perfect peace.
Ask yourself and be honest, (you and God are the only ones who can hear your reply and He already knows the truth), “Do I know actual joy and peace even in the midst of the worst stuff?” Sincere joy doesn’t mean a big smile on your face, no matter what. Genuine peace doesn’t mean apathy. If you, like me fall short of these attributes then join me as I pursue God and seek His kingdom to know Him more deeply.
When David was suffering, what did He do? He prayed. Verses 1-7 read,
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
    for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
    save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
    for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
    for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
    abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
    listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
    for you answer me.
 
David acknowledged that he needed the Lord and he couldn’t meet his own needs (I am poor and needy). He conceded God’s sovereignty over his life (You are my God). In one sentence David declared his godliness, (his devotion to God’s ways) and declared his need for God’s grace. David knew he could only be godly because of God’s Lordship over him.
He also knew he was safe with The LORD because He is good and forgiving, and abounding in steadfast love. Abounding means rich, complete, and proliferating, having plenty, not lacking, and multiplying. Steadfast means constant, unswerving, reliable and stalwart. God’s love doesn’t depend on our behavior or effort. It doesn’t depend on how many hours, minutes, or seconds we spend in prayer or how much we gave to charity.  God’s love is abounding and steadfast. God is love 1 John 4:8 reads,
 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
 
King David could have joy because he could praise the Lord. He could tell God how great He is. When we praise God, we exalt God and we remind ourselves who God is and what He has done and is capable of doing. Verses 8-10 read,
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
    nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
    and worship before you, O Lord,
    and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
    you alone are God.
 
King David knew his answers didn’t lie anywhere but with the Lord. No god, no idol, no effort of his own can do what God can do. Nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). Though the world in large doesn’t worship Him now, one day all the nations will come and worship, one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). Only God can make that happen.
It is through our relationship with Him that His lavish and ever-present love makes us able to experience joy and peace. He teaches us. As we submit to Him, He changes us. Verses 11-13 read,
Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
 
I love how David puts it in verse 11, “unite my heart.” How often is my broken heart split into fear and faith? How often do I feel doubt, peace, trust, fear, despair and hope at the same time? My heart can war against itself. But God unites my heart and enables me to give thanks to Him with my whole heart. How? Walking in the truth, who is Jesus Christ I come to know God. 1 John 4:16-19 puts it this way,
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.19 We love because he first loved us.
God is perfect love and He casts out fear, He perfects His love in us, His love abides (stays) in us. Casting out fear doesn’t mean we have nothing to fear, it means we do not have to be afraid. God doesn’t cast our fear by taking all the things we fear away from us. He changes us, not the circumstances. Verses 14-17 read,
O God, insolent men have risen up against me;
    a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
    and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
    give your strength to your servant,
    and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
    that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
    because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
 
Enemies will still rise up against us. But we do not have to react in fear, despair, or hate. We depend on God, not ourselves. We depend on God, not our circumstances. We depend on God not people. We can respond in love, mercy and grace because God is merciful, gracious and abounding in steadfast love. When we do that, when we let them see the supernatural manifestation of God in us and not our natural selves, they will have the chance to come to know God too.
It is not natural for us to leave vengeance to God. It is not natural for us to have peace while people hate or conditions pull us down. It is not natural for us to remain joyful even in the middle of terrible suffering. It is supernatural, it is only possible with God. That kind of response is love perfected in us.
Peace and joy are the realization of your faith in God’s absolute unconditional love for you and for the people around you. Whatever you are going through, good or bad, authentic and indisputable joy and peace can be yours. Peace and joy do not stem from circumstances; they come from God. Believer, I encourage you today to pray, seek God, and praise Him. Live the fruit of the Spirit of God in you. I’ll leave you with this encouragement from Paul. Philippians 4:4-9 reads,
 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
 

​There is nothing noble about worrying, there is nothing brave about being stressed over life’s concerns. God commands us not to worry nor to be anxious. Philippians 4:4-9 says,
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
We choose our thoughts, as Spirit-filled followers of Christ we have self-control to decide what it is we think and meditate on. Just because we hear a whisper, have a fleeting thought, or have a problem does not mean we have to continue thinking, reflecting, or turning over those thoughts in our mind.
 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 says
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
When we worry, we are not trusting God, we are putting our faith in ourselves. Doing so, will mean we fall short. God wants to care for you, but if you choose to proudly do it yourself, He will let you. 1 Peter 5:5-11 reads,
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:25-34 reads,
 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious”
We are commissioned to seek the Kingdom of God and we are appointed to seek God. These two things are similar. The Kingdom of God is God’s will on earth, the community of believers, and the people whom He calls to salvation. Seeking God entails knowing Him more, seeking a closer relationship with Him and allowing Him to conform us to Christ’s image. Seeking God earnestly will result in us seeking His Kingdom. Genuinely and intently seeking God grows our faith and makes it clear that every need, every other pursuit, and even our desires will be given to us.
Psalm 40:16-17 says,
“But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God!”
 
Seeking God is not only a state of mind, it is an active pursuit. While being busy, even serving often seems the right thing to do, seeking God is rarely if ever about busyness. Serving with the right mind-set can be seeking the Kingdom of God, but studying, fellowship, and listening at God’s feet is an active quest for more of The Lord. Luke 10:38-42 describes it this way,
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Let the Lord take care of you! Give it all to Him, your sin, your worry, your plans, and your expectations. Be still, sit at His feet. Fellowship with The Lord. Psalm 55:22 says,
“Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 37:1-7 tells us,
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!”
God is able! He is God! Truly you can trust in Him. Look at what He has already done. Even when the world is in turmoil, even when things seem chaotic and terrifying, you can know God has it. He is sovereign. Psalm 46:8-11 reads,
“Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.   Selah”
Worrying is not honorable. Working yourself ragged trying to meet your needs is not virtuous. Trusting God is the royal attitude of a child of the King of kings. Do not worry. Have faith.

Psalm 34

David was described as a man after God’s own heart in1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22. It is the person after God’s own heart that the Lord anoints (separates for a holy responsibility or chooses for distinction). Like David, you and I are people after God’s own heart, or at least we ought to be. It means we want to know God personally, it means we take after Him in His nature, and that we want what He wants.

Have you ever been in a dire situation and had no idea how you would be delivered from it? David was in that kind of trouble more than once. The Lord always rescued Him. Because David was a man after God’s own heart, when he was in one of those harrowing predicaments he was able to listen to The Lord and trust Him. Such was the case in 1 Samuel chapter 21 when David was brought to Achish the king of Gath. The king’s servants exclaimed what a great warrior David was. The Lord impressed on David the danger of the circumstances as the king would likely kill him in his vulnerable state and gave him a plan. David began acting as if he had lost his mind. The king saw that David was no threat and let him go. This psalm was written in celebration of The Lord’s deliverance of David. Verses 1-7 read,

“I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

David praised the Lord, not only sometimes, not only when things were good but in every circumstance. He intended his words to always bless The Lord. That means that David never wanted his speech to bring displeasure or disagreement to God but to please Him and show others how great God was.

Notice that when David was in trouble he didn’t lean on his own strength or wit, but he sought God. God delivered him every time. Even if The Lord chose to let Him continue in his dilemma, he still gave David peace and took his fears away. God does that for us too. He may choose to allow us to go through trials, tribulations, and tests, but we do not have to fear because He is with us, surrounding us, protecting us, and delivering us from sin and death. Even in the worst of times we can smile, we can shine as we faithfully radiate the peace and love of The Lord.

It is that radiance which testifies to God’s greatness. The world can’t fathom how or why we don’t freak out. They can’t grasp how we can have such calm through the calamities we face. Philippians 4:4-7 describes it like this,

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Our lives are testimonies to God. Our lives call out to people. “Hey you oughta give this a try!” People not only wonder at our peace and joy, but at our contentment and provision. Verses 8-10 read,

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

Your life is a testimony to God and it should make people curious to know Him. You have the opportunity and the obligation to share Jesus with them. Verses 11-14 put it this way,

“Come, O children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.”

To seek a relationship with God, to call Jesus Lord, and to repent from sin is all anyone needs to do to be saved. Yes, God delivers us from many bad situations. But the worst situation He rescues us from is that of slavery to sin and eternal death in Hell. Once that is done, there is nothing to fear in this world. God’s got us in His strong hands. He keeps in His loving heart. He leads us with His awesome Spirit. Verses 15-18 read,

“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.”

He wants to do this for us, but we have to call out. We have to realize we need Him. We have to recognize our desperate situation and let it break our hearts. We can call out to friends, the government, and the bank, but the help we might get from them is temporary and still leaves us bereft and in slavery to sin. But calling out to Jesus means He will set us free, He will save us.

We will suffer, but we will go through those tribulations with the assurance and peace of The Lord God Almighty. We go through it with the hope of eternal life. We go through it knowing we will see Jesus face to face one day. The lost on the other hand will suffer eternal death and while we celebrate in New Jerusalem we will not even remember them, it will be as if they never existed. We know The Spirit, God Himself is not only with us surrounding us but inside us as we are in Him. Jesus died on the cross to give us that gift. He rose from the dead to claim victory and freedom for us. He ascended to Heaven to give us the guarantee of salvation through The Holy Spirit. Verses 19-22 say,

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
    not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”

Psalm 29

One of the best ways to praise the Lord is to attribute to Him, His titles and works. By doing so we remember all He has done for us, we glorify Him by testifying to the everyone how great He is. Verses 1-2read,

“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”

The words heavenly beings in this verse does not refer only to angels the word is actually benei which translates sons or descendants. We praise God by crediting Him with who He is. He is glorious and strong. He is our glory and our strength. He is worthy of these praises and our worship because He is holy and all the good things like faith, hope, and love come from Him.

He is our Almighty Creator. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. Verses 3-9 read,

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

 It is with His voice, His word that His will is achieved. He spoke the heavens, earth, animals, plants, and people into being. So everything is His. He has authority over all of creation. It is His sea, His forest, and His animals. Even the weather obeys Him. The thunder and lightning are His. Calamities such as earthquakes and hurricanes must answer to Him.

We, The Lord’s sons and daughters do not have to fear the weather, nature, or animals because our Father rules over them. He sends them with purposes and He cares for us throughout. He is our King, the King of the entire universe from galaxies to atoms, it is all in His control. What do we have to fear? Verses 10-11 read,

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace!”

All God’s names, Lord of Peace, Almighty, and King of kings, Lord our healer, and the others are all gifts He gives us, His traits given to us, or accounts of what He has done. In His name as His children we act in the way God would have us act. We are people who can bring the peace of God to the lost, who can demonstrate the strength of the Lord to the weak, and who can be the love of God to the world. Nothing can move Him from His place of sovereignty.

How wonderful it is to praise Him by recounting all He has done for us. It is lovely to repeat to the lost and the saved all of His mighty deeds! Our Savior. Our Healer. Our Father. Our Bridegroom. Our Comforter. Our Peace.

Psalm 20

What an amazing joyful blessing this Psalm is! Believer, do you know what a blessing it is to be saved? Do you understand how privileged you are to be a child of the King? It is a magnificent honor and it is not one we are supposed to keep for ourselves. We are supposed to want it for others. We are supposed to be so much like our Lord that our love draws them to Him, that His love exemplified in our lives brings others to Him. We trust the Lord because we know Him. What can we expect from God? Verses 1-3 read,

“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion!”

We know God answers us, always. We stay in constant communication with Him and when we face trouble, strife, and difficulties we can call on Him. He protects us. He saves us. He gives us peace. Calling on Jesus’ glorious name is the first act of repentance and salvation. In Romans 10:11-13 Paul put it this way when He quoted Joel 2:32

“For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Once saved, we simply do not stop calling on His name. We depend on Him entirely. We entered into a relationship, a peace with God that day. He gave us refuge in Him. But we continue calling on Him. When we deal with various situations we ask Him to lead us through. We gain His wisdom, peace, kindness, gentleness, patience, faith, and love as we continue to call on Him. And we know, when we ask that He saves. And our response to Him in love, not obligation is worship and praise. It is a continual repentance, not in shame but humility as we give up our sinful flesh and allow the Spirit to change us to be like Him. Verse 3 reads,

“May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!”

God regards sacrifice, worship, and praise with favor when they are performed from a right attitude. When He rejected Cain’s sacrifice it was not because it wasn’t as good as Abel’s. It wasn’t because it was grains and not meat. It was because Cain offered it to make himself look good. It came from pride, envy, and bitterness. Abel’s sacrifice was done in adoration of God. God knows the sincerity or the disingenuousness of our adulation. He knows what and who delights us. Verses 4-5 read,

“May he grant you your heart's desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
    and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!”

Is our joy and pleasure in the Lord and His awesome gift of Salvation? Is our heart merged with His? People love to quote Psalm 37:4, let’s read it in context. Psalm 37:3-6 reads,

“Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.”

God will fulfill our joy and make us righteous. He will make our virtue evident to the world as He conforms us to His image. He will, like the loving Father He is grant us all good things and goodness. Do we really think that the contrite heart of Jesus desires a mansion with 12 bathrooms or124 pairs of designer shoes? No, the heart of God desires our hearts and the hearts of every person. Remember God doesn’t want a single soul to be lost. (2 Peter 3:9). How then can we be okay with that?

It doesn’t matter how bad the situation, God can save us from it or carry us through it. He is Salvation. No matter what the need, God can fulfill it. His grace is enough. His love is abundant. His faithfulness is constant. We do not have to run around trying to fix our problems on our own. We trust in the Lord God Almighty. We don’t put our faith in money or our hope in armies. We put our confidence in God, our All in All. Verses 6-9 read,

“Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
    he will answer him from his holy heaven
    with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

9 O Lord, save the king!
    May he answer us when we call.”

Remember, trust in God. When troubles come, call on Him. When you want more goodness in your life, call on Him. When you have needs, call on Him. When you want to be more like Him, call on Him. When you want or need anything at all, call on Him. He is enough. He is our Refuge. He is our Salvation. He is our Redeemer. He is our Provider. He is our Peace. He is our Father. He is I Am.

Leviticus Chapter 26

This chapter tells about two opposing lifestyles for Israel and for the child of God, obedience and disobedience. First the Lord gives two statutes that exemplify a relationship with Him. Verses 1-2 read,

“You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.”

We know looking at Israel’s history that they couldn’t and wouldn’t stop worshipping false gods. They made idols every chance they got. Even at Mt. Sinai they made a golden calf. Even then when The Lord was so obviously present with them and doing miracles for their redemption. We also know that Israel turned the Sabbath from a celebration of rest and peace with God into a ritualistic job. They put a huge amount of effort into keeping His rest. That was never the intention of the Sabbath.

Both of those laws were about keeping the Lord first in their hearts, communing with the Almighty in love and fellowship. But they missed the boat. How many of us missed it?

Next The Lord told them how obedience would lead to blessings. He is referring to Israel and today to Believers. He doesn’t expect the gentile or the lost to obey Him, because they don’t know Him or His proclamations. Verses 3-5 read,

“If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.”

He gives His obedient children everything we need and more. He makes sure we have plenty. He gives His compliant children peace and security. We let Him deal with those who would hurt us and with the enemy. That isn’t our concern. Our enemy will be afraid of us because The Lord of Angel Armies fights for us. Verses 6-8 say it this way,

“I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.”

His security goes beyond fighting the enemy for us. It is in the fruit of our wombs, the fruit of the land, and the fruit of The Spirit. Obedience is possible because of faith and faith is fortified by obedience. Obedience, faith, and peace form an unending circle as each strengthens each.  The Lord gave us freedom, not so we could be enslaved by the law, but so we could freely worship and adore Him and so we could unreservedly fellowship with Him. Verses 9-13 read,

“I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. 11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.”

Believer, is your relationship with the Lord like that? He wants you to know Him intimately. If your faith is too small to let you obey Him, is your fear is too great to let you give yourself wholly to Him, He will do what He must to bring you into that complete and lovely dependence on Him. His discipline is for your benefit. Verses 14-17 describe it like this,

“But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.”

With each disciplinary action He allows, He gives the opportunity for us to turn to Him and repent. And each time we refuse to give up our pride and submit to Him the correction becomes more severe. If we choose not to trust in His provision and instead toil away for ourselves, He allows it. But without Him our laboring comes up empty. If we choose to fight our enemy ourselves, He permits it, but without Him our fight is futile and our hearts are filled with fear.

If we keep walking against Him, He will allow others to come in and fight us, harm us, and dominate us. How many times was Israel sent into captivity when they disobeyed? He will do what He must to restore us into a relationship with Him. Verses 21-22 read,

“Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins. 22 And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted.”

If we choose to walk without Him, He will let us go the road alone sweating and striving to meet our needs and fighting our own battles. Not because He doesn’t love us, but because He does and He will not force Himself on us. He takes His hands off our lives in those desperate times so we will turn back to Him. But He never spurns us, He never forsakes us. Verses 27-28 say,

“But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins.”

God doesn’t send discipline to us for no reason. He loves us deeply. He wants a friendship with us. He wants a union with us that is so profound that we have His nature and His heart and that we bear His image. All we ever have to do is turn to Him with repentant submissive hearts and He restores us to His intimacy. He prefers to be our tender loving Father instead of our wrathful God. Verses 40-42 read,

“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”

Verses 45-46 read,

“But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.”

46 These are the statutes and rules and laws that the Lord made between himself and the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.”

Are you being disciplined? Is the Lord calling back to obedience? Examine your heart. Is it beginning to harden against your adoring Father? Is your neck too stiff to turn to your loving Lord? Let His discipline break your pride. Find your faith and use it to bow to The Lord God Almighty.

Leviticus Chapter 10 Verses 1-7

Two of Aaron’s sons and priests to The Lord Nadab and Abihu decided to give an offering to God. But it wasn’t an offering the Lord had prescribed. It was something they felt they wanted to do and so they did it. Verse 1 describes it.

“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.”

From the outside there seems nothing wrong with them worshipping God in this manner. But God didn’t give them authority to worship Him in that way. Their act was not one of worshipping the Lord but one of idolatry, where they lifted themselves up to God’s level to create a ritual. Their act glorified them not God. Their act had no good purpose. And everything God does has reason and purpose. Verse 2 describes what happened next.

“And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

I can’t imagine the depth of grief Aaron had to feel when he saw what had happened to his sons. They had acted rashly and selfishly in front of all the people and now they were dead. Losing one child has to be horrific, losing two multiplies that loss tenfold. But Aaron loved his Lord. He trusted his Lord. He had learned his own lesson about idolatry when he allowed himself to be coerced into making the golden calf, when he betrayed The Lord for the people. But Moses spoke to Aaron. Verse 3 reads,

“Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.”

Holding one’s peace doesn’t simply mean not speaking up against something. It means making the choice to withdraw objections and arguments and accept the situation. For Aaron it meant He chose to let his faith in God be his comfort and calm and to let God be his Peace and Comfort. He didn’t mourn for his sons because he trusted His Lord.

Moses called two cousins of Nadab and Abihu, Mishael and Elzaphan to carry their remains out of the camp, he cautioned them not to mourn for the men. Moses told them they were anointed by the Lord and since their calling was higher, if they sinned by mourning the men instead of obeying The Lord they would incur His wrath and die.

The Lord’s blessings, His anointing, and His calling separate us from the common man. He exalts us to be holy. And He expects us to live up to that distinction. He gave Mishael and Elzaphan the honor of doing an important work for Him. Carrying burned corpses may not seem like much an honor, but it was. It came with an anointing from God. He selected these men. Their service allowed Aaron and his other sons to remain clean and continue serving God without interruption. At this time after seeing this awesome work of God, Israel needed her priests ministrations.

No job, when done for Our Lord God Almighty is insignificant. No task or service He assigns is without blessings. He could have chosen anyone. He chose Mishael and Elzaphan. He chose you! He equipped Mishael and Elzaphan and He equips you.

Perhaps He chose you to take the trash out. That may seem unimportant even trivial, but it isn’t. No! When you take out the garbage, the pastor is free to counsel the grieving widow. You had a part in God’s work in her life because you obeyed and collected the trash and carried it to the dumpster.

The Lord gave Nadab and Abihu a job too. Their calling was extraordinary. They were among the few who could act as God’s intermediaries and carefully carry out his words to bring and maintain peace with His children. But they took it upon themselves to make more of their job than God asked. They glorified themselves instead of God.

What if The Lord calls you to sing a song for the congregation and you decide to sing ten songs instead? The song He asked you to sing would have been a conduit for the congregation to commune with Him, the concert becomes an accolade for you. No longer is the assembly worshipping God, now they are admiring you.

We are all called to Love the Lord, Our God with our whole being, our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. We glorify the Lord, we lift up others to Him. He already lifted us, we don’t have to exalt ourselves. Do whatever we do for the Lord completely. Leave our own exultation out of it.

Colossians 3:23-24 reads,

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Leviticus Chapter 3

In this chapter The Lord gave Moses His Law regarding peace offerings. A peace offering was one made by the person of his own free will to show God his thankfulness or celebrate the fulfillment of a vow. This offering looks similar to the sin offering but there are differences. Verses 1-2 read,

“If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar. “

Because this offering was not for the atonement of sin but an act of worship, community, and thanksgiving the animal could be male or female. And because this offering was one of free will and one in which the meat would be eaten by the offeror and others, birds were not permitted. Only a portion of the offering was burnt and given to God. Verses 3-5 read,

“And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.5 Then Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”

The blood of the animal was applied to the altar. The fat was given to God. The rest of the animal was for the fellowship meal. The blood spilled took the place of the sacrifice of the offeror’s blood. The fat made the aroma of the offering pleasing to God. Fat was considered the prime part of the animal, the best part and so the best part was given to God. He also commanded that Israel never eat blood or fat. Forgoing fat was a symbol of obedience to God. Abstaining from blood honored God’s holiness, His redemption, and Jesus Christ who would shed His blood to pay for sins once and for all. Verses 16-17 read,

“And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the Lord's. 17 It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”

This offering was no less important than the sin offering. It had to be done just so and it still involved blood and cost. The meat that was not burned on the altar was cooked and was served as a meal of fellowship and community. It was a special and happy meal. One which blessed the Lord but also one in which the offeror expected some blessing in return.

Today, we do not have to sacrifice animals, spill blood or make bread to worship God. Jesus’ sacrifice was the ultimate offering. In His giving His life for ours, He made the way for us to worship without pretense and continual sacrifices. He removed the barrier between men and Himself. We can speak directly to Him. Our words, deeds, spirits, and minds worship God. We are a living sacrifice because of what Jesus did for us.

Does your life reflect your thankfulness to God? Does your life celebrate community with the Lord and with the church? Does your life show that like God, you keep every promise you make? Your mind may say, “Thank you God” or “Praise God” but if your life doesn’t demonstrate it, are you really grateful and joyful? There is intentional action involved in being a living sacrifice. 

2 John Verses 1-3

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be a part of a wonderful living church. My brothers and sisters in Christ are there for me through everything I go through, just as I strive to be there for them through their struggles. Because God is in us, when we come together the Spirit is able to minister to each of us in multilayered ways. He does His work from within us as well as through our fellow believers. Iron sharpens Iron.[1] He uses our brothers and sisters to encourage, exhort, teach, comfort, speak, and otherwise love in all the ways that Jesus loves.

Believer, if you are not part of a local church, you are missing out on a great deal of what it means to follow Jesus. You are missing out on chances to mature, glorify, serve, comfort, and love and be loved.

In John’s second epistle John addressed his letter to the elect lady and her children. Many people believe he was writing to a church. I believe this is probably the case, perhaps a woman who hosted a church in her home and the many spiritual children born from God’s love exercised through it, or perhaps some of her physical children who also were believers.

He begins the letter with the address and an encouragement.

“The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.”

John loved this lady and her children in truth. That is He loves her genuinely through the truth of Christ. Not just as a spoken token of affection, but concretely. And John added, not only he loved her that way, but also all of those who know the truth, the actuality of Jesus Christ, God, our Father, and His awesome Holy Spirit.

Why and how could he claim that not only he loved her in just a deep way but also speak for the rest of the believers? Because He knew the same Spirit that abided in him, also resided in the other believers. Because the truth, that same truth I just described, abides in us and will be with us forever. That is God! God abides in us because His truth abides in us.[2] We believe what He says about Himself, because He made us able to understand and believe. Because He is in us, we can and do love all the brothers and sisters in Christ. We recognize each other through the Spirit and we love one another. We love one another not through spoken tokens of affection but in truth, in reality.

Solid love is demonstrated through grace, mercy and peace. God gave them to us in love and we share them with one another through Him.

Grace is receiving something good we do not deserve. Grace is forgiveness and acceptance regardless of doing a single thing to warrant it. If we have received grace, we ought to be graceful toward each other. What right do we have to expect someone to merit our love when we did nothing and could do nothing to earn God’s love?

Not receiving something bad that we do deserve is mercy. God doesn’t condemn us, even though we deserve it. How can we blame and punish one another when God doesn’t condemn us?

Peace is a relationship of unity and harmony, joined together as one. We are at peace with God, through Christ. We are one with Him and we are supposed to be that united with one another. We are one body, one Spirit with one God.

I urge you today, if you do not have brothers and sisters in Christ to share your life with to find a local church and join it. Live fully the life God means for you to live. I exhort you, if you are a member of a local body to love your brothers and sisters in truth, fully, actually and actively. You can’t walk as Jesus walked if you walk alone. Jesus didn’t. God Himself exemplifies this is His Trinity. He is Father, Son, and Spirit.



[1] Proverbs 27:17


[2] Isaiah 65:16, John 14:16, John 16:13