PEACE
WHAT IS IT? HOW DO WE FIND IT?
“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
“Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.”
(Psalm 119:165 KJV)
Years ago, when speaking in a Wednesday evening service on this subject, the Holy Spirit gave me the best definition of peace that I have ever come across. PEACE IS THE ABSENCE OF STRIFE. Inner turmoil and fretting over the things that transpire in one’s life is the exact opposite of what God has promised – and what God has provided – for those who put their full and unwavering trust in God. The battle lines have been drawn long ago, and have been defined as conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. Attempting to deal with life’s challenges apart from absolute dependence upon the Spirit and the promises of God’s Word is futile. PEACE ONLY COMES FROM A FAITH IN GOD AND HIS PROMISES THAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN…OR FRUSTRATED…BY DEPENDENCE UPON HUMAN REASONING. Dependence upon what most people have to offer when one is called to walk through one of life’s deep and dark valleys, for example “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23) will, more often than not, create inner strife, a troubled and worried, emotional state that is not what God provides for those who seek for it. The Bible tells us to “…seek peace, and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14; 1 Peter
On four separate occasions the Bible tells us that “the just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans
Now, you may be wondering why I am addressing this issue. You are right, this preacher has been called upon to face the biggest challenge of my almost six decades in the work of the Lord. My wife of 58 years, 7 months, and 7 days passed from this life on May 31st. She died in my arms after having told me the night before to “Please let me go…I will be with my Lord.” Everything that I have ever believed, preached and/or taught was called into question at that time. I was faced – in one of my man to Man talk with the Lord – as to how I would react to the fact that my prayers and those of many hundreds of people had seemingly not been answered. We believed that GOD would work a miracle and completely heal her from the cancer that had come back with a vengeance. In one day short of two months she was gone. Would I turn against God? Would I lose my faith? Would I question the validity of God’s Word? Would I stop praying for the sick and for miracles after having seen God work hundreds of them? I settled that matter in my car, on my way to church. His peace filled my inner being as I promised the Lord that I would not blame Him, that I would not lose my faith in His power to heal the sick and work miracles. I would not regress, but I would rather move forward in faith and in ministry. I would continue to pray for the sick and believe God for miracles. His peace filled my being, totally. Consequently, I do not “sorrow as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians
How could I do that? Humanly, I should be wallowing in sorrow and grief. This is not what I am taught in God’s Word and this is not what my beloved life partner would want. I will honor my God, and I will honor my wife, by allowing THE PRINCE OF PEACE to give His peace. His peace doesn’t come as humans might expect, or even attempt to give it. It comes on the wings of obedience to His Word and continuous reliance upon Him for inner strength, the strength to stay in the fight, to stay in the race, to finish the course with valor.
This topic is endless. Let me share something that one of Lucille’s nieces (Faith) in
TODAY, I will delete from my journal two days: yesterday and tomorrow.
Yesterday was to learn from and tomorrow…well that will be the consequence
of what I can do today.
TODAY, I will face life with the sure knowledge that this day will never return.
TODAY, is the last opportunity I have to live intensely, as no one can
assure me that I will see tomorrow’s sunrise.
TODAY, I will be brave enough not to let any opportunity pass me by,
my only alternative is to succeed.
TODAY, I will invest my most valuable resource: my time in the most
transcendental work: my life.
TODAY, I will spend each minute passionately, to make a different and
unique day in my life.
TODAY, I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way,
trusting I will succeed.
TODAY, I will resist pessimism, and will conquer the world with a smile
and a positive attitude of always expecting the best.
TODAY, I will make of every ordinary task a sublime expression.
TODAY, I will have my feet on the ground understanding reality and the stars’ gaze, and thus will invent my future.
TODAY, I will take the time to be happy and will leave my footprints
and my presence in the hearts of others, not just in the sands of time.
TODAY, I invite you to begin a new season where we can dream
that everything we undertake is possible and we fulfill that dream, with
joy and dignity.
TODAY, why not perform a random act of kindness?
And, if there be those you love, tell them, you don’t know when it
might be your last opportunity.
Tell them, as I have just done…TODAY.
I leave you to prayerfully consider your own philosophy toward life…and death. We are all born to live, to die, to live. I have chosen to follow the example of David following the death of the child born to Bathsheba following his sin (as Nathan the prophet described it). David besought God to spare the child’s life. He didn’t! After seven days the child died. David fasted and lay in the dirt. He refused to eat. He believed that God would be gracious and change His mind. He didn’t! David’s faith could have been totally destroyed. Thankfully, he didn’t let that happen. I will not let that happen to me. When the baby died, David “arose from the earth, and washed and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and CAME INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, and WORSHIPED, then he came to his own house, and when he required (asked) they set bread (food) before him and he did eat” (2 Samuel 12:20). Those of his household, including his servants, could not understand how David could conduct himself in this manner. After all, Jewish custom called for a lot of mourning, a lot of tears, a lot of wailing (even with hired professional mourners). None of this happened. They could not understand. David explained it clearly and concisely. He said, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live. BUT NOW he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he cannot return to me” (vv. 22, 23).
I trust that my experience with death will somehow help others to know how to deal with it when the death angel comes calling. To everything there is a time, a season, and a reason. “It is appointed unto men once to die.” This is a fact of life. How we die is much more important than when we die. How we handle death is an issue that each of us, if we haven’t before, will be called upon to deal with. Will we deal with it, leaning hard on the Lord and drawing strength from Him, bathed in THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH PASSETH – IS BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION. Explain it? Impossible! Possible? Absolutely!
Should you desire to communicate directly with this preacher, please do so. Below are ways that I can be reached. And, thanks for listening.
Post Office
E-mail: his2u@charter.net
Telephone: 1-818-843-2112
Web Address: http//www.parsontopersonministries.blogspot.com