Devotional for Saturday and Sunday October 19-20

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20
 
Our thought for today: “Which voices are you listening to?”
 
So, are you listening to the voices inside your head? There are voices you know – more than you might realize. First, there is your own voice. We talk to ourselves all the time. Sometimes out loud but more often it’s in the quietness of our own mind. And what we say to ourselves really does matter. It’s been rightly said that the most important conversation you will ever have is the one you have with yourself. Self-talk is a major determining factor in the kind of person you are.
 
Then there’s the voice of the Lord. As Jesus indicated in Revelation 3:20, He does speak to us. Almost never does He speak in an audible voice – at least not in His own voice. Sometimes His words will come to us through a preacher or teacher, and sometimes through the counsel of a mature Christian friend, but more often He speaks to our mind through prayer and through the printed words of the Bible.
 
And then there’s a third voice in your head (I know, I know, it’s getting crowded in there), it’s the voice of Satan. In John 8:44 we’re told that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. How does he lie to you? Sometimes his lies will be transmitted by human speakers or through the voice of the culture, but primarily it happens by him whispering lies into your mind. Yes, Satan can plant thoughts in your mind and you can be sure they will be lying deceptive thoughts.
 
What does all this have to do with peace? Well, you will not be at peace unless the loudest voice in your head is the voice of the Lord. Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6); He gives His peace to us (John 14:27); and if we keep our minds focused on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).
 
So, are you listening to the voices inside your head? Which one are you paying the most attention to? I encourage you to turn Satan’s decibel level to zero; pay only moderate attention to yourself; but when it comes to the voice of Jesus, crank it up loud.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday October 18th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Peace”

Our Bible verse for today: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Our thought for today: “When Jesus says “Come to Me”, we need to actually “go to Him”.

In her book “The God of All Comfort” Hannah Whitall Smith asks, “Why, I asked myself, should the children of God lead such utterly uncomfortable religious lives when He has led us to believe that His yoke would be easy and His burden light?”

She goes on, “There is a feeling abroad that Christ has offered in His Gospel more than He has to give. People think that they have not exactly realized what was predicted as the portion of the children of God. But why is this so? Has the kingdom of God been over-advertised, or is it only that it has been under-believed; has the Lord Jesus Christ been overestimated, or has He only been under-trusted?”

Ok, I’m thinking the problem is us and not Him. I’m thinking that the reason we don’t have the peace we yearn for is not because God has promised more than He can deliver, it’s because we’re lazy in the practice of our spiritual disciplines, prone to making excuses, and sleeping when we should be praying.

When Jesus said “Come to Me” the implication is that we will actually have to get off of our backsides and go to Him. Instead of sleeping late we must get out of bed and go to the time of Bible reading and prayer. Instead of sitting around the house on Sunday reading the paper and getting ready for the early football game, we need to actually go to church. Instead of just pushing on through our frustrating and stressful work day we need to stop what we’re doing, go someplace quiet, and pray about it.

The problem with most of us is that when Jesus says “Come to Me”, we don’t. If we did, we’d have a lot more peace. When Jesus says “Come to Me”, we need to actually “go to Him”. 

 God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Devotional for Thursday October 17th

Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth, from eternity to eternity, You are God.” Psalm 90:1-2
Our thought for today: “We must choose to dwell with God.”
 
More than 100 years ago Hannah Whithall Smith wrote the devotional classic “The God of All Comfort”. The reason she wrote it was because it seemed to her that the majority of Christians she knew were living lives characterized more by defeat and despair than by victory and joy. As she surveyed that sad scene she realized the problem was that they were looking in the wrong places for peace and joy. She realized that even Christians – good Christians, were largely preoccupied with material concerns rather than spiritual. She wrote:
 
“The comfort or discomfort of our outward lives depends more largely upon the dwelling place of our bodies than upon almost any other material thing; and the comfort or discomfort of our inward life depends similarly upon the dwelling place of our souls.”
 
If you’re living in a cardboard box under a bridge you probably will not feel as safe, secure, comfortable and peaceful as you would if you were living in a warm, dry, well furnished house. Likewise, if your soul is wandering in barren and empty spiritual places you’re not going to be at peace like you would be if you were seeking and finding your refuge in the God of eternity. Hannah continues:
 
“It is of vital importance, then, that we should find out definitely where our souls are living. The Lord declares that He has been our dwelling place in all generations, but the question is, are we living in our dwelling place? … We shall always hunger and faint for the courts of the Lord, as long as we fail to take up our abode there.”
 
So, where is your soul hanging out these days? Have you developed the habit of beginning each day in prayer and Bible reading? Throughout the day do you listen to Christian music, engage in additional short periods of prayer, and talk to others about the Lord? Are you a regular and active participant in the life of a good church family? Where is your soul living? Are you dwelling with the Lord, or in the spiritual equivalent of a cardboard box under a bridge?
 
Many professing Christians live the lives of a spiritual hobo and then wonder why they’re not experiencing deep joy, a sense of security, and real peace. The problem is that they’re not really living with God. They do have a passing relationship with Him, and they do stop by to see Him every once in a while – for a sort of sp ritual hand-out, but they’re not really living with Him. 
 
God will be your dwelling place, your place of refuge; and with Him there is peace, but you do have to choose to make His presence your home.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday October 16th

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine …” 2 Timothy 4:2-3
 
Our thought for today: “We want peace, but not peace at any cost.”
 
Paul instructed Timothy to persist in proclaiming Biblical truth whether the people wanted to hear it or not. Paul predicted a time when people would be so eager to hear soft fuzzy teaching that tickled their ears and warmed their hearts that they would not accept Biblical truth. That would present difficulties for those daring enough to proclaim the truth and yet Timothy and the others were to persist.
 
The same is true in our day. As Christians we want to get along with our family members, neighbors, co-workers, and society at large. We don’t want people to be mad at us or to take actions against us. We would prefer to live at peace – in harmonious relationships with everyone. But we have to be careful we’re not seeking peace at any price. We can’t compromise Biblical truth in favor of getting along and going along.
 
Billy Graham once wrote, “We have our peace movements, and all we want is peace – abroad and at home. But if by peace we mean appeasing tyranny, compromising with gangsters, and being silent because we haven’t the moral fortitude to speak out against injustice, then this is not real peace. It is a false peace. It is a farce and it is a hoax.”
 
As Christians we do want peace, but more than that we want truth and justice. There will never be true peace until it is the peace of Jesus Christ that reigns in the hearts and minds of individuals and in society at large. But people will not discover the peace of Christ if we His followers are silent. It’s up to us proclaim the message of peace in Christ and it’s up to us to stand strong for Biblical principles – even in the face of opposition.
 
Yes we do want peace, but not peace at any cost.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

Devotional for Tuesday October 15th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Peace”

Our Bible verse for today: “I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13

Our thought for today: “Contentment is the key to peace.”

Most of us are not really at peace because we haven’t learned how to be content. Truth be told, no matter how much money most people have, they would really like to have a little more. As good as the current position at work might be, the next rung up the ladder would be even better. Although I might be grateful for the home I have, a new one with a pool and Jacuzzi would sure be nice. And on it goes.

That thinking applies to almost every other area of life too. The kids are doing ok in school, but wouldn’t it be nice if they were on the honor role. The middle aged woman knows she’s actually healthy and in reasonably good shape for her age, but she’d love to be aging better, maybe like Cheryl Ladd (she’s 60 but looks 40). I have a nice lawn but it’s still not golf course quality … 

The dictionary says that to be content is to be satisfied and happy with things as they are. Unfortunately that doesn’t describe most of us. Truthfully, we’re not really content and therefore we’re not really at peace. There’s nothing wrong with improvement and advancement, unless it creates a never-ending cycle of restlessness and discontentment. Our constant desire for more and better robs us of our peace.

In her book “The Contented Soul” Lisa McMinn writes, “Too easily we live unexamined and disconnected lives, distracting ourselves in our quest for greater ease, comfort, or the acquisition of better stuff.”

In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul described a better way. He wrote of how he “learned” to be content by focusing on Christ instead of on stuff. Over time he trained himself to find real peace and contentment in his relationship with the Lord and not from the things of the world. Now please note, in that passage Paul admitted that he did have times of affluence, fullness, and great provisions – and he obviously felt free to enjoy them, but his sense of peace and contentment didn’t hang on those things.

McMinn goes on, “We are surrounded by simple pleasures and the possibility of sipping and savoring our very earthy, very physical life. Contentment awaits us, inviting us to savor each moment, and in doing so to honor the God who gave us life.”

Rather than constantly striving for more and better, we would benefit from learning to be content with where we are and with what we have. There is peace in contentment.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

DEVOTIONAL FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 14TH

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “God has made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 (TEV)
 
Our thought for today: ‘There is peace in simplicity”
 
I love the Jewish concept of “shalom”. The fullest sense of the word incorporates the ideas of peace, wholeness, unity, and balance. It describes both an individual and community-wide mind set that creates a sense of harmony in a world of chaos; balance amidst competing pressures; and peace while surrounded by strife. It’s common in the Jewish world to wish someone “Shalom” as a way of speaking a blessing into their life.
 
In his book ‘The Freedom of Simplicity” Richard Foster writes of how we can increase “Shalom” in our lives by intentionally incorporating greater simplicity into our daily routines. He’s talking about living lives that are intentionally less complicated. As a practice of our faith, Foster encourages us to develop what Bishop John Taylor once called “The Theology of Enough”. We must come to the point of deciding that we already have enough possessions, or enough advancement at work, or enough activities in our lives, or enough (fill in the blank with whatever it is that’s cluttering up your life.)
 
We all need more “Shalom” in our lives. We need more peace, wholeness, unity, and balance. As Solomon explained in Ecclesiastes 7:29, God made us plain and simple, we’re the ones who have greatly complicated this business of living. Someone else once observed that God made us human “beings” not human “doings”. Most of us need to slow way down and cut some things out of our lives. “Be still” the Lord said, “and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
 
For an expanded teaching on this subject of achieving a more balanced life of “shalom” you can go to my web site at http://www.JimMersereauBooks.com, click on the button “Free Articles” and download the articles “Room for the Singing of Angels” and “Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times”.
 
There is peace in simplicity.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

DEVOTIONAL FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY OCTOBER 12-13, 2013

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” Mark 4:38
 
Our thought for today: “Jesus provides peace in the storms of life.”
 
The disciples found themselves in a raging storm out on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was there but He was asleep in the bow of the boat. The storm raged, the disciples feared, and Jesus slept. Finally one of them shook Him awake and implied that since they were struggling and He was sleeping, He must not care that they were all going to drown.
 
You know the story. Jesus calmly got up, looked around, and in a strong voice commanded “Peace! Be still!” and just like that the storm was calmed. As it turned out, even though it appeared to the disciples that Jesus was unaware or uncaring about the storm they were going through, He was actually very much aware and very much in control. He just wasn’t panicking like they were. At the right time and in the right way Jesus calmed their storm.
 
Maybe you are going through a storm right now. Maybe the is black and and the clouds are thick in your life right now and you’re wondering where the Lord is at in all this. This passage from Mark 4:38 was part of my daily reading yesterday in the Daily Walk Bible. Let me share with you the insightful editorial comment the editors included as a side bar to the passage:
 
“The Sea of Galilee is usually calm and tranquil, but it can become treacherous when violent storms spring up. The lake is like life itself: beautiful and tranquil at times, stormy and threatening at others. At the end of a long day, Jesus and his disciples got into a boat to cross the lake. After pushing away from the shore, Jesus fell asleep … and then a storm exploded. Twelve frightened men rushed to Jesus and exclaimed, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” Now go back to verse 35. What did Jesus say to his disciples just before entering the boat? “Let’s go to the middle of the lake and drown?” Of course not! He said, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” What stormy, unexpected event in your life has you feeling panicked and fretful? Remember, Christ intends to take you to the other side safe and secure. Invite him into your “boat” right now, and let him still your storms of doubt.”
 
Jesus will give you peace in the midst of the storm.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim

DEVOTIONAL FOR FRIDAY OCTOBER 11TH

Good Morning Everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:22-26
 
Our thought for today: “The Lord speaks words of peace over you.”
 
I love that passage from Numbers chapter six. It so clearly expresses the heart of God for us. He wants us to have a wonderful sense of being blessed by Him, and an awareness of His grace in our lives, and a deep sense of peace – so much so that He instructed Moses to have Aaron and his sons (the priests of the nation) to regularly speak these words of blessing over the people.
 
In those days the nation of Israel was still in the time of wandering. They had left Egypt but had not yet arrived in the Promised Land. For long periods they traveled, day after day after day. Then they settled in one spot for a while but when they did, they worked hard. They repaired their tents and other equipment, they tended to their animals, they mended their clothes, and much more. Whether they were traveling or stationary their lives were filled with work and activities, from early in the morning till late in the evening, day after day.
 
That being the case, keeping the Sabbath was an important and even vital part of their weekly routine. They needed the break. Sabbath was about more than just gathering with their church families for times of worship, it was about rest too. Much needed rest. And interestingly, it was on the Sabbath that they would have heard Aaron speak those words of blessing from God. It was on the Sabbath, while they were worshiping and resting, that they would have heard their Minister pronounce words of blessing, grace, and peace from the Lord upon their lives.
 
By the time you read this you will probably be nearing the end of a busy week. What will you do this weekend? Will it be filled with more work, more activities, more responsibilities, or will you rest and worship? Of course we can experience the blessings and the peace of God at any time, but Sabbath is the time set aside for us by God for rest, renewal, and peace.
 
The Lord wants to bless you. He wants you to experience rest, renewal and peace. He wants you to hear those words of blessing pronounced over your life. I encourage you to gather with your church family this weekend.
 
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
 

DEVOTIONAL FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 2013

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Peace”

Our Bible verse for today: “Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” 1 Peter 3:11 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “Peace isn’t for wimps.”

Edmund Burke was an Irish author, philosopher, and statesman who lived in England in the mid to late 1700’s. He served in the British House of Commons during the time of the American Revolutionary War and he was a strong advocate in favor of American Independence. He is best remembered for his profound statement:

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Burke’s point is exactly what Peter was writing about in 1 Peter 3:11. It’s not enough to just shun or turn away from evil – we must actively strive to do good. We have to be intentional about it. It takes effort and work. We have to “search” for peace – look for it, uncover it, and then “work” to maintain it. What’s being described is an active effort.

Too often people equate pacifism with peace. They conclude that simply avoiding conflict – at all costs – results in peace. By that definition then, people living under the rule of a brutal dictator have peace. Even though the ruler is evil and the laws are unjust, as long as they conform and obey they will have a form of peace. But is that really peace? And could it be what God wants for us?

Sometimes achieving peace means confronting situations that are wrong and engaging in a struggle to bring about good. Sometimes it could mean even intentionally creating conflict so that real peace can eventually prevail. The circumstances that prompted Burke’s famous quote are a case in point. If the American colonists had simply submitted to the unjust dictates of the king of England they would have had a form of peace, but it would not have been real peace. Instead they intentionally provoked a conflict in order to oppose the injustice and eventually that did lead to peace.

Peter’s command in 1 Peter 3:11 is another example. If we simply remain silent and allow evil to have it’s way we’ll have a form of peace – in that the world will ignore us and we will therefore enjoy an absence of conflict, but that’s not real peace. Instead, we are commanded to shun the evil – actively resist it. Then we move in the direction of good – searching for real peace. And then once we have it, we must do the hard work to maintain it. It’s active and intentional. It’s achieving peace by opposing evil. It’s hard work and will probably involve conflict.

Achieving and maintaining peace is an intentional and active process. Peace isn’t for wimps.

God Bless, Pastor Jim 

DEVOTIONAL FOR WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8TH

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Peace”

Our Bible verse for today: “Work for the peace and prosperity of the city were I sent you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:7 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “We are to be instruments of God’s peace wherever He has placed us.”

In Jeremiah 29:7 the prophet was writing to the Jews who were in exile in Babylon. Babylon was not their real home. The culture around them wasn’t conducive to living a godly life and the people of God experienced mistreatment and persecution. But through Jeremiah God instructed the people to be obedient and productive citizens in the city where He had put them, and to be instruments of peace and prosperity for the greater good.

Likewise, as Christians we are a people residing in places that are not our real homes. We’re citizens of heaven on a journey through this world and our destination is the eternal kingdom. For the time being God has placed us in cities and towns, in neighborhoods and in jobs, in civic organizations and on PTA committees, and like the Jews in Babylon we are to be instruments of peace and prosperity for the greater society we’re part of. The world should be blessed because the people of God are among them.

Where has God placed you? Wherever it is, you’re not there by mistake. God has a reason for you to be in that town, or part of that work force, or on that school board. Even if you find yourself in an increasingly godless culture; even if you’re surrounded by people who do not share your faith; and even if you face some occasional opposition, you can still be a force for good wherever you are.

I want to encourage you today to be intentional about being an instrument of God’s peace in the place where He has put you.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim