“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 NLT

“Peace is not a vacuum; it is the ample fullness of God.”

My thoughts today are about “the reality of peace.”

Peace seems to be an elusive thing much of the time – for nations, relationships, marriages, and individuals. The best peace that any one of us can attain by our own efforts is rather fragile. You work to get it all together, then some small thing happens and it all starts falling apart.

What is peace, really? Let’s begin with what you think peace would be, but isn’t. Peace is not the absence of trouble; if that were true how many people would ever enjoy peace, and even for them it would be short-lived. That one mistaken assumption allows people to overlook where they would have found peace, but instead were looking for an indefinable place that does not exist – a place where there is no trouble.

Let me tell you where you will not find peace. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble!” John 16:33 NIV. Could that be stated any more plainly? There is no ambiguity there. So, if this world with its troubles and disharmony is where you are looking, you will stay very disappointed.

Now, let me tell you where God says you will find peace. “In Me you will have peace.” John 16:33 NIV. Peace does not happen in a vacuum. God’s peace is the presence of everything you need in order to be at peace. That is the literal translation of the Hebrew word for peace, “shalom.” Real peace is not found in an emptiness of all that is troubling; true peace is the ample fullness of God and all that is good!  Paul’s prayer for every Christ-follower was, “That you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19 NKJV.

Peace is a quiet confidence of heart and spirit that God is sufficient for you, whatever the present circumstance. See 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV. You lack nothing when you have all that God is, and has, and gives.

“In Me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV. Note the clear contrast: in Jesus, in the world. In Jesus, there is peace! In the world there is trouble! It’s that simple. Where are you going to look to find peace? Here is Jesus’ promise then and now, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 NIV.

The Bible says this about peace, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on You . . the fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest – though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely.” Isaiah 26:3NLT/17-19 NIV. Weren’t expecting that last part were you? When and where would you need peace more?

My prayer for you today is: walk in peace with God; enjoy the peace of God!

“Christ . . is your example; follow in His steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 NLT

“Everybody is following something or someone to somewhere.”

My thoughts today are about “an example, not exception.”

Everyone needs an example to follow. I have two questions: whose example are you following, and where is that taking you? Some follow celebrities and sports stars; some follow the latest fashions, cultural trends, or technology; some follow the crowd; some follow their friends or peers; a few follow their own drumbeat. But everybody is following something or someone to somewhere. Who, what, and where that is have everything to do with how your journey will be and where you will finish.

In college, a professor required me to read a simple, small book that impacted my life and ministry, more than might have been without it, less than I wish I had allowed it. That book, “In His Steps,” was a story by Charles M. Sheldon, a pastor of Central Congregational Church in Topeka, Kansas, written in 1896 about a mid-western church of self satisfied congregants who are challenged to live their lives for one year asking, “What would Jesus do?” It is reported that the book has sold 30 million copies.

Stated in the simplest of terms, here is the how you experience the best that life can offer. Follow Jesus; you will have no regrets and make no wrong turns. That is not a part time job, or something that you can do when it is convenient to your schedule. Jesus frequent invitation was as simple as this, “Come, follow Me!” Mark 1:17. To follow His example successfully you will have to know Him well, learn and follow His ways, watch Him constantly, listen closely, and obey Him consistently.

Unavoidably, there is an exclusivity in following Jesus. Jesus said, “(My) sheep follow Me because they know My voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice . . My sheep listen to My voice: I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:4-5/27-28 NIV. Following in His steps is not a casual, carefree stroll; it is a disciplined commitment. “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 NIV. It is not an easy path to which you are called. The path is for you as it was for Jesus – self denial and sacrifice, but joyously given. His was for your salvation; your self denial and sacrifice is because of your salvation. “Christ . . is your example. Follow in His steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 NLT.

Here is what I have found in my efforts to follow in Jesus’ steps: accomplishing that is more likely when I surround myself with others whose heart and intent is to be true followers of Jesus. There will always be times when you will need their encouragement to keep following when it’s difficult to do so, and you will need their loving correction when you are tempted to do otherwise. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.” Read Romans 15:5-7 NIV.

Now, there is also the matter of your own example. Be an example, not an exception! Are you an exception to Christ’s example, or a faithful example of His? What example are you setting for others’ encouragement in Christ? The Apostle Paul was confident and crystal clear to say, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV. Here are the practical ways your example should be seen: “in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 NIV. Can others safely follow you? They can, if you are following Jesus.

My prayer for you today is to walk with God, every step, everywhere, every day.

“Keep your (life) free from the love of money . . content with what you have.” Hebrews 13:5 NIV

“Money is important because every day you trade a part of your life for it.”

My thoughts today are about “the love of money.”

Do you ever consider how money occupies your time, thought, and efforts? Money is important; there is no doubt about that. Money is important because every day you trade a part of your life for it and for the things it can provide, both necessities and luxuries. It is just not as all-important as you can easily allow it to become.

I have heard a Bible verse badly misquoted by people who say “Money is the root of all evil.” That is not what the Bible says or teaches. Money is just a commodity, neither good nor bad, neither noble nor evil, except for how it is gained and used. You are not a better person for having more of it, nor inferior for having less; your bank balance does not define you. Jesus warned of the “deceitfulness of riches,” because money promises a lot of things it can’t deliver. There will never be enough money, because people expect money to do things it was never meant to do. You can’t fill emptiness with money; you can’t cure loneliness; you won’t find security in it; you can’t buy happiness or peace of mind.

Here is what the Bible does teach about money, “The love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil . . keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” 1 Timothy 6:6-11 NLT/ Hebrews 13:5 NIV.

Money is not the problem; the inordinate love of money is the problem, and the very real danger of elevating money beyond its place and priority. Money and the things it can supply can become a god that holds an importance and place it cannot be trusted to occupy. Reserve your love for God, other people, and yourself (Mark 12:30-31); don’t waste and misdirect your love on money.

Mistakenly, you might assume that the goal of work is to get enough money so you can afford to quit working. Productive work has a value beyond money. The Bible principle is clear, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work . . on the seventh day you shall do no work.” See Exodus 20:8-11 NIV. Work is how you serve God and others in practical, meaningful ways, as well as the means through which God meets your needs and supplies your resource for generosity.

I have heard well meaning people assume that work was the result of the curse, after Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Not so. Meaningful labor preceded their foolish disobedience. See Genesis 2:8/15 NIV. However, the curse of their sin caused the struggle and toil associated with their work. “Cursed is the ground because of you . . through painful toil you will eat of it . . it will produce thorns and thistles for you . . by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food . .” Genesis 3:17-19 NIV.

Here is the sum of this: money is not what your life is to be about. There is a responsibility that comes with wealth – the greater the wealth, the greater the responsibilities. Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48 NIV.

Enjoy thankfully all that God provides for you, but do not let money be wrongly trusted as your source of happiness and security. God alone is your Source. “Every good and perfect gift is from above . . from the Father . . my God will supply all your need . .“ James 1:17 NIV/Philippians 4:19 NIV.

My prayer for you today is that you learn to be content with what you have.

“Those . . called according to (God’s) purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 NLT

“Purpose combines the fullest measure of personal satisfaction with the highest level of success.”

My thoughts today are about “the satisfying life.”

At some point, everyone must choose a direction for their life. The direction itself is not so much the real question, as is how and why you chose that direction. Ultimately, the most satisfying life is not of your own making; it is the product of a true, inner sense of purpose and meaning, committing to something much bigger and far reaching than yourself – something beyond your own desires and plans – the calling and will of God for your life. If you are occupied primarily with charting your own satisfying happiness without God at its center, you will fall short of your goal.

The choices affecting the direction of one’s life are usually decided by what you perceive your destination to be, but won’t your efforts be misdirected if the destination you desire is less worthy than it could have been? Allow me an oversimplification, but a necessary one – if God’s will and purpose are not your first and foremost consideration, anything else will likely be a wrong direction that leads eventually to an inadequate, unsatisfying objective. You can successfully get what you went after in life and still find that’s not what you thought it would be. Too many people settle for a life too small; don’t be one of those.

Jesus set a very high, but authentic standard with these words, “I always do those things that are pleasing to (the Father) . . I brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.” John 8:29 NLT/17:4 NIV. To the degree you will govern your life with those goals, you will achieve the highest level of true success with the fullest measure of personal satisfaction. Read Psalm 16:11 NIV/1 Thessalonians 4:1 NIV. You can choose your destination; only God can set your destiny.

When I have spoken with groups of young collegians, I often ask these life-questions: “When you get where you’re going, where will you be? When you’ve done it your way, what will the results be? When you get what you want, what will you have?” Before you do the hard work to set a clear goal for your life and spend an irreplaceable lifetime achieving it, be sure it is the right goal – a life lived “according to God’s purpose,” fulfilling His calling and assignment. See 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NLT.

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” (William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar). The purpose of God, to which you are called, is such “a tide in the affairs of men.” Don’t live life in the shallows!

Ultimate success is not found in the hollow applause or elusive approval of others, but rather in your hearing God say when you stand before Him, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . come and share your Master’s happiness.” Matthew 25:21 NIV.

My prayer for you today is that you choose the path He has chosen for you.

“I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” Ps 23:6 NLT

“There is a discomfort of disconnection when a person lives apart from God, and knows it.”

My thoughts today are about “forever.”

We are such slaves of time that we cannot really envision forever. Forever seems an exaggeration, an impossibility. Everything that we know has an end. The clock and calendar rule our daily lives, but the Bible encourages awareness of the limits of time. “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” Psalm 90:12 Living Bible. That is the case for now; everything has a life span – “a time to be born and a time to die.” Ecclesiastes 3:2 NIV. But that will not always be your reality. God has so much more for you, and what He has will be forever!

Have you read about the American Monarch Butterfly, maybe one of the most beautiful of its kind? Because they cannot survive the cold, they migrate up to 2,500 miles each year, south or west for their warm, winter hibernation. From east of the Rocky Mountains, they migrate south to Mexico. From west of the Rockies, they migrate every year to Pacific Grove, CA. When they migrate, oddly enough they return to the same California Eucalyptus trees each and every year, even though they are the fourth generation of the previous year’s Monarchs.

God has put a “permanent, eternal address” inside you to guide you home as well. You and I were born for eternity not for time, for fellowship not separation from God. Solomon understood this when he wrote, “God has planted eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT. That is why there is a discomfort of disconnection when a person is apart from God and knows it. Can you even imagine what it would be like apart from the Source of life forever?

There is a “permanent, eternal address” that God placed in every human spirit, drawing the soul homeward, just as the Monarch Butterflies instinctively return to Pacific Grove, or geese migrate south each winter, or salmon swim upstream to spawn where they were hatched, or swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, CA, each March from Argentina, returning in October.

The Bible contrasts two kinds of people – those who know the Lord and those who do not – “All (some) think about is this life here on earth. But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same mighty power that He will use to conquer everything everywhere.” Philippians 3:19-21 NLT. Which do you want to describe you?

I love this quote; “The greatest calamity is not to feel far from home when you are, but to feel right at home when you’re not.” In the human spirit is a God-placed, spiritual knowledge that this world is not your final home. Stop acting like it is, settling in and making plans as though it were. Home is where you will truly experience what forever is all about!

David said, “The Lord is my Shepherd . . I will live in the house of the Lord forever!” David did not think of “the house of the Lord” so much as a specific place; he longingly spoke of that as a special presence – “In My Father’s house . . I go to prepare a place for you . . and I will receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also.” John 14:1-3. See Psalm 27:3-4 NIV. You will be forever with God!

My prayer for you today is that you value what is forever more than what is for now.