SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/29/2016 8:17 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Contrast to Peace
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: John 14:27c
Message of the verses: “not as the world gives do I give to you.”
We talked
about the source of peace and the presence of peace and learned that the peace
that Jesus gave to His disciples and it is the same that He gives to us is a
supernatural peace, a peace that is there in spite of our circumstances as it
does not matter what circumstance we find ourselves in it is there, and now we
want to take some time to compare it with the kind of peace that the world has
for us.
Perhaps financial
gain is what people would say is the greatest peace we can get. I think of stories that I have read where
people have won millions of dollars from a lottery ticket and in the end many
or perhaps most of them would say that they wished they had never bought that
lottery ticket in the first place and if they had to do it over they would not
do it knowing what happened when they won the money. Conclusion is that money does not bring true
peace to you.
John
MacArthur writes that “Godless people in a godless world are by nature enemies
of God and in a state of resultant turmoil.”
We have talked about how believers have peace with God and that comes
through the blood of the cross. “19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all
the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and
through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross;
through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians
1:19-20).” The highlighted portion is what I really want
you to look at but it is hard for me at times to just copy a small portion of
Scripture so I try to copy what is a whole thought to make it more
understandable. This verse speaks of how
we as believers have peace with God and the world does not have this kind of
peace for they are still enemies with God and if they do not accept His peace
which comes through the blood of the cross will have to settle with the poor
substitutes that the world has to offer, things like “self-indulgence,
materialism, love, romance, substance abuse, false religion, psychotherapy, or
a host of other placebos.”
The
following Scripture verses emphasizes that the world’s peace is not adequate: Isaiah 48:22 “"There is no peace for the
wicked," says the LORD.” Isaiah
57:21 “"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."” Jeremiah 6:14 “"They have healed the
brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ’Peace, peace,’ But there is no
peace.” This verse speaks of the placebo
of what the false prophets gave to the people as they were stating that the
Lord would not allow Babylon to conquer Judah.
Jesus says the following in Luke 19:42 “"If you had known in this
day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden
from your eyes.” The people of Israel
had turned down their Messiah who would have given them peace, but now they
have been hidden from their eyes.
MacArthur
concludes this section by writing “The world’s peace is only an illusion. A peace based on temporarily positive
circumstances or ignorant escapism is not genuine peace at all. The reason people lack peace is not
emotional, psychological, or circumstantial, but theological. As noted earlier in this chapter only those
who know Jesus Christ can have peace with God and, subsequently, experience
true peace in this life.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I am thankful for the things that I am
learning about God’s peace from this verse that Jesus spoke to His disciples when
they were about to go through a time when peace is what they will need as Jesus
was about leave them to go to the cross and die for their sins and for all who
would come to believe in Him. I still
have much to learn, but God has gotten my attention and for that I am thankful.
My Steps of Faith for
Today: I desire to be a willing
learner of what God is teaching me.
Memory verses for the week:
(Romans 6:5-7) “5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness
of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body
of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7
for he who has died is freed from sin.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Isaiah.”
Today’s Bible question:
“Quote Genesis 1:1.”
Quotation in our next SD.
11/29/2016 8:52 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment