Pursuing Peace - At What Cost?

Image by Denis Collette...!!! via Flickr

 

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness - without it no one will see the Lord. 

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many.  Hebrews 12:14-15 (HCSB)

What are the words Peace, Holiness, Unity, Fellowship, Harmony worth to you? 

What are you willing to say or do to obtain these?

Will you say, "I'm sorry" even if you did not strike the first blow?  Can you lay down your pride, hurt, anger, frustration and say, "I forgive you" even if  the offender never asks?"

Tonight I witnessed the airing of some dirtly laundry in a very public forum between two women of faith.  I don't know the circumstances that stirred up the family turmoil.  I only know that while checking my page, I became an unwilling participant in something that I shouldn't know anything about. 

Please know my heart here.  My heart is grieved for these women and their families  My heart is grieved for the people who commented and were caught up in the tidal wave of emotions.  My heart is grieved for the words spoken, that can never be taken back.  My heart is grieved because the Holy Spirit of God has been grieved by the entire situation.

The writer of Hebrews describes Peace and Holiness as something to be pursued - something to seek after eagerly, earnestly.  Will you join me in lifting up these dear ladies in prayer?  Pray that their hearts will pursue peace and holiness?  Please know that I make no judgements here on anyone involved.  I truly live by the saying, "But for the grace of God, there go I." 

My hearts desire is to see their hearts softened, their families reconciled, and that in the midst of all of this turmoil - somehow God would be glorified.  Will you pursue peace with me on their behalf in prayer?

 

Now is The Time

What if today was the day?

The day you had been waiting for all of your life?

Zechariah was a Jewish priest and it was his divisions time to be on duty in the temple. This was a responsibility that was theirs twice a year as well as during major festivals. Zechariah was a righteous man who took this tremendous responsibility to heart. You see, he was a righteous man.

During this time of service, one priest would be chosen by lot to go into the temple and would enter the Holy Place of the Lord and burn incense. This was a once in a lifetime experience - literally. Only once in his lifetime could a priest offer the incense at the daily sacrifice. Now was his time.

As Zechariah was praying, the incense was burning, the smoke was wafting heavenward, the people were outside praying and an angel of the Lord appeared and said to him

"...Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard." Luke 1:13

Doesn't your soul just revel in those words?

What was this righteous man praying? As the priest burning the incense he had a responsibility to pray for the nation of Israel - God's chosen people. Inherent to that plea was their desire for the Messiah to come - come Lord Jesus come.

Now was the time! After hundreds of years of the priests and the people praying, the God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all living things was going to answer the prayer offered by Zechariah. But God who draws from a bottomless well of love did not stop there. In addition to supplying their need for a Savior, He was going to give Zechariah and Elizabeth the child that their hearts had longed for. The one who would prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Now was God's perfect timing according to His perfect plan.

Oh don't you long to hear those words, "Your prayer has been heard?"? I know I do. Sometimes when you pray for something for so long and you are unable to see the answer with your own eyes you grow weary. Don't get discouraged.

God assures us in His Word that He hears us when we pray and that He answers!

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
Isaiah 65:24

If God said to you today, "Now is the time" what would you ask in prayer?

Unfinished Business

Have you ever felt stuck in life? Is there something left incomplete that has kept you from moving forward. No matter how hard you try, you are just stuck.

The same thing happened with King David. Although David has been described as a man after God's own heart, he often found himself in the middle of some pretty big messes. It is now the latter part of his rule as King. His son Absalom is dead. After years of undermining his authority and causing dissension among the people of God, he has been killed. David then returns to Jerusalem with plenty of unfinished business to attend to.

During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." 2 Samuel 21:1

Through the ups and downs of life there is one thing David had learned how to do and that was to seek the face of God. What the Lord revealed to him that day was that God's blessing was not upon Israel because of the sin of Saul and his household. One thing is for sure, God expects His people to be a people of their word.

Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. Ecclesiastes 5:5-6a

Saul had entered into a commitment with the Gibeonites to spare their lives. But instead he had chosen to try to annihilate them. Many years later, the people of Israel were suffering for the prior kings rebellious acts. God was calling Israel into account for their actions.

In order for the blessing of God to once again be upon His people, the people had to make things right with the Gibeonites. When David asked what could be done to make amends, the Gibeonites asked that seven male descendants of Saul be put to death and exposed before the Lord at Gebeah.

David did as they asked. The seven grandsons of Saul were put to death on the first day of the harvest. The skies opened up and it began to rain.

How do we deal with unfinished business? How do we deal with things left undone?

• First, we must repent. We have to admit that we have done wrong.
• Second, we must recommit to fulfilling our vow.

Do you have any unfinished business in your life? Is there a broken relationship that needs to be mended? Is there someone you need to forgive or who needs your forgiveness? How about a commitment that you have not fulfilled? Do you feel like the blessing of God has been removed from your life? As the Bible says, examine yourself. Do you have unfinished business?

Beth Moore says, "Rebellion inevitably leads to a famine in our relationship to God. A new beginning is as close as the fresh smell of rain".

It's beginning to rain- hear the the voice of my father-
Saying who so ever will, come and drink of this water-
I promise to pour My spirit out, on your sons and your daughters-
If your thisty and dry, look up to the sky, it's beginning to rain!

Leave the How’s to Him

I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Mark 11:23

Does that verse describe your faith? How many mountains have your prayers moved? Jill Briscoe is one of my favorite authors. She has written the following poem, which I love to quote.

Ask Him to do it, but don’t tell Him how.
Ask Him to answer, but don’t tell Him now.
Ask Him for strength for the task.
Thank Him for giving you more than you asked.
Ask Him to cleanse you whenever you pray,
And be honest with God at the end of the day.
Ask for the power & faith it will take,
To say to this mountain,
“Go jump in the lake”.

Do you have a loved one you want to see trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Let’s see what Gods word say about that:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9”.

The Bible tells us that God wants them to be saved too. So pray His word back to Him in faith believing that He will hear and He will answer; but leave the hows to Him. Allow the Holy Spirit to open the doors (don’t go looking for a pry-bar). Be available to His leading. Thank Him for His moving and working, even though you may not see the results with your physical eyes. That’s where faith comes in.

For over 20 years our family prayed and wept for one of our loved one to get saved. Her name was written on the leaf in the back of all of our Bibles. We planted the seeds, at times pushing a little to hard (using that pry-bar). The answer was always the same, NO.

With our physical eye we saw only the rejection, but in our prayers we trusted that God was at work. A surprise phone call indicated that not only was she saved, but her two sons as well. God chose to use a friend of one of the boys to lead all three to Jesus.

It wasn’t our way; thank God it was His. It wasn’t our time; praise God it was His! Please don’t stop asking, don’t give up. But remember to leave the how’s to Him.

I'm listening

So much noise, all around us, all the time. At home it's the kids, the TV, the phone, the cell phone, the IPod, the washer, the dryer, the timer, the furnace, the dog... There's always something or someone clamouring for our attention - making noise.

At work it's the same. Our bosses, co-workers, the phones, always someone wanting just a moment of our time. Just a few minutes to bend our ear. Have you noticed that even in elevators and public restrooms we have to have music & noise funneled in?

How about at a public event where they notify the crowd that they will be observing a "moment of silence"? How many seconds go by before the crowd begins to squirm and the silence is broken by whispers or fidgeting? Is it 15, 30, 45 seconds?

Is it no wonder that we have such a hard time hearing the voice of God? God Himself said these words,

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

And yet I have such a hard time just being still and listening without talking. So much talking. So little listening and truly hearing what God has just for me.

Have you ever thought about that? How many times God wanted to whisper a word of encouragement, comfort or peace and I just couldn't be still. How about a word of warning that I didn't hear and instead had to endure some difficult consequence that could have been so easily avoided. All because I couldn't be still, for just a moment.

Father, forgive me for all of the noise that I bring with me into the throne room of Heaven. So much noise. So many distractions. So little focus. Teach me to be still and to listen. To know that you are God and must be exalted above everyone and every thing. I need to hear your voice - clearly. Just a word of direction, a word of comfort, a little encouragement. I love you so. Still my heart Lord, I'm listening.

Feeling Empty?

Here's a Poem/Prayer that I love by Jill Briscoe. I hope you enjoy it too.

Fill all the empty spaces,
Heal all the hurts I’ve borne.
Give me the power to change my life;
I need to be reborn.
So take my life, Lord Jesus;
Know all my days I’ll spend
Investing in Your kingdom work,
Till life itself shall end.
Send all the power I ask for;
Give all the grace and peace,
All your present presence,
The Spirit’s sweet release.
Give all Your grand dynamic,
You want me to impart,
All this sweet enabling,

Please pour into my heart.