Colossians 3:15, John 14:27 "True Peace"

            “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

            “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

            We know this life will cause us heartache and we are never promised that it will be easy, but we have strength from the knowledge that God is always in control. When life is tough, oftentimes our tendency is to try to take control of the situation ourselves. When that fails, we begin to worry, instead of putting our faith in God. However, when we fix our eyes on God despite the storm around us, we can have peace. This peace is not the knowledge that by trusting God we will not ever go through hardship again. It is the knowledge that no matter what hardship we face, God is in control. There are so many things in this world that cause us to worry, but Jesus gave us His peace that passes all understanding.

Proverbs 2:1-6 "True Wisdom"

            “My son, if you accept my words, and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver, and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

            As a people today, we daily search for wisdom, but all too often we search in the wrong places, and for the wrong type of wisdom. Life here on earth is stressful, plain and simple; therefore, we need wisdom to make it through each day. So, where do we find wisdom? Proverbs 2:6 tells us, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” True wisdom comes from the Lord. All too often, however, we look to earthly things for wisdom, instead of turning to the Lord. That wisdom –that earthly wisdom—will only lead us away from God. In our quest for true wisdom and understanding then, let us look to God for His wisdom, not the world’s.

Romans 12:28, Matthew 22:37-39 "Peace"

            “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

            One of the most important ways we show Christ in our lives is how we treat others. Matthew 22:37-39 says that, “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Here Jesus says that the second greatest commandment we have been given –second only to loving the Lord our God—is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Living at peace with everyone we come in contact with may be an impossible task –it would require every single person in the entire world to work together all the time—but that does not mean we cannot try to, at least as far as it depends on us. It will not be an easy task, but as Christians we have to be the ones willing to take the first step to mending broken relationships, swallow our pride, and work to benefit people other than ourselves.

Psalm 37:4, Deuteronomy 1:32-36 "Desires of Your Heart"

            “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

            Though this verse is short, and, on the surface, seems simple, if we look a little deeper we find it is not simple at all. This verse promises us the desires of our hearts, but first it gives us one condition –we must first delight ourselves in the Lord. So, what does it mean to delight ourselves in the Lord? In Deuteronomy 1:32-36 it says, “In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: ‘Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’” When God led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, He promised them that He would deliver the inhabitants of the land over to them, but they were afraid. Only two of the men –Caleb and Joshua—trusted in the Lord with all of their hearts. They delighted themselves in the Lord, following after Him wholeheartedly. Their lives were so devoted to the Lord that His path became the desire of their hearts.

Matthew 9:10-12, 1 Timothy 1:15-16 "To Save Sinners"

            “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

            “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners –of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.”

            Christ came, not to give those who felt they were righteous their reward, but to show mercy to those who knew they were sinners. He did not come to give pats on the back to those who were following all of His commands, but to save the lost. Whether we know it or not, the lost is every single one of us without Christ. Each of us are the worst of sinners whom Christ has shown His mercy upon. As Christians, we are not set apart by leading perfect lives –only Christ can lead a truly perfect life—but by the love and mercy that reflects in our lives through our growing relationship with Him.

2 Peter 3:10-13 "Until the Day of the Lord"

            “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”

            We may not know when the Lord will return, and we may not know much about the manner of His return besides the sparse details listed in the Bible, but there are two things we do know. One is that because we do not know when the Lord will return, we should strive to grow continually in our walk with Him. Our time on this earth is short, so we must take advantage of the time we have that we might further His kingdom. Secondly, we know and can take strength from the fact that, whatever life throws at us, we have the promise of a new heaven and a new earth to look forward to. God always keeps His promises.

Hebrews 12:1-3 "Reflecting Christ"

            “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

            Every day we come into contact with an uncountable number of people; young, old, rich, poor, those you know well, those you do not, Christians, and non-Christians, all of them scrutinizing our actions. As followers of Christ, we are given the responsibility to be representatives for Him. It is a heavy burden to bear, but the chapter goes on to tell us to, “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” When we fix our eyes on Him, we become more than just representatives –we become reflections of Him.

2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the Word"

            In his letter to Timothy, Paul writes, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage –with great patience and careful instruction.”

            In the verse he makes three main points. First of all, we should be ready to preach the Word at any opportunity we are presented, not just the ones we know about beforehand. To do this we must have a strong knowledge of the Scriptures. Secondly we are to correct and rebuke our fellow believers, but also to encourage. Our goal is not to put them down with our corrections, but to build them up. And thirdly, all of this is to be done with great patience and careful instruction. This is perhaps the hardest point of the three to do. As humans we tend to be more than a little impatient, whether with others or the situations we find ourselves in. It is something to strive daily for.

Psalm 9:19-20 "Victories"

            “Arise, O Lord, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, O Lord; let the nations know they are but men.”

            Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in our success that we forget we are just men. We let our victories convince us that we can do all of this on our own. But God is the one in control. He is the one who blesses us so that we may have victory. Without Him, we could do nothing. He is the one who grants us the free gift of grace. So, let us not ever forget who is truly in control. Let us not become so arrogant that we forget to thank the Lord our God.

Nehemiah 1:8-2:5 "Turning"

            “I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city, where my fathers are buried, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’ The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

            Nehemiah knew that the Israelites were human and had done wrong in the eyes of the Lord, but he also knew that if they would turn from their ways, God would show favor to them once more. After much prayer, Nehemiah went before Artaxerxes, King of the Medo-Persian empire to request permission to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Though he was very afraid, Nehemiah prayed and left everything to God before telling the king his request. He put his faith in God that the Lord would hold to His promises. Soon Nehemiah set off for Jerusalem, knowing that the Lord went with him.

Ecclesiastes 9:17 "Wise Council"

            “The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.”

            When we are making difficult decisions in our lives and we turn to others for advice and counsel, it is much easier to follow the advice that seems good, or sounds like the more enjoyable way to go. Oftentimes however, the voice of the wise is not the most obvious one, or the loudest; but they are the ones that will do us the most good. The easiest way to discern the quiet voice of wise council in the loud shouts of fools is to consult the Bible. Any advice that contradicts the Bible should have no part in our lives. Let the words of the wise shine through.

Colossians 1:11-12, Luke 19:37-40 "Pleasing God: Part 5-Joyfully Giving Thanks"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

            Joyfully giving thanks does not just mean praising God through the good times in our lives or thanking Him for being with us in the tough times. It is having joy in every single moment of every single day because we have a God who is good, faithful, trustworthy, and true. Luke 19:37-40 says, “When He came near the place where the road goes down to the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

            ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’

            ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’ ‘I tell you,’ He replied, ‘If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”    If we were silent, even the rocks would cry out God’s glorious name, because God is so wonderful and awesome and mighty, when we see Him, we will not be able to keep from falling on our knees in worship. So, let us not stay silent, for He alone is worthy of all our praise.

Colossians 1:11, Philippians 4:13, Psalm 73:6 "Pleasing God: Part 4-Leaning on God's Strength"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

            “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

            Just take a moment and let that sink in. Think back to all those times you have felt hopeless, knowing there was no way you could finish a task on your own. We cannot do anything worth doing on our own strength –it is only through God’s strength that we can press on toward our goal. It pleases God when we rely on Him! Just like when we see someone who needs help and we desire to help them out –finding joy when we do so—so it pleases God when we fall back on His strength. Psalm 73:6 says that, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” When we let God take control of our lives, we find perfect peace in His strength.

Colossians 1:10, Proverbs 9:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pleasing God:Part 3-Growing in Knowledge of God"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

Growing in the knowledge of God may seem like an almost no-brainer instruction –it does not take a genius to tell you that it is a good idea to spend time getting to know God—but yet we still put it off. We are given God’s Word, the Bible, a whole book written so that we may know Him. Proverbs 9:10 says that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” We can learn so much about the Lord by simply studying the Bible, but we are also told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to, “Pray continually.” When you are good friends with someone, you want to spend time talking with them to learn more about them. Shouldn’t the same idea apply to God?

Colossians 1:10, Luke 6:43-45, John 15:4, Galatians 6:22-23 "Pleasing God:Part 2-Bearing Fruit"

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

What does it mean to bear fruit in every good work? What is the fruit we should bear? How do we bear fruit in every good work? Luke 6:45 says, “The good mean brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.” Our actions, no matter how hard we may try to hide our intentions, will always mirror the state of our heart. In John 15:4 Jesus tells us, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” Without Christ living in our hearts, we would not be able to store up good in our hearts, and we could not bear fruit. Luke 6:44 states that, “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.” If we are living in Christ, following after Him with our whole heart, what fruit will we be recognized by? Galatians 6:22-23 says that, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Colossians 1:10-12 "Pleasing God: Part 1"

            “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

            The scriptures lay it out for us, as simple as they can be; bearing fruit in good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened in Him, and joyfully giving thanks brings God pleasure. Each of these things, however, is much more easily said than done. Each requires a desire to follow Him.

1 Corinthians 2:13 "True Wisdom"

"This is what we speak, not in words taught by the Spirit expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words."

None of us will ever be able to figure out this life on our own. The wisdom we need, that is necessary for our daily battle with our sinful nature, cannot be taught by anyone on this earth. Neither can it be understood by anyone on this earth, except through conversations with the Lord our God, by a walk guided by the Holy Spirit. The world can only teach us earthly wisdom, but the Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual wisdom so that we may rely on God's wisdom, no the world's.

Revelation 12:12, Daniel 21-22, Revelation 20:10 "What is this World Coming To?"

            “…[Satan] is filled with fury, because he knows his time is short.”

            “As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came…”

            Most everyone has heard someone ask, usually shaking their head over something awful they have seen or heard about, “What is this world coming to?” While yes, now it may seem that the world is tumbling out of control, the truth is that what the world is coming to is the kingdom of God. It may not be soon, or it may be very soon, but at that time, Satan will be defeated and, “…thrown into the lake of burning sulfur…” No matter how terrible things may seem, we have the knowledge and the promise that the only thing worth mentioning that this world is coming to is to God.

Matthew 13:45 & 46 "Identity in Christ"

            “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

            When we find what we are looking for –Christ—we no longer have a need to search any more, only a need to follow. Like the pearl merchant, there is nothing else that should hold so great a pull on our lives as our pearl of great value –the Kingdom of Heaven—so that we are unwilling to give up all we have to obtain it. It is our greatest treasure, our perfect prize that we are looking for, so why, when we have found it, when we have been promised Heaven when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, do we look for our identity elsewhere? Our entire identity should be found in Christ and in Christ alone.

2 Chronicles 34:3 "Opportunities"

            “…while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.”

            How many times have we missed an amazing opportunity because we put it off until tomorrow, just to find that the opportunity had gone away? How many times have we put off giving Him total control in our lives? Josiah came to rule when he was eight years old. By the eighth year of his reign, or when he was just sixteen years old, he was actively seeking God. During his reign, he ordered the destruction of the alters and high places dedicated to other gods than the One True God, and had the temple restored. We have the ability to do great things through God, but we have to embrace the opportunities when they are presented to us.