Peace In Your Life - Have you Found It?

It’s a yes or no question.
Either you have or have not found peace.

Only you know and there is no way you can fool yourself forever. The sooner you get settled on what you are looking for in your life, the sooner you can begin to really live - at peace and energized.

It's been said there’s a God-shaped hole inside everyone.
You can try to fill it with many things to satisfy yourself and bring you happiness and peace. 

Some try MATERIAL THINGS
They race around collecting cars, houses, boats, clothes and that old faithful—good old cash. They keep a close eye on their stocks. They always know how the market is doing. They love showing their things off to others. You can tell from their conversation that they never stop thinking about what they just bought or are getting ready to buy.

Others go in the direction of RELATIONSHIPS
They put their focus on family and friends - the more the merrier! They have their entire lives built around doing things for and with their family and friends. They can even get self-righteous about it, telling others over and over that nothing is more important than family with the emphasis on how great their’s is.

Another approach is ACTIVITIES
They love going places, doing things - chasing their “bucket list.” The idea being that the more things they have done, the wider the variety, the more unique they are the greater the enjoyment and satisfaction they will have in life. It’s easy to feel like you have never been anywhere or done anything in your life when you talk to them. Anything you mention, they have been there or done that. Super Bowl, World Series, Hawaii, Europe, cruises, skydiving, bungee jumping…there’s no end.

Another widely popular approach is SELF-DEVELOPMENT.
People furiously chase physical fitness. They pursue education. They are always seeking new knowledge, new levels of personal achievement and new challenges. If you get one degree, then go get another. The idea behind this is that the more you develop yourself the more you will be at peace with yourself. Education is the answer to everything.

I’m not criticizing at all! All of these things are valid activities.
They all can add qualities to your life you would not have any other way. They all add value and enjoyment. They keep you active, stimulated and involved with other people in positive ways. In fact, if you have the interest and ability, these are all things you should do. They’ll expand your life and give you a lot enjoyment and satisfaction.

But many realize the satisfaction from these things is only temporary
If you have pursued  many of these and are still unsettled inside, still looking for real peace, maybe its time to look in another direction. Maybe it’s that God shaped vacuum that hasn’t been filled yet. 

There is another long standing choice.
It's one you should not ignore. Its one you need to evaluate for yourself because this is one area that’s too important to trust to other’s judgement. If you do you’ll understand why for over 2000 years millions of people from all over the world have found that their answer for peace has been found in the Prince of Peace. He’s the one who said…

I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught. (John 14:27)

If you haven’t found peace yet, find out about the Lord Jesus Christ.  When you do you’ll learn why only he offers the “peace that passes all understanding."

For Those Trying to Prove God Exists

Don’t over complicate things

Too many people waste years trying to analyze God. They try to put Him under a microscope... to prove he exists. It doesn’t work that way. We don’t have the capacity to analyze God, the Creator of the Universe, like a common science project or mathematical problem.

If we could, it would give an unfair advantage to people shrewd enough to complete this deep analysis. Ordinary people could be left out, not enough mental energy or firepower to figure things out like the geniuses. All the dummies might go to Hell. 

Does that make sense? 
Of course not. Also it would rule out any requirement for faith. You wouldn’t need faith, you would KNOW—but that’s not how it works. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. It says, if you would approach God it must be on the basis of faith because humans can’t see, analyze or begin to understand the mysteries of God. Faith in His revealed life and word is the key.

It’s not a secret, He has revealed Himself in many ways.
The Bible says the Heavens declare the Glory of God. He is revealed in nature, in His creation. He reveals Himself in His written word…the Bible. He revealed Himself in His Son, who He sent to earth, to live the perfect life, to suffer and die on the cross for our sins and to be raised from the dead.

The only person who has trouble seeing God is someone who is belittling, ignoring or discounting all these things…wanting God to reveal Himself to them on terms they have decided upon. Don’t expect Him to do that. If you turn your back on all He has done to reveal Himself to you for centuries, you would still be stubborn and refuse to believe, even if He showed Himself to you according to your little ideas. He knows this, and if you are honest, you will admit you do too.

Stop trying to prove He exists
He exists. Inside you know it’s true. The issue is that you don’t want to acknowledge it. You aren’t convinced you need to know Him. You think you can make it just fine through life without His help. You want to keep Him at arm’s length and to be left alone.

I advise you to keep doing that because that’s what you are going to do anyway. You do what you want. You have free will. But realize things may change. You may come to a point in the future where you think differently. If that happens, and you realize something is missing, that something is wrong in your life and you want to make it right, then that is the time to put your pride aside and come to the Lord in faith. He loves you and wants to bring you into a permanent eternal relationship with Him and give you spiritual life.

But you have free will. 
He will not force you. You must of your own decision come to Him in faith, and when you do, it won’t be because you proved anything or did anything, it will be because you believed in HIM and His saving Grace. 

He will save you. He does it. Your faith just makes it possible because you freely, on your own, decide to place your faith in Him.

Are You Ready for the Next Step?

If you haven't already heard about Ben Breedlove, take a few minutes to watch this video. He was a Texas teen who cheated death three times, but was called home on Christmas day. I promise you won't be sorry.

Be sure to watch both parts...

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A Thousand Christmas Gifts

Tony & Shelly NarainGifts for God’s Children

Tony & Shelly Narain are getting lots of questions from their kids: Mary, Betty, Kate, and Amy, this time of year about “God’s children.” Who are they? They are the children at the 5-6 churches they visit and take gifts to every Christmas. This Christmas is special because it’s all on Sunday. 

A family tradition
Shelly says that she grew up the daughter of a pastor who always wanted to make sure the children in the church got gifts on Christmas Day. He didn’t want anyone to be left out and I guess it didn’t matter that pastors don’t have big incomes, he still wanted to give. Once you start family traditions you never know how they’ll blossom and grow and it certainly has in this case.

Special Motivation from giving to others
This tradition energizes the Narain’s, their family, and friend. They are dressing up like Santa Claus and have lots of other surprises to make this an extra special event for the children. I guess it’s no accident that their business is also booming and you’ve got to wonder if some of that is related to the extra special energy and excitement they’ve got about doing something huge and special for others.

We can only thank God for the Narains and their example in inspiring us with a spectacular example of what the true spirit of Christmas is—sacrificial giving for others!

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Let me know if you have any similar stories that you know of, so I can pass them on.

Confusion Is No Excuse

We’re supposed to “Grow” in Christ but how?

The Bible gives us instruction about how to move forward in our Christian lives.  Here’s one key verse…

 “I have not yet been made perfect. But I move on to take hold of what Christ Jesus took hold of me for (Philippians 3:12) 

Here’s the Apostle Paul’s comment on his walk of faith. Even the Apostle Paul didn’t know it all about the Christian life. But he knew he needed to “move on” even though he was not sure how it all would unfold.

“We walk by faith, not by sight.” Corinthians 5:7

However he knew a lot.
He knew that it was a process. He knew that it was a “walk” of faith. One step at a time. He also knew the end result, and that is that “Christ would be fully formed in him” (Paul). At that point it would be… 

“Not I, but Christ.” Galatians 2:20.

Paul knew that he had to press on.
He knew that he could not be casual or passive about growing in Christ.  Why do we have to grow?  It’s our new nature, we have a new life.  Like a seed put into the ground it’s not a big effort, it’s what will happen if we stay in the right environment.  That’s why he says, 

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:3-5

There is a plan and process for our Spiritual Growth
We don’t grow because we have now decided that we’re really going to follow the our Boy Scout and Girl Scout pledge of do’s and don’ts.  No, we grow step by step. Day by day, step by step, we abide in him, we keep our faith in him, and we grow, we learn, we change.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect”. Romans 12:2

This is also confusing
We have been given much guidance in the bible and especially in the New Testament in the writings of the apostle Paul about this new life.  God will always keep us in the dark while we’re here on Earth to keep us honest and to keep us trusting Him for guidance and strength.  

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Corinthians 1:12

If he showed us our future and what He has planned for us to do and achieve, he knows our nature would be to immediately fall back and try to do it on our own power and then we would fail miserably. It’s for our own good he keeps us in the dark.  He tells us where we’re headed but regarding our path He usually only shows us enough so we can make a step forward.  As he gives us more light and clarity we take steps forward.  When the light is not there we wait, we pause, we pray, until he sheds more light. We keep our eyes looking up and looking forward…

“Press On to the High Calling of God." Philippians 3:13 

Don’t be surprised when you’re confused.
We all get confused. We all get discouraged. We all question things. Even the apostle Paul felt that way at times, but that’s no excuse for not trusting. That’s no excuse for not moving forward and taking the steps that we do know we need to take. Don’t be surprised because that’s the way God operates. He has to do it that way so we will continue to remain dependent on Him.

We need to have the faith of Ann Frank’s father
When Ann Frank pestered her father constantly asking, 'Where are tickets?  We’re supposed to catch the train and leave and escape, but we don’t have tickets. Have you bought the tickets? Where can we get the tickets?' Her father looked at her and said “Ann, when it comes time to step on the train… the tickets will be there, God will provide.” We know we need many things in the future things we don’t have now. It’s not our job to figure out how to get them on our own power, it’s our job to trust God to provide for at the proper time.  

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

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Photo credit used under Creative Commons

What Actually is the "Good News?"

Is it just an easier to do list to get into Heaven?

Study the New Testament and you’ll realize that the Good News of Jesus Christ is that our salvation and eternal life is not a matter of adding up brownie points.  Unfortunately for us God is pure and cannot have eternal fellowship with anything impure, meaning us.

It’s an oil and water kind of thing…pure and impure  don’t mix. Once we have committed one sin in our life it’s over for us. By the time we realize this we have all accumulated a whole lot more than one sin.  We were born with a rebellious sinful nature.So we must admit it, confess it and repent. It’s stupid and foolish to try to deny it.  

So now what can be done?

There was only one option, the pure and holy God had to save us.  And he did. In a miraculous event that of course we cannot fully understand, He sent His son to Earth to live the perfect life and to die on a cross so he could be the substitute for our sins.  All of our sins are put on Him if we merely by faith actively accept, acknowledge, and believe in Him.  By doing that we “repent” by acknowledging we can’t do it on our own. We acknowledge we are sinners and we place our trust in Him.  It’s a definite decision. It’s a definite act of will. We are trusting in Him for our eternal salvation.  Now our eternal salvation is in place. By the grace of God we will ive an eternal life. 

But here’s the rub.  
What happens next? How are we supposed to live? God has a plan for that as well and it doesn’t depend on our strength, it doesn’t depend on our understanding, it doesn’t depend on our consistency or discipline.  It depends on our faith in His strength and character in love.  We’ll talk about how this works next Sunday….

God Wants You To Grow

"God wants us to grow up…like Christ in everything." Ephesians 4:15

It’s great when your new baby’s born but panic would set in if they did not grow. That would mean something had gone terribly wrong. The whole life force is focused on growing and developing and reaching maturing.  Anytime that stops it’s a very bad thing.  If stagnation arrives death won’t be far behind it. We have got to keep growing if we want to live.  

"We are not to remain as children." Ephesians 4:14
A baby doesn’t try to grow it just grows. Of course it needs the nurturing and support of the parents but just like a seed when it’s put in the ground it will grow.  It’s important for us to know in our spiritual lives that just being “born in Christ,” and getting a new life is not the whole story, it’s just the beginning!  The goal God has for us is to develop in the direction is to have the life of his Son be fully developed in us.  We grow away from what we were.

Look at it this way
When you’re born physically it is a one time event. You are born.  Then you begin the process of growth which you stay in as long as you live. Your spiritual life works the same as your physical life. You are born spiritually at one time and then you begin your new life, which is a life of growth. It’s a growth into the fullness of Christ in us because that’s what happens when you are born spiritually.  For the first time you have a spiritual life that makes you a new being and this new life is the spirit of Christ in us. Unlimited unimaginable possibilities and potentials are created by this act. What a tragedy to not develop and realize them in your life.

God knew what he was doing from the beginning.  
He decided form the outset to shape the lives as those who love him along the same lines as those of his son.  
"We see the original and intended shape of our lives in him." Romans 8:2
It’s our job to trust God and to have faith in him.  
It’s his life, he’ll produce that growth as long as we follow by faith.

"…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13
He will work in us to create the desire and the power to do the things that will drive us forward towards our purpose.

He’s not looking for our help.  

Not even one little tiny bit of extra from us. Why? Because he knows we are useless and incapable of living the Christian life. He wants us to stand down from our own efforts and put our faith in Him. That’s what grace is all about. He does it all. We trust Him and we say thanks. It’s deciding to let Him stay in charge every minute of every day in every situation. All through life we need to ask ourselves… Are we trusting Him right now?

Grow by looking to God to produce growth in you and trusting Him to do it. 

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