Tag Archives: Peace
Proverbs 3:25-26
“Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”
Things happen in this life that we cannot and do not expect. Quite frankly, it can be scary when the unexpected happens.
- How should you respond at the moment your car is wrecked?
- How should you respond when you lose your job?
- How should you respond when a burglar or mugger attacks?
- How should you respond when you or a loved one is shipped out for military duty?
- How should you respond when your mother/father/brother/sister/child suddenly gets sick?
- What about when they suddenly die?
- How should you respond when God calls you to something new?
These are all very scary, even terrifying moments.
But we were told not to be afraid of that fear.
Fear can be healthy when it is meant to warn us of danger or when we begin walking down the wrong path.
But the moment we fear will quickly pass. Perhaps it will not pass as quickly as we like, but it will pass.
The Lord has promised to be with us, to guide us, and to give us peace.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27
“I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Matthew 28:20
Even to the end of the world.
No matter your view on the end of the world, Christ has promised to return. He will return, and the world as we know it will not exist, anymore.
Before He does, this world will only get worse. Violence, ignorance, hatred, selfishness, and any other form of evil you can imagine will only increase.
Just as in the past, the Lord will deal with all wickedness, and He will deal with this wicked world.
Until then, we must not be afraid of the fear we will feel, for He is with us. Always.
Mighty God, thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your promises. Help us remember those promises when the unexpected happens. Prepare our hearts to help prepare this world for Your return.
3 Comments | tags: Book of Proverbs, Christ Jesus, End of the World, faith, Fear, Peace | posted in Fear of the Lord, Warnings, Wisdom
Proverbs 3:17
“Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.”
Tonight’s Proverbial Thought continues to show the value of wisdom. We have seen over the past couple of days that Solomon has said that if we want happiness then we need to find wisdom (Proverbs 3:13-14). He then went on to say that obtaining wisdom is “more precious than rubies” (Proverbs 3:15), and if we obtain wisdom we can have both long life and honor (Proverbs 3:16).
How in the world could it get any better than that?
Well it does! Solomon continues to tell us in verse 17 that if we obtain wisdom then we will find pleasantness & true peace.
Verse 14-17 all deal with money in some form but we all know that having money does not give us peace. Money does not satisfy – only Jesus can satisfy and give us true peace! Warren Wiersbe writes of this verse,
“Happiness, pleasantness, and peace aren’t the guaranteed by-products of financial success but they are guaranteed to the person who lives by God’s wisdom.”
Proverbs is a book that was written by one of the wisest men who has ever walked the earth – Solomon. One word can describe the entire book of Proverbs – wisdom. In the book of Proverbs, the word wise or wisdom is used at least 125 times. This book was written to help us gather and apply God’s wisdom to the decisions and activities of our every day lives.
God has promised happiness, long life and honor, and peace to those who search and find wisdom, but it is a choice that each of us must make. We have the option of deciding if we want to pursue wisdom and understanding or not. Do you want to know God more deeply? Then find wisdom and understanding!
The blessings of the Lord are known
By those who will obey;
His wisdom, truth, and love are shown
To all who choose His way. —D. De Haan
Lord, please help us to choose your ways and paths for our lives and trust you each step of the way – Amen.
1 Comment | tags: Bible, Book of Proverbs, Jesus, Knowledge, Peace, Solomon, Wisdom | posted in Knowledge, Value and Worth, Wisdom
Proverbs 3:1-2
“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”
The Lord’s Prosperity
The last entry I wrote on 2:16-19 mentioned people preaching a message other than Christ. One of those mentioned was “wealth and health,” which some have called a “Prosperity Gospel”. Something quite interesting about this passage is that some translations of the Bible mention long life and “prosperity.” The Message puts it this way:
They’ll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well.
Honestly, I like the way the KJV and others put it “For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” Let us look at what remembering the Lord’s commands means:
Peace:
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
Long life (which I think the NIV does a spectacular job of explaining clearly):
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:20, NIV
Keeping wisdom in our hearts – keeping the Lord Jesus in our hearts is the only way to peace and a good life. Jesus is the only good life.
Lord Jesus, dwell in our hearts. Remind us always of Your love and grace, and help us to share You with our world. Bless us, Lord, with all of You.
2 Comments | tags: Book of Proverbs, Christ Jesus, Eternal life, Jesus Christ, New International Version, Peace, Prosperity theology, The Message, Wisdom | posted in Wisdom
Proverbs 2:10-11
“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:”
What is wisdom?
As has been discussed several times since we began this trek through Proverbs, wisdom is found only through God. Wisdom is the understanding of something and comes from knowledge.
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 KJV
We should not worry about anything, but thank God that He is in control. With this understanding, we will be able to live wisely in a world full of corruption, hatred, and stupidity. Even when we make mistakes or sin, we can know that God is in control. This gives us a peace in our circumstances that we cannot explain, but we can understand that God is with us and watching over us.
With this wisdom and understanding, we can discern better what is within God’s will for our lives. This is how we are preserved and kept. It does not necessarily mean we are kept from physical, financial, or emotional harm, but it does mean we have the peace and assurance that our standing with God is good through the power of Jesus Christ.
Remember the Source
Merciful Lord, give us Your wisdom and understanding to know that You are watching over us and have it all in Your hands. You told us that if we just ask, You will give it to us. In the powerful name of Jesus the Christ, grant us our desire: wisdom and understanding of You, that we may have peace and assurance, that we may share Your love with the world.
1 Comment | tags: Bible, Book of Proverbs, Christ, Christ Jesus, God, Peace, Wisdom | posted in Knowledge, Uncategorized, Wisdom
It is Christmas Eve! Our Lord is coming!
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. -Revelation 22:16-17, KJV
In the beginning, God created everything, including us. We sinned and messed it all up.
God sent His messengers throughout history to warn us and guide back to Him, including the shadows of His own Son in people like Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, and King David.
Then Jesus came to redeem us through the line of David, by dying on the cross.
May we never grow weary of hearing it: He died to save us from our sins!
Those of us who believe it are members of His Bride – the Church – and He offers His Bride the living water that is the Holy Spirit.
We shall find an end to all suffering, pain, thirst, and hunger upon His return.
Therefore, we echo the words of Him and the Apostle John from Revelation 22:20:
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Amen, Bride, Bridegroom, Christ, Christmas, Christmas Hope, Church, Come, Coming, Creation, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, Living water, Lord, Peace, Revelation, Second Coming | posted in Creation, hope, Jesus
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. – John 19:25, KJV
What was the whole reason Jesus made His first coming to the Earth?
To die as a propitiation for our sins on the cross.
And of all of the thousands who followed Him during His ministry, the 120 disciples who remained the most faithful, the remaining 11 Apostles, and His family, who remained nearby at His death?
The Apostle John and a few women, including His mother, Mary. She may not have understood everything Jesus did or taught, but she stayed near Him even at His supposed end.
And there is our example: like Jesus’ mother, we do not always understand how God is moving, how what is happening can work out for good, or how His Kingdom will come to full fruition; but we do know He has promised to return to fully redeem us and banish all evil pain and suffering, though we may not understand the whole plan.
And we, too, shall remain faithful until the end, by the power of blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
Our great God, strengthen our faith, because You are faithful, and grant us peace, patience, and wisdom as we wait for Your return.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Christmas, Christmas Hope, Coming, Faithful, Faithfulness, Follow, Follower, God, Gospel, Jesus, John, Knowledge, Mary, Mother, Patience, Peace, promises, Second Coming, The Cross, The Mary's, Understanding | posted in Faithfulness, Jesus, Peace, Promises
Welcome to the third week of Advent!
Tradition holds that the third week of Advent is about the joy and peace we find in the Messiah, with Mary, the mother of Jesus, being our example. We finally begin to see the the connection from seeing our need for a Savior to discovering and sharing the news of that Savior to beginning to see some of the rewards of following the Savior.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. -Luke 1:38
But those rewards rest on our response to what God has done.
(This is not to claim that we can do anything to earn salvation. This is also not the place to have a major soteriological debate [hash out matters and merits of salvation, i.e. over Calvinism, Arminianism, and the like]. Please enjoy the thoughts today, and head over to the Proverbial Thought Extra Facebook page if you want to dialogue with us, or you can leave a respectful comment.)
Contrary to what many teach today, God will give us more than we can handle. It encourages us to rest in Him, trust that He knows what He is doing, and let His power flow through us by the Holy Spirit.
Case in point, young Mary – who is yet to be married to Joseph at this juncture in the story of Christ – is told she is to carry the Son of God and give birth to Him.
Think about it: a young female, not yet married, in a society that limits what women can do with a religion that shuns the sexually impure, being told she is about to be pregnant. She is risking being ostracized by family and friends, thought a liar and a slut, and severely limiting her prospects for the future.
And how does she respond to this news?
“I am the Lord’s servant.”
How willing are we to be willing to the call of God?
We do not have to carry the baby Jesus to term, but we are tasked with carrying His Gospel to a fallen world.
We do not have to risk being labeled liars, but we risk being ridiculed for believing a man is God in the flesh, was killed, and came back to life.
We may not have to risk family and friends thinking we are crazy and abandoning us …
Actually, yes, we do.
Such is the cost of believing in and following Jesus. It may even cost us our lives.
If we want to find the joy and peace that comes with following Jesus, we first must be willing to actually follow Jesus. With all that it may cost us.
Emmanuel, thank You for coming to save us. Give us the resolve to pursue you throughout the world, or even to our literal neighbors and family.
2 Comments | tags: Advent, Christmas, Desire, faith, Faithful, Faithfulness, God's Will, Handmaid, Joy, Mary, Mother of God, Peace, response, rewards, Servant, Son of God, Willing, Willingness | posted in desire, Faithfulness
And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. -Luke 3:15-18, KJV
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Just as John and Paul had people wonder if they were the Christ or a son of a god, we should be setting the example “in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12) and in good works “that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
They may begin thinking we are divine, but just like John and Paul, we should be quick to point them back to Jesus. We do good works because “the love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Corinthians 5:14), the One who came to earth and out of His love sacrificed Himself for us, and we are merely unworthy servants of Christ.
But this must also come with the warning that you must believe in Him, or you will be removed in the age to come.
There is no good news without first revealing the bad news of our sinful condition. But when we come to see our need for the coming Savior, it will lead to joy and praise of His return as we see the peace brought through His life, death, and resurrection!
Our world today is longing for peace, someone who can save them from the perils we face. They have an expectation that either things will get better or get worse.
May we be ready to respond to expectation and humble enough to point to the One who is coming.
Cleansing Creator and Savior, thank You for saving us. Please give us a heart for the lost, to preach righteousness and salvation, the peace of Christ; and give us a boldness to share the gospel.
Leave a comment | tags: Advent, Apostle Paul, Baptist, Christ, Christmas, Coming, Gospel, hope, Jesus, John, John the Baptist, Joy, Messiah, Peace, Second Coming, sharing, Son of God, Warnings | posted in hope, Warnings
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. -Zechariah 3:8-10
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The great news of Zechariah is that the Branch of Jesse, the descendant of David, the Servant King of Israel, would be coming to His people, and in a single day He would manage to remove all the sins of His people.
Through this Branch, all people will be able to come together in peace and love, living by the fruit of the Spirit in all facets of life and relationships.
This is not simply some feel-good story, but the source of the peace we celebrate at this time of year.
It is also the hope that we will one day see this fulfilled completely. It will be fully realized when our Lord returns to reign on Earth for eternity.
Lord of hosts and Righteous Redeemer, thank You for taking our sin upon Yourself and reuniting humanity with You. Guide us in bringing Your Kingdom to this world.
2 Comments | tags: Advent, Branch, Christmas, Fig, Jesus, Joshua, Lord, Lord Jesus, Lord of Hosts, Neighbor, Neighbors, Peace, Redemption, Relationship, relationships, Sin, Stone, Tree, Trust the Lord | posted in Peace, Relationships, sin, Trust the Lord
Welcome to the first week of Advent!
Tradition holds that the first week of Advent reminds us of the importance of prophecy and that we are desperately in need of a Savior. The Hebrew Bible – the Old Testament – reveals much through the Prophets and Wisdom literature and poetry.
If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
Job 11:13-18
We first need to see our need for cleansing from sin. Then we need to remember that, through Christ, we have already been cleansed of our sin.
This knowledge gives us hope.
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14
Therefore, we no longer wait, as Israel did, for an unknown Savior. Rather, we wait for the return of our Lord, when all misery, pain, and tears will cease. He shall reign as God and Lord over a remade and perfect Creation.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Heavenly Father, we have sinned against you, but You sent Your Son to save us from our sin. Thank You for revealing Jesus’ first coming through Your Prophets of old and His immanent return through the Apostles. Give us a grateful heart and a sense of urgency to spread this Good News with the world with humility and grace.
Leave a comment | tags: Advent, Christ, Christmas, Coming, forgiveness, Hebrew Bible, Holidays, hope, Isaiah, Jesus, Job, Old Testament, Peace, Prophets, Psalm, Second Coming, Sin | posted in hope, Jesus, Peace, sin
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Proverbial Thought 