ARE YOU THANKFUL?

Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Have you ever received a gift from someone and you knew there was no way you could reciprocate?  The one thing that we can do when given gifts or compliments is say, "Thank you."  Sometimes the one giving the gift is more blessed with a "Thank you," than anything else!  When my husband and I were dating, he told me that one of the things that set me apart from the other women he had dated was the fact that I always said, "Thank you," when he did anything for me or gave me something.  Looking back on that, I see that my thankfulness brought me favor over other women with my husband.  How much more so with God?  He has given us something that we could never buy or earn.  The gift of salvation and everything that goes with it.  The gift of His friendship.  The gift of His presence.  The gift of His Spirit.  God has already given us so much more than we deserve.  Yet, He invites us to talk to Him and ask for things we need!  The Apostle, Paul tells us to let our requests be known to God, with thanksgiving.  He tells us in the very same phrase that God's peace will guard our hearts and minds.  Do you want God's peace?  Then, while you are asking Him for your needs, give Him thanks!

Where do you suppose the most peace is to be found.  I would guess that it would be in the courts of Heaven.  Psalm 100:4-5 (AMP)  ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!  ⁵ For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.  We're supposed to enter into those courts with thanksgiving.  Where do we go when we need help and mercy?  To the throne of God.  In prayer.  Hebrews 4:16 (AMP)  ¹⁶ Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].  What an invitation and what a privilege!  Would you go without an offering?  You don't have to.  Paul says that we can go with thanksgiving.  In fact, we might not even get through the gates without thanksgiving!  Psalm 50:14-15 (NLT)  ¹⁴ Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. ¹⁵ Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

Maybe you're saying, "I can't think of much to be thankful for."  That may be true if you only look at your circumstances but it's far from the truth.  Jesus loves you.  He died for you.  He has called you his friend, if you have received Him as your Savior.  He has promised to meet your needs if you will seek His Kingdom and His righteousness before you go looking for other things.  That's just for starters!  I'm sure you just took a breath.  God did not have to give that breath to you!  If you can see to read this, you've got something to be thankful for.  When we bring our requests before God, in the name of Jesus, by faith, we can be thankful!  Give thanks to God before you receive the answer because He has promised that He will answer!  If you are a parent, you might know the feeling of having a child ask for more and more and just take it for granted.  After a while, that can get old.  You may not be as inclined to keep on giving.  However, if that child is always grateful and expresses thanks to you, the opposite will probably be true.  You will want to give more and more.  Do you think that is the way God is?  I do.  I believe He greatly blesses His thankful children.  Especially the ones who go to Him, by faith, and thank Him for His answers even before they see them.  If we can go to God in prayer, letting Him know about everything we need and, if we know that He has heard us and will answer, we will have peace.  We may not understand the peace that we have but it will be there.  When you pray, are you thankful whether or not you have seen your answer?  May it be so and my His peace that passes all understanding be yours.  Yes!  Shalom! 

REMEMBER!

Philippians 4:5 (NLT)
⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

I am remembering something.  Something that happened last September.  I had begun to read a book called,  "One Month To Live - Thirty Days To A No-Regrets Life."  In this book, the authors, Kerry and Chris Shook, explain the importance of living each day as though we only had only one month in which to finish our life here on earth.  The truth is that we don't know what a day will bring and we know not whether we will even have the next moment!  How would you live this moment if you knew it was your last?  How would you live this day if you knew it was your last?  And what would you do to fill a month if you knew it was your last?  Sometimes, don't we get very hung up on the, "here and now?"  We run to comforts here on earth to satisfy our longings instead of running to the Comforter!  We forget that we are living in a finite period of time.  Psalm 39:5 (NLT)  ⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude  I was thoroughly enjoying reading this book and finding a new perspective on life, while at the same time being challenged.  Of course, I was not really thinking that I might have only one month to live (or even less).  In a moment of time, without notice, I experienced the worst pain I have ever felt and the realization came to me that I might be dying.  And, the truth is that, at that moment, I was dying!  A shower of blood clots had hit both of my lungs and I couldn't breath!  My heart started straining to move the blood between itself and my lungs and nothing would move.  There was no warning.  I was minding my own business sitting at my computer.  Because of God's goodness and His miracle working power, I'm sitting here writing this today with so much for which to be thankful!  Upon arriving in the ER, the doctor (whom God had prepared ahead of time) told me that, if I had not been able to get to the phone, my husband would have come home from his business trip to a dead wife.  That's how fast it can happen!

While remembering the above experience, I am also remembering that, whether the Lord takes us through illness, accident or when He comes to call us all home with Him, we will all soon be face to face with Him.  He's going to ask us to give account for the time He has given us on earth.   Watch this: Matthew 12:36 (AMP)  ³⁶ But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.  We have but a few days, in the scope of eternity, to live on this earth.  Everything we say and do makes a difference!  Everything we say and do either ushers in peace or confusion.  All the things we say and do impact our own lives as well as the lives of others.  We don't even know the scope of how far our words and actions might travel.  No wonder the Apostle Paul tells us, just before letting us know that the peace that passes all understanding can be ours, to be considerate and unselfish in all we do, and to remember that the Lord is coming soon.  None of us knows the exact time that the Lord will return.  Matthew 24:36 (NLT)  ³⁶ “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.  That's why we cannot take our time here for granted.  Matthew 24:42 (NLT)  ⁴² “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.  The Lord is coming soon, one way or another.  Either to take us all home or for each of us as individuals when our allotted time here on earth is over.  I'm thankful for the difficulty of having those blood clots almost end my life because I know that I have been given another chance to remember that my time here could be over in a split second or the twinkling of an eye!  What I say and do today and every day matters.  I never know when my last opportunity to make a difference for the better will come!

All of the above being said, I will confess that sometimes I have frittered away my time doing mindless things just for pleasure or to escape from the pressures of life.  I am not proud of that and I really want to do better.  Just before Paul tells us to remember that the Lord is coming soon, he tells us to be considerate and unselfish or, as I quoted yesterday, "sweetly reasonable."  Since our time here is so limited, why should we spend it doing things that are totally unproductive?  Why should we spend time arguing and fighting?  As I write, I am suddenly hearing the following verse:  Romans 12:1 (KJV)  ¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  Our time here is not our own.  The bodies we live in don't even belong to us if we are believers.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)  ¹⁹ Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.  What we do with ourselves and our time might possibly change if we knew that we only had one month to live.  That should not be the way it is but it is so easy to take the gift of life here for granted.  Ministers are privileged to spend time with folks who know that they have a limited amount of time to live because of terminal disease.  Here is a portion of what Chris and Kerry Shook have noticed in ministering to those who know they are dying.  "They take license to say what they really feel and do what they really want.  They ask for forgiveness and forgive others.  They no longer think only of themselves but reach out to those they love and let them know how much they mean.  They take risks they would never have taken before and allow themselves to lay worry aside and gratefully accept each new day.  They seem to gain a new clarity about their priorities like their relationship with God and leaving legacies that will endure."  Now, that's a mouthful!  As the authors so aptly conclude, "Why can't all of us live more like we're dying?"  Yes!  Why don't we?  Most likely because we do not remember that the Lord is coming soon.  In all of our getting caught up in the practicality, and sometimes pain, of this life, let's be sure to remember that the Lord is coming soon. Because of that, let's live like we were dying!  Let's considerately reach out to others with encouragement and hope.  A wonderful friend did that for me this morning and it made all the difference in my day!  When we do that, more and more peace floods our lives until we are totally encompassed with God's unexplainable peace!  Shalom!  And remember.  Jesus is coming soon!  

ALWAYS BE FULL OF THE JOY OF THE LORD!

Philippians 4:4 (NLT)
⁴ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

How much of the joy of the Lord is in you?  Are you full or do you have areas in your heart and mind where there is a lack of joy?  In order to experience a peace that will not be able to be explained, we need to always be full of the joy of the Lord.  As I was thinking about the peace that passes all of our understanding and how it relates to certain steps we can take, I remembered the following verse:  1 Peter 1:8 (AMP)  ⁸ Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy. When we stay full of joy in the Lord, we allow His peace to fill us.  We can't see Him but we believe in Him!  For the unbeliever, this all sounds like gibberish.  But, to the believer, it is true and real!  None of this can be explained or expressed thoroughly in words.  Even the our joy in the Lord is inexpressible, although it is full to the brim of glory.  We might equate joy with loud celebrating and shouting, but the Greek word used in 1 Peter 1:8 actually means,   "cheerfulness," and "calm delight."  Does that description remind you of peace?  It does me.  I can experience calm delight when my joy is in the Lord.  If there are places in my heart filled with worry, resentment, or any other negative thing, I need to renew my mind right now to that place of joy in the Lord.  That place of calm delight!  When I am full of the joy of the Lord, nothing else matters!  It's not that I don't care.  It's just that God has allowed my heart to be full of calm delight in Him.  He has relieved me of any burdens or sins because He has allowed me, and even commanded me, to cast all of that stuff on Him because He cares for me.  1 Peter 5:7 (AMP)  ⁷ Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.  I don't have to carry my cares because Jesus cares!  You don't have to carry yours either.  After all, we can't do much about them! So, why not give them to the only One who really cares and who wants to and can do something about them?  In exchange He will fill our hearts with joy and peace.  Not a bad exchange!

When the Apostle, Paul, tells us to be full of joy in the Lord in Philippians 4:4, another Greek word is used.  It is actually the root word from which the word forjJoy in 1 Peter 1:8 is taken.  It means to be full of cheer, to be well-off.  It was used as a salutation just as the word, "peace," was used as a salutation or a means of saying farewell.  Maybe you are saying, "I don't feel any joy right now; things are just too bad in my life for me to have any joy."  That is what you are feeling but what you know (or need to know, if you don't already know) is that it is imperative that you be filled with the joy of the Lord.  That may mean that you will have to clean the house of your heart and mind, throwing all of those, "joy-sappers," out in the trash.  Then, before any other worries or anxieties can enter, fill the place you just cleaned with the joy of the Lord.  Paul says, always be filled.  What does that mean to you and me?  (Please note, that I am not there yet.  I'm on the journey along with you.  And, it is a journey because the enemy will always try to slip something extra into your joy-filled heart!).  When is it that God wants us to be filled with joy in the Lord?  Always!  Paul says it twice in Philippians 4:4!  When is it okay to not be filled with the joy of the Lord?  Never!   Why?  Because, we're told to be joyful and then keep on being joyful!  What does it mean to be filled?  When something is full, there is no room for anything else.  If we remain filled with the joy of the Lord, those irritations and worries of life will have no place to take a seat in our hearts and minds.  There's not even any standing room!  Not for, "joy-sappers."    

Why do you suppose Paul wants us to always be filled with the joy of the Lord?  I think part of the reason is because Paul knows that without joy, we will have no strength.  Satan knows that too and he's going to try every method and strategy he can to steal away our joy!  He knows that if he can get that, he can bring us down because we'll be too weak to fight!  We've even got to be joyful when we find that God has revealed something in us, through His Word, that has to be changed.  That's what happened in Nehemiah's time.  The people were weeping because they had just asked Ezra to bring out the book of the law and read it to them.  Nehemiah 8:1 (NLT)  ¹ all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey.  They were reminded of and recognized God's Word as it was read to them once more; and they wept.  Nehemiah 8:9 (NLT)  ⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.  Yes, some repentance was in order but Nehemiah told the people not to weep and be sorrowful.   Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)  ¹⁰ And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”    If they would dwell on their sin, it would cause them to be weak.  Dwelling on our own inadequacies may seem like a humble thing to do; but it is really self-centered and it says that we don't think God is able to give us whatever it is we need.  The idea was that they had to turn from their sin and be joyful because that joy in being right with the Lord, now matter what they had to give up, would be their strength.  Is your life is filled with a lack of peace and strength right now?  Why don't you check your joy-level?  Without joy you will not have strength.  Without strength, you will feel like you're fighting a losing battle.  And the truth is, you probably are!  Have you noticed that depression saps you of your strength.  Although depression can be due to chemical imbalances in our body, it can also be due to spiritual imbalances!  The joy of the Lord will cure much of it and strength becomes renewed!  Don't just take a capful of joy; take all that God is trying to give you!  Fill every crevice of your heart and mind with it!  Look what King David said:  Psalm 21:1 (NLT)  ¹ How the king rejoices in your strength, O LORD! He shouts with joy because you give him victory.  Is God the same today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow?  The answer is, "Yes."  So now, I'm gong to redo this verse and put in my own name.  You do the same if you're so inclined and put your own name in the blanks.  " How ____________________ rejoices in Your strength, O LORD!  How ________________ shouts with joy because You give _________________ the victory."  Are you now full of it?  The joy of the Lord, that is.  His peace is ours when we are filled with His joy.  His strength is ours giving us the ability to go on cheerfully knowing that He gives us the victory!  Shalom.  And another thing!  Joy!  

STAY TRUE TO THE LORD

 Philippians 4:1 (NIV)
¹ Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

This morning I need to go back a couple of steps.  I have always been one who liked to hurry to get things done and go on to the next thing!  In doing so, sometimes, I miss something in the process.  I've been thinking about the steps that we can see in Philippians 4:1- 7 that will allow us to be in the position to fully experience God's peace. The kind that we can't explain.  One of those steps, and probably one that should be spoken of second, after knowing that we are loved, is that we stay true to the Lord.  There are so many things that can make us take our eyes off of Him.  When that happens, our hearts can become divided.  James 4:8 (AMP)  ⁸ Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].  James is talking to the church when he speaks of the fact that some of us become wavering individuals with divided interests.  This is not good but we do have a way of escape.  That way is to stay true to the Lord.  That is to renew our minds daily  (and, if you're like me, sometimes momentarily) with His Word.  Staying true to the Lord is of utmost importance since our prayers will be hindered, and even thwarted, if we are double-minded!  James 1:6-8 (NIV)  ⁶ But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;  ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.  We will not have the wisdom we need to cope with things in this world.  James 1:5 (NIV)  ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  We cannot know God's true peace if we do not walk in wisdom.  If we do not walk single-mindedly in Christ.  Proverbs 3:16 (TLB)  ¹⁶ Wisdom gives: A long, good life, Riches, Honor, Pleasure, Peace.  Wisdom gives peace!

Other versions of the Bible say, "stand fast in the Lord, and "stand firm in the Lord."  This seems to imply that we don't waver.  That we stay on track with the Lord by remaining in His Word.  That we steadily follow Him.  The Greek word for standing fast really means to be stationary and, figuratively, to persevere.  That same word is used in:  Galatians 5:1 (KJV)  ¹ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  When we stand fast in the Lord, we also stand fast in the liberty that He has given us.  Standing fast may sound like a hard thing and sometimes it is.  But, standing fast will enable us not to become slaves again to sin.  Even though it is hard to dig your heels into the Lord's Word and stand when everyone else seems to be going the wrong way, it is freeing!  Are you standing fast?  Are you taking a stand and refusing to budge?  We can do this only because God gives us the strength.  The very Rock that we stand upon is also our strength!  Psalm 62:7 (KJV)  ⁷ In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  That same word is used again in:  Philippians 1:27 (NLT)  ²⁷ Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.  Obviously, standing fast, or standing firm, in the Lord affects the amount of peace we have in our lives.  When we are tangled up with a yoke of bondage or slavery, we will not have peace.  When we are not in unity, standing firm, side by side, with other believers, we will not have peace either.  Standing firm in the Lord and with other believers is one step that is of great importance in achieving the experience of having the peace that passes all understanding!

Paul explained to the Thessalonians that it meant everything to him if he knew that they were standing firm in the Lord.  It was his very life to know that those to whom he ministered were standing fast in the Lord no matter what challenges came against them.  1 Thessalonians 3:8 (TLB)  ⁸ We can bear anything as long as we know that you remain strong in him.  The Apostle, Paul, had great troubles in his life.  Crushing troubles.  However, it was his joy and even his life to know that those to whom God had placed in his life for ministry were on the right track.  Taking a stand.  Persevering.  It gave Paul a reason to keep going and encouraged him by affirming that he, too, was on the right track!  It is like that today too.  Those who minister to us, if they are truly ministers, will find strength and joy in the fact that you and I stand firm in the Lord.  They will find peace because they will know that the Word they planted in us is bearing fruit.  We will have peace too.  When our minds are stayed on Jesus, when they stand firm in Him, we will find perfect peace from our Father.  Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV)  ³ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  ⁴ Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:  If that peace that passes all understanding seems to be evading you right now, perhaps you missed this step.  Stay firm in the Lord.  It's not too late to take a step backward and make sure that your mind and heart is stayed on the Lord.  If you do, you will find that God honors your steps toward Him, even if it means that you have to take a step backward to go forward!  He will keep you in perfect peace.  That kind of peace is the peace that you will never understand.  Neither will those around you!  Everyone will know that this peace that you are experiencing can only come from God.  May the God of peace get all the glory when we receive His peace that passes all human understanding!  Shalom!

A STEP TOWARD PEACE IS TO BE A PEACEMAKER

 
Philippians 4:3 (TLB)
³ And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked side by side with me in telling the Good News to others; and they worked with Clement, too, and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are written in the Book of Life.

I have been on a quest to find the steps that I am responsible for to achieve the peace that God wants to give me.  And to give you!  It's the kind of peace that we cannot engineer or create.  It is a peace that passes all of our understanding.  One step that I see in Philippians 4:3 is that we are to be peacemakers.  A couple of women that worked with Paul in telling the world about Jesus had an argument.  They had worked side by side for some time in agreement.  But, suddenly, for whatever reason, they began to quarrel.  Paul asked those in the church at Philippi to help these women to settle their argument.  Why?  Because they belonged to the Lord.  Philippians 4:2 (NLT)  ² Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.  If we belong to Jesus then we should be like Jesus and His focus was on unity between Himself and the Father.  He carried that further.  He wanted us to be in unity with Him as He was in unity with the Father.  Then, He carried it even further.  He wanted us to be in unity with one another.  That doesn't mean we lose our identity as the unique individual He made each one of us.  It means that we be like-minded in Christ and we don't let the smaller things in life cause us to come into disagreement and strife.  It means that we give up the desire to control everything!  Who do you belong to?  Most of us reading this already belong to the Lord.  Are there other names we could insert instead of Euodia and Syntyche?  Hopefully, one of those names will not be our own name!  But, if it is, God is ready to forgive us when we are ready to take the steps to settle our differences with another!

At times, when you're right in the center of a disagreement, it's hard to see clearly.  In Philippians 4:3, Paul is asking others to help these women solve the thing that is bring division between them.  When we see others in disagreement, what do we do?  Gossip about it?  Judge them?  Snub them?  Ignore them?  Perhaps God is calling all of us who are believers to help them!  If there is any strife in the family of God here on earth (and there really should not be because we all belong to the Lord), what can we do to help make things right?  Certainly not take one side over another, thereby pitting the opponents more strongly against one another!  What did Jesus say about peacemakers?  Matthew 5:9 (KJV)  ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  We all have the choice.  We can be peacemakers or not.  What is a peacemaker?  It is one who lives a peaceful life.  But, it is more than that.  Peacemakers are people who, as the Life Application Bible Commentary says, seek peace and pursue it.  1 Peter 3:11 (NIV)  ¹¹ He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.  They notice when a conflict arises.  They bring it out into the open and deal with it before it grows too large.  Peacemakers seek to bring reconciliation.  They work to bring an end to bitterness and resentment.  In essence, they reflect the character of Jesus, who is, the Prince of Peace.  In the Book of Titus, we find a little reminder.  Titus 3:1-2   (NIV)  ¹ Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,  ² to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.  Because we all belong to the Lord, we should be peaceable and not be agitators.  But, peacemakers take that a step further and they try to help others who are having difficulty with disagreement come to peace with each other again.  If we choose to be peacemakers, we will be blessed.  Jesus promised.  One of those blessings will be that we have taken another step toward the full experience of the peace that passes all human understanding!

A truly wise person will seek to be a peacemaker.  James 3:17-18 (NIV)  ¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.  Look what happens when we, not only choose to live in peace ourselves, but then try to help others to do the same!  What we sow in peace will produce a whole harvest of righteousness!  The Amplified Bible says that when we make peace in ourselves and in others, we will experience agreement and harmony without disturbance and our minds will be free from fears, agitating passions and moral conflicts!  How many of us, from time to time, get caught up in fear?  In some sort of passion that brings agitation instead of productivity?  Do we ever feel caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to moral conflict?  How many of us really want to be free from these distracting disturbances?  One step to being free and enjoying a peace within us that goes beyond description is to help others when they struggle with conflict.  To be a peacemaker.  There are so many reasons we might want to be peacemakers.  The benefits to ourselves are numerous.  But, perhaps the greatest reason is that we all belong to Jesus and we all want to be more like Him.  There are many things that we can disagree upon or agree upon, depending on our various personalities and intellects.  But there is One that we must all agree with and agree upon.  That is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.  If you have time to read the following illustration, it may bring that point home.  We will reap what we sow and, if we sow peace in our own lives and into the lives of others, the blessing is the peace that passes all understanding!

GOD FROWNS ON SIBLING RIVALRY!

Philippians 4:2 (NLT)
² Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.

It appears that Euodia and Syntyche were at odds with one another.  You might think they were worldly people in the rat race of life trying to outdo one another for some position or power.  No!  They were women who were workers in the Kingdom of God.  They worked hard at telling the good news of the gospel.  Yet, they succumbed to quarreling with one another.  We are not told what they quarreled about.  It could be anything.  Maybe they lived with one another and one was a person who desired order and the other was one who was not bothered by clutter.  It could have been as simple as that.  Whatever it was, it hindered the will of God.  Jesus wants us to be in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  John 17:23 (NIV)  ²⁰ "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³ I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  I do believe that the closer we get to one another in relationship, the more the chance there is that we will have disagreements.  After all, we do not all do things the same way and we do have different personalities!  I have heard that there is a great temptation to be in discord among missionaries working together.  I don't think Jesus would have prayed so fervently that we would operate in unity if there was not the strong chance that there would be quarreling and discord among us!

I'm thinking of a personal example here.  I have a very dear friend who would do anything for me.  Her thoughts toward me are unbelievably loving and compassionate.  I have had periods in my life of physical challenges that left me behind in everything, including housework.  Being the tender and kind-hearted friend that she is, she came to the house to help me catch up.  As we were making a bed, she put the top sheet on right side up.  I, showing extreme ungratefulness, insisted that the top sheet goes on upside down so you can fold the right side over the blanket when you put that on.  We both love the Lord and desire to follow Him.  We both love each other.  However, the discussion about how this top sheet would go on the bed became an issue between us, each of us trying to prove to the other that our way was the, "right," way.  For a moment, Jesus was out of the picture.  What was more important to me?  Being right?  Or, being grateful that my friend would want to help me get clean sheets on the bed?  Did I see Jesus in her, even though she did things differently than I would?  Or, was I so set in my ways that Jesus had to go by the wayside in favor of the sheet being a certain way on the bed?  How silly is that?  I have lamented that little argument many times.  It did not turn into a big thing but it did show me that so many of the things we do are totally unimportant as far as the way we do them or our particular personality bent.  There are many other things that we do as the Body of Christ that keep us from enjoying the peace that passes understanding that God wants to give us!  Denominations put their name before the name of Christ, causing arguments.  Who are we serving and why should we argue and quarrel?  I would say that it is because we have not totally renewed our minds by the Word of God.  It is because, "self," insists on the right to be right.  Jesus has lost His place as the center of our lives and actions.  Instead of lifting Him up so He can draw all people to Himself, we lift ourselves up.  Or our denomination.  This is not pleasing to God!  And, it does not lead to the peace we all desire within ourselves and among ourselves!

As we have been looking at Philippians 4:2, the second step (this is in my own opinion), is that we must stop quarreling with each other.  Let's look at some of the things God has to say about this.  Proverbs 20:3 (AMP)  ³ It is an honor for a man to cease from strife and keep aloof from it, but every fool will quarrel.   I do not want to be labeled by God as being a, "fool."  I doubt if you do either.  However,  God says fools quarrel.  Are you in disagreement with another believer?  Are you in a quarrel with another who claims the name of Christ?  What does God say about you?  What creates quarrels among us?  Proverbs 13:10 (NIV)  ¹⁰ Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.  This is not a pleasant thing to think about but, if we are quarreling with another, pride is the breeding ground.  That doesn't just mean that the other person in the quarrel has a pride problem.  There is an element of pride in each party or the quarrel would end.  It would have nothing to feed on!  Pride is the sin of the enemy.  He wanted to be right and to be equal with or better than God.  When we always have to defend ourselves and argue that we are right, a disagreement will surely ensue.  God is the only One who is always right.  If you are on God's side and have His Word to back you up, you don't have to argue or defend yourself with another.  God is your defender.  When we try to take over  God's place, there is certainly no peace!  And how does gossip affect our peace by bringing on arguments?  Proverbs 26:20-21 (NIV)  ²⁰ Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.  ²¹ As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.  Obviously, there can be no peace where there is strife between us.  God's Word says that, if we do not gossip, a quarrel will die down.  However, a quarrelsome or argumentative person will just add fuel to the fire!  What do we do?  Are we the person who has to repeat everything or are we the one who does not add wood to the fire?  Proverbs 10:12 (TLB)  ¹² Hatred stirs old quarrels, but love overlooks insults.  Hatred stirs up quarrels and discord.  That's pretty evident.  But!  But, love overlooks offensive things, hurtful things, insults.  The kind of love that is most talked about in our society and time is not the kind of love that can overlook these things.  It is the kind of love that we talked about yesterday in the, Morning Manna.  The kind that is more interested in the other's well-being than it's own.  This is a very hard, sacrificial type of love.  It is unconditional.  We cannot give it unless we have first received it because it comes from God.  The kind of love we see predominantly today is a love that says, "You hurt me so I'm going to try to hurt you back."  "I'm going to tell everybody what you did to me."  This is a self-love that is so far from what brings true peace!  All of the above and so many more things contribute to quarreling and struggles between God's children.  We are siblings.  We are all God's children.  He doesn't love any one of us more than He loves the other.  He may bless some children more because of obedience but His love for each of us is the same.  He looks down on our discord.  He desires unity.  That can only be achieved by taking the first step toward peace and that is knowing that we are loved.  Receiving that unconditional love from God will allow us to overlook hurts to ourselves from others.  Just think how uncluttered our minds would be if we didn't mull over and over again the things that have bothered us or hurt us?  Just think about how filled with the Spirit of the God of peace we would be if we filled all those empty areas with Him!  Yes, God does frown on sibling rivalry but His blessing of peace is on those who are in unity with one another and with Him!  Shalom! 

YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED!

Philippians 4:1 (KJV)
¹ Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

I must say that I have been very engrossed in the passage of scripture from Philippians 4:1-9!  Every time I read through it, it seems like God drops more of Himself into my heart.  I hope it is the same way with you this morning.  I have found eleven steps in Philippians 4:1-7  to experiencing the peace that God has for us.  The kind that just comes over us, even in dire circumstances.  The kind we cannot explain away by any human standards.  In Philippians 4:1, the Apostle Paul is writing some instructions to those in the Philippian Church.  At the very beginning of this letter of exhortation and admonishment, Paul writes the following:  Philippians 1:1-2 ¹ Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:  ² Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Although this is a rather familiar greeting in the Jewish culture, it is a heartfelt greeting from Paul to those in the church at Phlippi.  It is heartfelt because he loves those people!  He wants them to have the peace that passes all understanding.  The peace that means that they are  complete, well-off and healthy.  Remember when they used to use the phrase, "healthy, wealthy, and wise?"  Look again at the meaning of God's kind of peace.  Complete (or wise), well-off (or having wealth), and healthy!  I wonder if that phrase came from the greeting of peace that God gave the Jewish people to give to one another?  From the offset, Paul is giving those he loves in the church at Philippi the blessing of God's peace!  In Philippians, Chapter 4, he's about to let them know what they need to do to experience such peace, but, first off, he tells them how much he loves them.

Twice, in Philippians 4:1, Paul uses the word, beloved to describe those to whom he is writing.  This word, "beloved," comes from the root word, "agapao," which is the same word that describes the love God has for you and me.  A love that wants the best for the other party.  A love that does not give up, not matter what is done to it.  It is the same word used by God, Himself, when Jesus was baptized.  Matthew 3:16-17 (KJV)  ¹⁶ And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: ¹⁷ And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Paul was encouraging the Philippians and building them up before giving them the list of responsibilities they needed to meet to be able to experience the peace that passes all human understanding.  Love is always the foundation upon which God builds because God is love!  1 John 4:8 (TLB)  ⁸ But if a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God—for God is love. Although the Apostle, Paul, was probably a very stern, strict man and many of his writings are hard to understand, he followed the example of God by uplifting the people he spoke to with words of love.  Twice in this one verse in Philippians 1:1!  He wanted to be sure they knew that he loved them with an unconditional love!  It's important to know that the foundation of our peace is knowing that we are loved.  John 3:16 (KJV)  ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  The word used here for God's love toward each and every one of us is, "agapao."  Not a one of us is worthy of such love; but God is love.  He has chosen to love each one of us and He wants us to know that for sure!  Romans 9:25 (NIV)  ²⁵ As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,"  Do you know that you are loved with a love that will never fail, no matter what you do?  Do you receive that love and then operate in it so that you will not do things that displease the One who loves you so?  Even as God told the Israelites thousands of years ago, Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT)  ³ Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.  Just like the Israelites, some of us may have been rebellious and lived in a way displeasing to God but, whatever we have done, did not, and could never, change the unending love that God has for us.  If we will receive that love, we will have taken the first step toward experiencing His peace.  I can't comprehend any of this with my human mind but God's love and peace have been given to us if we will receive it and and follow the instructions in His Word.

We all want to know we are loved.  We desperately want to know it.  If we have doubts as to whether we are loved or not, peace is the farthest thing from us!  We want it from our spouses, from our children, from our parents, from our friends, from our pastors.  Some of us get that assurance from others and some of us don't.  Sometimes we feel unloved because someone actually does withdraw their love from us and sometimes we feel unloved because our expectations of the other person are just more than they have to offer.  We go through seasons of feeling loved or unloved, depending on our circumstances.  However, when it concerns love, there is only one "season," with God!  That season is love.  From His Word, we know that we are loved by Him.  We can say we don't believe it; but we can also say we don't believe in the law of gravity.  Whether we believe it or it, it's there and, put to the test, both God's love and the law of gravity will be in effect!  Do not test this by jumping off of a tall building!  We can search for peace in this world and usually we will be led to all the wrong places.  Places that will only fulfill a temporary, carnal desire within us.  The truth is that we cannot take steps toward real peace, unbelievable peace, until we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are loved.  Loved by our Heavenly Father, whose love will never fail.  Whose love always looks out for our best interests.  Whose love prompts Him to want to give good gifts to His children (that's us!).  Whose love will not ever fade or falter.  Have you taken the first step toward finding the peace that passes all the understanding you can muster up in your mind?  Is your mind and heart settled on the fact that you are loved?  Whether you believe it or not, you are!  You better believe it.  Shalom!

REPEATING THE STEPS FOR UNBELIEVABLE PEACE

Philippians 4:7 (TLB)
⁷ If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

I am writing on the very same verse that I wrote about yesterday for a few reasons.  One is that I need to more carefully follow the steps to experiencing that peace that passes all human understanding.  The second is that someone asked me yesterday to just put the steps down in order.  The third reason is that I suspect that we all have circumstances and issues in our lives that distract us and get us to dwell on the negative and the unrest rather than on the very simple (yet not always easy) steps we can take to ensure that we experience all that God wants for us in the area of peace!

According to Philippians 4:1-7, here are the Apostle Paul's instructions, step-by-step, to find unbelievable peace even in the midst of the worst storm.  This is the kind of peace that no human can explain away!  As they say today, "It's a, "God," thing!  Ready?  Here we go!

1.  Know that you are loved.  (Philippians 4:1) 

2.  Stay true to the Lord.  (Philippians 4:1) 

3.  Do not quarrel with other believers.  (Philippians 4:2)   

4.  Be a peacemaker.  (Philippians 4:3) 

5.  Always be full of the joy of the Lord.  (Philippians 4:4) 

6.  Rejoice.  (Philippians 4:4) 

7.  Be considerate and unselfish.  (Philippians 4:5) 

8.  Remember that the Lord is coming soon.  (Philippians 4:5) 

9.  Don't worry.  (Philippians 4:6) 

10.  Pray abut everything.  (Philippians 4:6) 

11.  Thank God for His answers.  (Philippians 4:6) 

I took these steps from reading the paraphrase in The Living Bible, but I would challenge you that, if you really want that wonderful peace that will be beyond your ability to explain it, read the passage in several different versions.  Think about those things that will help you to follow the above eleven steps.  Philippians 4:8 NLT)  ⁸ And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  After dwelling on anything and everything that is excellent and worthy of praise, begin to put into practice those eleven steps above.  Not only will you have the kind of peace that is unbelievable, it will guard your heart and mind because you are living in Christ Jesus by putting these things into practice in your life.  The final result?  The God of peace will be with you!  Not only will peace invade your very being; the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:9 (NLT)  ⁹ Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.   I think that pretty much covers us and fills us with peace!  Here is an example of the promise of peace from the Old Testament.  Isaiah 26:3 (TLB)  ³ He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!  I would guess that we have all heard the term, "Shalom," with which Jewish people greet one another.  That is the word God uses here in Isaiah 26:3 for "peace."  In essence that word means completeness; welfare, and health.  When we follow the steps above, we are keeping our hearts on the Lord and His promise in return is that we will be made complete.  Nothing missing nothing broken.  Wouldn't you say that following the steps to this kind of peace is a worthwhile venture?   

STEPS TO GET SOMETHING YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND

Philippians 4:7 (NLT)  ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Don't we all want peace in and around us?  Ladies, you probably try to make your home a peaceful place by keeping it in order and perhaps creating some ambiance with flowers or candles or music.  Men, you like peace too, don't you.  You are tired of office politics and back-stabbing.  You want peace in your business and among those you work with.  If you're a believer, you do things that create peace instead of strife.  We try to create peace by the things we do.  We have good motives but that just won't work because it's not what we do, but who we are.  The things we do are good but peace has to flow from the inside out and we can't create it; but, we can put ourselves in a position where we can experience the peace that only God gives.  After I have just harped about the fact that it's not what we do that creates peace, I'm going to sound like I'm contradicting myself for a moment.  I'm convinced that it is not what we do, but why we do it, that makes the difference.  Notice that in Philippians 4:7, the first word in the New Living Translation is, "Then."  Paul is telling us that we will experience God's peace.  He's telling us that it is way beyond what we can understand with our minds.  And, he's also telling us that it will guard our hearts and minds.  But, that's not the end of the verse.  The final words are, "as you live in Christ Jesus." 

Why do we see the word, "Then," at the beginning of Philippians 4:7?  I think it is because Paul has given us some instructions as to how to experience this peace that comes from God.  This sort of peace that we will never be able to wrap our arms around until we see the Prince of Peace, face to face.  Paul's instructions have to do with doing things but the things we do cannot come out of our desire to control things.  They must come from hearts so submissive to the Prince of Peace that we are willing to "live in Him," by doing the things He tells us to do.  For sure, this peace that's going to stagger our mind's ability to understand it,  comes from Him and Him alone.  He's able to give it even if we don't do anything.  But, He's inviting us to partner with Him in bringing it about.  I'm amazed, so maybe I've said this before; there's not a promise in God's Word that does not ask us to do something.  Christianity is not a, "sit back and be blessed," state.  It is a, "get up and get going," way of life.  Notice that we don't sit in our chair and wait to be promoted to the next level.  No!  We press forward! Philippians 3:12-14 (NLT)  ¹² I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  No matter what situation we are in, we can press forward.  If you are in a nursing home or a hospital, don't stop pressing.  You can do something.  You can pray.  You can re-dedicate your life to God.  If you're a high-powered, energetic business man, you, too, can press forward.  You can let the Lord know that, from now on, you're partnering with Him with all of your assets, helping those less fortunate than yourself.  Even if you've, "got it made," so far as this world is concerned, you must press on.  God's Word says so.

God's Word also gives us steps to open ourselves for the blessing of that peace that some of us have not found yet.  Do you want that peace?  Of course you do!  We all do!! So what do we need to do?  First of all, if you have a disagreement with another believer, find a way to restore that relationship.  Philippians 4:2-3 (NLT)  ² Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. ³ And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Yes!  It does happen!  Even those of us working for the Lord can destroy our peace and the peace of others by arguing.  We're all human.  That's just the way it is.  But, it is supernatural to find and follow ways of reconciliation.  Here are the next steps:  Philippians 4:4-5 (NLT)  ⁴ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! ⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. We need to always be full of the joy of the Lord.  This does not say be full of the joy of the Lord if you are rich.  Or, if all your children are obedient.  Or, if you are not behind in your bills.  Or, (you fill in the blank).  No!  It says, "always."  Now, we need to be considerate in all that we do.  It says, "all."  What kind of tip do you leave to the over-worked waitress?  Do you leave that shopping cart in the parking lot or do you take it back so the wind won't crash it into somebody's car?  Do you find ways to encourage your pastor and the leadership of your church?  Are you considerate of your spouse after they have worked hard all day?  And, how considerate are you if another driver does something that irritates you?  What else?  We need to remember that the Lord is coming soon.  Don't we, especially those of us in this blessed land of America, tend to forget that the Lord is coming soon?  Or, do we wait for the government to bail us out?  Who or what are we waiting for?  Okay, are you ready for more?  Philippians 4:6 (NLT)  ⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  So, what are you worried about today?  It may be numerous things!  But, to find and experience within ourselves that peace that will boggle our minds because we can't understand it, we need to stop worrying!  Jesus said so!  Luke 12:22-31 (NLT)  ²² Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.  ²⁴ Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! ²⁵ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?  ²⁶ And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? ²⁷ “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  ²⁸ And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?  ²⁹ “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. ³⁰ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.  ³¹ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.   Now, we're determined not to worry, so what do we do next?  We pray about everything.  We tell God about our biggest fears, failures, dreams and desires.  We tell Him everything!  Lastly, we thank God for all He has done.  Why?  Because, as the song truthfully says, "He'll do it again!" because He's the same now as then!  Governments change their policies.  Spouses change their ways.  Children are always changing.  But, our God never changes and one of His names is Prince of Peace.  That's the peace that defies our human understanding.  It belongs to those who will follow the Kingdom principles laid out in the scripture above.  Are you ready to go forward and follow the steps to finding that peace that you will never, ever be able to understand because it is totally from God?  The Word of God works!  Make a list of those steps and check them out when you find yourself in a situation where you cannot feel the peace He has already placed inside you.  Pretty soon, you will be flooded with an undeniably God-given, burden-busting, unbelievable-----------peace!

WALKING IN PEACE

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

I've been learning, and trying to incorporate in my life, a fleshless, selfless character.  Selfishness is rampant in our society.  It is even lauded and applauded in many circles.  "It's all about me!"  You've seen ads that tell you, "You deserve it."  You've also probably read articles touting the importance of taking care of self.  That is important when we do it in a Biblically balanced way but, I'm sure you will agree, that it has gotten quite out of balance in the world.  And the world does call loudly to us to accept it's ways.  Yet, the one thing I notice in the world is that, with all of the, "It's all about me," attitudes and mind-sets, there is an extreme lack of peace.  Everyone wants peace but so many are walking in the opposite direction, reaching for things that, while they may give a temporary sense of peace, are fleeting and give way to even more unrest!  As believers, we're called to crucify the fleshly desires.  I just noticed that one good reason to do this is to separate ourselves from scoffers.  From those who oppose the true Word of God.  2 Peter 3:3 (AMP)  ³ To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing, [people who] walk after their own fleshly desires   We certainly don't want to fall into that category.  Scoffers cause dissension and, of course, peace does not prevail.  

Crucifying the flesh is not an easy thing and it is usually a process.  Just when we think we have crucified a desire within us that is fleshly and not Godly, we will be tested again.  I'm not sure that we ever quite, "make it," until we see Jesus.  We are a work in progress constantly being made into the image of Christ (if we will cooperate with the Molder of the image).  Romans 8:29 (TLB)  ²⁹ For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him—and all along he knew who would—should become like his Son, so that his Son would be the First, with many brothers.  Putting our flesh to death is a painful process but there is a way we can do this that will not involve so much violence and pain.  We need to start thinking the thoughts of God instead of the thoughts of this world!  Let's take a little test here.  What are your thoughts fixed on this morning?  Whether the weather is going to be bad?  Whether you are going to be able to get out of bed?  Is the bank balance going to fall below zero?  Will my children be safe today?  Am I going to be let go from my job?  There are lots of things we start thinking just as soon as we open our eyes in the morning.  I even start thinking before I open my eyes!  My eyes may be the last part of my body to wake up!  The first few things I begin to think about are going to form my day.  They will either promote peace in my life or confusion and insecurity.  If I have the wrong feelings when I begin to interact with others during the day, I just might destroy someone else's peace also!  Write down the things that we're supposed to think about from Philippians 4:8.  Take the list to bed with you if you have to.  Are the first thoughts you think, true?  Are they honest?  Are they pure?  Just? Lovely?  Are they of good report?  Finally, are they virtuous thoughts?  Are the thoughts worthy of praise?  That's a starting place each morning!  If your thoughts don't match up with these parameters, trash them!  Negative thoughts will only promote a day filled with discord within you and among those you meet.  Plus, you will have then filled your mind with the things that please God and there will be no room left for your flesh to operate!

Renewing our minds always is a given in order to make sure our flesh is dead cannot resurrect!  The writer of, "The Message," has these thoughts about Romans 12:2 (MSG)  ² Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. In essence, we not only have to change our ways of thinking because our minds are inundated daily with the wrong thoughts that come from our culture but we need to walk the other way.  What is the other way?  It is walking in the Spirit.  Here is another fairly non-violent way of killing our fleshly appetites.  We're each going to walk out into the world around us today.  We will have lots of choices to go down some rabbit trails and get away from the Spirit of the Lord.  We've got to make it our choice to walk in the Spirit!  With our mind's renewed and our feet walking where the Spirit leads us, there will be no insecurity.  There will be no confusion.  There will be no anger.  No Resentment.  No bitterness.  There will just be peace from the inside out!  And, somebody's going to be touched for the better by our lives!  The scripture says that, if we walk in the spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh!  Again, the writer of, The Message, has his take on  Galatians 5:16 (MSG)  ¹⁶ My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness.  I don't know that we will instantly not feel the compulsions of selfishness but I do know this; whatever we feed will grow and whatever we do not feed will die.  Jesus did set you and me free.  John 8:36 (TLB)  ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free—  We used to be slaves of sin.  Jesus told the Jewish leaders that.  John 8:34: (TLB)  ³⁴ Jesus replied, "You are slaves of sin, every one of you. But now, we are set free to walk in peace.  What could be greater than living a life of peace?  It's our choice though.  We can try to run back to the world's ways when challenges come into our lives.  Or, we can determine to continue renewing our minds with God's thoughts and walking in His Spirit.  When we get on God's side, think His thoughts, and walk by His Spirit, a peace starts to rise from the inside out.  It's a peace that we can't understand.  Others cannot understand it either when they see us in some pretty scary and threatening circumstances.  Philippians 4:7 (NLT)  ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Have you been having some trouble dealing with the voices that tell you lies and urge you to go back into slavery to the world?  You can overcome.  In fact, if you are a believer in Christ, you have already overcome! 1 John 4:4 (NRSV)  ⁴ Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  The Jesus in us is greater than any lure that comes from the world.  Our part is to renew our minds by thinking those good thoughts that come from God and to walk according to His Spirit.  No matter what we are going through, if we do this, we will be walking in peace! 

HONOR BRINGS PEACE

1 Thessalonians 5:12 (NLT)  ¹² Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.

In the same context of speaking about peace, Paul admonishes the church in Thessalonica to honor their leaders.  The ones who direct them in the ways of the Lord.  Who works hard to give you spiritual guidance?  The Apostle, Paul, is saying here that we need to recognize these people for who they are.  They are the ones who devote their time and talent to guiding, teaching, instructing and encouraging God's people.  There are many today who labor in the Kingdom of God and we should acknowledge and respect them all.  The Amplified Bible says that these are the ones who warn us.  Those who kindly reprove and exhort us.  You know, when you think about it, it's not an easy job.  Most people do not like to be warned or admonished or reproved.  But, God has gifted true leaders and pastors to be able to admonish, warn and reprove gently.  What a good leader will do is to urge us to obedience.  If you have leaders among you who do this, then honor them!  As the scripture says, they work hard among us to give us spiritual guidance.  Hebrews 13:7 (NLT)  ⁷ Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.  This is not to say that we need to acknowledge and honor someone just because he or she says, "I'm a leader."  Or, "I'm a pastor."  Or, whatever position they give themselves.  A true leader in the Lord will be evident, not by their title or position or even their seminary degrees.  Their lives will show that they are leaders. 

A true leader and one to be acknowledged and honored will serve you and not demand to be served by you.  Matthew 23:11-12 (NLT)  ¹¹ The greatest among you must be a servant.  ¹² But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.   Being a true leader is not the glamorous job that the world would like to make it.  It requires great humility and a willingness to get down and get you hands dirty with the rest of the flock.  Do you see these kinds of people working within the Kingdom of God? Hopefully, your own pastor is one of them.  These are the people that we are to honor.  Not because they demand it; but because they deserve it.  A good leader will never demand honor but God demands that we honor a true leader.  Matthew 23:13 (NLT)  ¹³ “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.  As I see from Matthew 23:13, Jesus had a few things to say about those who claimed to be the leaders of His day.  If those that lead you are not holding the door of Heaven wide open for you, they are not true leaders.  If they say one thing and do another, not being true examples of one who follows Christ, they are not really leaders at all.  This is what happened in Jesus's day.  One rendition of  1 Thessalonians 5:12 says that we should get to know and recognize those who are leading us in the Lord.  If we do not really watch, we can be fooled into following someone who may be a wolf in the clothing of a lamb!  Matthew 7:15 (NLT)  ¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.  It is not the purpose of this Morning's Manna to point out the false teachers of the day.  Only to say that we should get to know our leaders and, if their lives are an exhibition of the way Jesus lived and served, we should acknowledge them and honor them. 

Part of Romans 13:7 says this:  "...... obey those over you, and give honor and respect to all those to whom it is due."  In this context. Paul is speaking of those in the government who have rule over us but the concept is the same.  We need to show honor to whom honor is due.  As we can see in examples throughout our world, when honor for those in authority is missing, peace is also missing!  To honor someone, does it mean that we have to agree with them all the time just, "to keep the peace?"  I don't think so.  An absence of conflict doesn't always mean the presence of peace.  Leaders are human beings too and they can make mistakes and be wrong at times.  When it comes to the preaching of God's Word, you and I are not supposed to just be babies in the pews drinking in whatever comes from the pulpit.  That's why the Berean's are commended by the Lord.  They went home and tested out everything they heard in accordance with the Word of God. Acts 17:11 (NIV)  ¹¹ Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  Those who are not willing to check to be sure what they are hearing from their leaders is in accordance with God's Word are, in essence, in danger of, "drinking the Kool-Aid."  Of taking in something that will bring death instead of life.  Honor does bring peace.  Honoring those that serve us and look out for us will help keep us in unity and on the straight and narrow road that Jesus spoke about.  One way to honor these people who give their lives to help God's people along is to do the following:  1 Thessalonians 5:13 (NLT)  ¹³ Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.  It's interesting, isn't it, that living peacefully with one another is a way to show honor to our leaders and, no doubt, God is honored when we do this.  It is not an easy, nor is it a glorious job being a shepherd of God's sheep.  But, you and I can make it easier for those who choose to follow God's direction in this way by honoring them.  The writer of The Message puts it this way:  Hebrews 13:17 (MSG)  ¹⁷ Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?  These men and women are going to give account to God for how they did in watching over our souls.  Honoring them by living in peace is one way to make their job a little bit easier! 

IS YOUR PEACE MISSING?

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NLT)
²⁴ God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

Right from the top, let me assure you that, if you are a believer in Christ, your peace is not missing.  It never has been, is not now, and never will be.  It may feel like it sometimes but that is when we have to take those steps to renew our minds and get them back in accordance with God's Word.  Romans 12:2 (AMP)  ² Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].  First and foremost, we need to stop listening to the world which tells us that we need to fear almost everything!  Practically every newscast we hear will be talking about the lack of peace.  Disunity.  Fighting.  Terror. Disease.  You name it!  All things designed by the enemy, himself, to make us think that, either we never had any peace, or that our peace is missing.  What customs and standards that have come from the world need to be rooted out of your life so you can experience the peace that Jesus has given you?  His Word says (and it comes from His own mouth), that He has given us peace.  John 14:27 (NIV)  ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Do we really believe that?  And, have we used this great gift that our Savior has put within us?  Does His peace show in the way we conduct our lives?  Again, as with all the points of scripture thatI bring up, I know that I need work in this area.  The world is what we hear the loudest.  If we let all those voices drown out the voice of God, our minds will stay corrupted with the world's external and superficial customs.  It's definitely necessary to find a quiet place, within ourselves, to meditate on and let the Word of God transform our minds.  To listen to God's still small voice that gently speaks to us of His Words of life and peace.

Elijah experienced the feeling of a loss of peace when it seemed that he was the only one who wanted to serve God.  There can't be a greater sense of a loss of peace than if you think everyone is out to kill you!  That's what Elijah felt like.  1 Kings 19:9-10   (NLT)  ⁹ There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. The Lord Speaks to Elijah But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?  ¹⁰ Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”  Elijah was a great man of God but the world around him was filled with everything that tried to steal his peace!  Even nature seemed to be noisy and, although Elijah might have thought that God's voice would be in the earthquake, the wind, and the fire, those noisy things in nature, it was not.  1 Kings 19:11-12 (NLT)  ¹¹ “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.  God's voice came after all these things seemed to indicate a lack of peace.  It came in a whisper or as one translation puts it, "a still small voice."  It was gentle and quiet.  But, Elijah had to stand there through all of the other things and wait to hear it.  Are there things going on in your life that are a result of your leaning in the direction of the world's customs?  Are there things like earthquakes, wind, and fire that you have no control over at all?  In all of this, as we renew our minds in God's Word, we find that He speaks gently, quietly, even whispering at times, of His peace. 

Are our ears tuned in to hear the voice of our gentle Savior speaking to the depths of our heart through His Word and by His Spirit?  Are we humble enough to know that the answers to the unrest in our lives are too much for us to find by ourselves?  Are we willing to calm and quiet our own selves before His feet when all we can hear are the demands and pressures of this world?  David was and we can be too.  Psalm 131:1-3 (NLT)  ¹ Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.  ² Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.   ³ O Israel, put your hope in the Lord— now and always.   In these days, it is probably not realistic to believe that peace will reign all around us.  That won't happen until the Prince of Peace comes again to rule the world.  We will always have troubles here, some days will be worse than others.   John 16:33 (NIV)  ³³ "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."   By faith, and according to His Word, you and I can let the peace He has placed inside of us rule our hearts because the Prince of Peace has already told us that He has overcome this world!  We have the gift of God's peace but it is our responsibility to incorporate that peace into our lives and pass it along to others.  We have a part to play.  When we renew our minds to get in line with God's Word, the peace He has given us will flow, even in the midst of great trouble and turmoil which may surround us.  I have seen that happen in the lives of those who have trusted the Lord for His peace.  His Word says it is so and there are so many examples for us of saints who have proven it to be so by their lives!  Bottom line here.  Our peace is not missing, it never has been, and it never will be.  However, we can choose not to use it or even to discard it.  What will our choice be today?  Why have a gift and never open it or use it?  How would that make the Giver feel?  Instead of always praying for peace, let's remember that God has already given us peace.  His Word says so.  We may just need to start thanking Him for it, take it down off the shelf (or open up that dusty book on the coffee table) and use it!  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24   (TLB)  ²³ May the God of peace himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again.     ²⁴ God, who called you to become his child, will do all this for you, just as he promised.  All we need to do is renew our minds in accordance with God's Word, take the first step of faith, and God, our Father, the God of peace, will allow His peace to be evident to us and all those around us! 

WHAT ARE YOU IN THE HABIT OF DOING?

Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
²⁵ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We all have things that we do, almost involuntarily, in our lives.  They can be small things or they can be big things.  What are you accustomed to do daily?  Or weekly?  Or, even moment by moment?  Our habits say a lot about us.  We pick up some of them from exposure to others.  We also create habits by choice.  It's easier to pick something up from another than it is to create a habit by choice if you are looking to make a change for the better.  However, God gives us all a choice in everything in life.  Some habits lead to a better life or the abundant life.  Other habits lead to death and destruction.  Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)  ¹⁹ “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!  By our choices we can become a slave to sin.  By our choices we can decide to obey God.  We don't have to stop bad habits but, if we don't, we become a slave to sin.  We don't have to create good habits.  But, if we don't we will not enjoy righteous living and experience the freedom that Jesus purchased for us.  Romans 6:16 (NLT)  ¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Being curious, I looked up some of the synonyms for, "habit."  It is a way of acting that is fixed through repetition.  It could imply that we do something almost unconsciously and perhaps compulsively.  It's a sort of method we follow with regularity, usually through our own choice.  It can even be a custom that we follow (such as wearing black at funerals).  In the case of Hebrews 10:25, the Lord is urging us not to follow the habits of some people who choose to stop meeting together with other believers.  That being said, it can be difficult to create a new habit of making time for corporate worship or Bible study.  I have just returned from a Bible study for which I signed up many weeks ago.  I bought the book and have been reading it faithfully to keep up with the others in the group.  However, even though the study has been going on for five or six weeks now, this is the very first time I attended.  We were traveling the first few weeks, but the leader of the study kindly allowed me to join anyway even though I would miss those weeks. Then, illness and doctor's appointments kept me from going.  Today, another appointment caused me to miss part of the study but I had to make a conscious effort to get dressed and go anyway, even though I would have to leave early.  Although I had been reading the book and studying by myself getting a whole lot out of it, today I gathered together with other women who had been studying too.  I got to hear and engage in conversation that was funny, sad, uplifting, and encouraging.  Each of our lives had been touched in some way by the Word of God we were studying and the words seemed to come more alive as each contributed to the conversation about the ways God has worked in their lives.

There is something to be said about developing the habit of meeting together with other believers.  There is an old song that says, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going."  As we gather together, each of us, "sparks," help keep the fire going!  A lone spark will soon die out.  God is telling us in Hebrews 10:25 that we need to get together with others who believe so that we can encourage one another.  Every one of us is on the same journey.  Some of us are farther down the road than others but we're all headed in the same direction.  We are all running the course of life.  Look how the Apostle, Paul, nudges the Philippian Church.  Philippians 3:17 (NIV)  ¹⁷ Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. He's urging them to follow his example and create patterns or "habits," in their lives that will help them stay the course.  The writer of The Message, paraphrases it this way.  Philippians 3:17 (MSG)  ¹⁷ Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal.  How in the world can we keep track of others running this course with us if we don't meet with them once in a while?  If we don't stop along the road to see if another needs help on the journey?  If we don't share the Words of encouragement God has spoken to us along the way?  So, God is letting us know that we need to take some time to develop the habit of meeting with one another in order to build one another up and keep the fire going!  To make sure that no one get's left behind in the race.  Again, I am going to refer to how the writer of, "The Message," has paraphrased, 1 Thessalonians 5:11 ¹¹ So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.  Notice that Paul says, "you're already doing this."  However, he follows that by saying, "keep on doing it."  This is one habit that we must work to maintain.  The pressures and demands of this world will always try to lure us away from getting together with other believers.  The enemy would just love it if we would isolate ourselves.  A roaring lion always looks for easy prey.  What is the easiest prey for him?  A lone and tired or wounded animal who has strayed away from the others.  1 Peter 5:8 (TLB)  ⁸ Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. Although the Apostle, Peter, is not talking specifically here about habitually meeting together with other believers, if these gatherings are not part of our habitual behavior, we will soon be in danger of slipping away and we may find ourselves at the mercy of our great enemy, the devil.  So, what are your habits as far as meeting together with other believers?  It's a habit worth cultivating.  As is always true with the Lord, you will get far more out of it than what you contribute!

DOWN? BE LIFTED!

Isaiah 41:10 (TLB)
¹⁰ Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Is something getting you down this morning?  It might even be lots of things!  The enemy is roaring around in these last days trying his hardest to get us to think we are down and not up!  I like that old song that says, "He didn't lift us up to let us down."  Nope!  In actuality, whether we see it with our eyes or feel it in our emotions, we are lifted up!  God, Himself, told Israel that they were His chosen ones!  Well, this morning, you and I need to take a look at the fact that we, as the church, are His chosen ones also!  Isaiah 41:8 (TLB)  ⁸ "But as for you, O Israel, you are mine, my chosen ones; for you are Abraham’s family, and he was my friend.  You might think we are not, but we are!  God said that the Israelites were Abraham's family.  How wonderful that God has also said that you and I are also Abraham's family by our faith!  Galatians 3:29 (NLT)  ²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.  Did you just hear that, my friends, and did that sink into the depths of your spirit?  We are children of Abraham and we are his heirs.  God's promise to Abraham belongs to us too!  If you were down, are you beginning to feel yourself lifted up by the Word and promises of God?  What did God promise Abraham?  Genesis 12:2-3  ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].  ³ And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].  Whoa!  Now that's a promise!  And, there's more where that came from!  If you are down this morning, know that God wants you up!  The enemy surely doesn't want you to remember that promise and, even as I sit here writing, a spirit of distraction and sleepiness is coming over me.  However, when God sends His Word, it will not come back void!  Isaiah 55:11 (TLB)  ¹¹ so also is my Word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it.  Yes, at this very moment, I feel down.  I feel as though I can't keep writing or do those things I have planned for today.  Yet, I know that I am lifted up by God's victorious right hand.  And so are you!

We, not only receive the promises God gave to Abraham but God confirms to us also that, like Abraham, we are His friends if we are in Christ!  How uplifting is it to know that we are friends of God?!?  John 15:15 (AMP)  ¹⁵ I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.]  Yes, it's true!  God considers us as His friends!  Now the world may search around to make friends in high places and it will bring them some temporary influence and power.  But, my sisters and brothers in Christ, we have a Friend in the highest of highest places!  He is the One who declares us friends.  We didn't have to seek Him out.  He sought us out and chose us, personally, to be His friends!  John 15:16 (NLT)  ¹⁶ You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.  Just as God chose Abraham to, not only be blessed, but to be a blessing, so He has also chosen us to be a blessing to one another.  How better to be a blessing to another than by loving them!  John 15:17 (NLT)  ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.  It's not that we just say we love each other and celebrate by giving gifts to one another as we did this past Valentine's Day.  It's an action and decision that takes place every day and looks out for the best interests of the other.  That's God's kind of love!

But, there is almost always a condition that we have to meet to have the blessings of Abraham and of Israel.  Abram (as he was called before God changed his name to Abraham) had to be willing to do something.  He had to leave his family and the land with which he was familiar and strike out with God on an unknown, but exciting, journey.  We, too, must leave this world's standards and ways of living and strike out with God to live in His Kingdom where love, joy, provision, hope, promise, health, and so many more blessings never end!  We've got to be willing to leave something in order to allow God to uplift us with His victorious right hand!  And did I say that in this Kingdom of His, we always have the victory?  1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT)  ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Not even death can have the victory over us.  1 Corinthians 15:54-55 (NLT)  ⁵⁴ Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.  ⁵⁵ O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”  In fact, it only leads us to a better life.  2 Corinthians 5:8 (TLB)  ⁸ And we are not afraid but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord.   God has us in His victorious right hand.  Nothing that comes upon us here in this world can have the victory because we have, like Abraham, have struck out on a journey with God into His Kingdom!  So, what is that thing or things that are trying to get you down?  Cling to God's  instructions and promises to you this morning.  He told us not to fear.  Whatever that thing is that is trying to get you down, face it with faith instead of fear.  God said, "for I am with you."  If God is with you, what is there to fear?  Don't be dismayed which may lead to your distraction away from God's promises.  God is your God!  Acknowledge that this morning and walk with Him in the Spirit.  His promise to you, if you will do this, is that He will strengthen you!  I'm in need of that this morning.  Can anyone relate?  He will help you.  I admit that I am in need of lots of help!  Who better to help me than the One who created me and knows me from the inside out?!?  He promised that He would uphold you and me with His victorious right hand.  Don't let the enemy fool you into thinking you are down.  Deuteronomy 28:13-14 (NLT)  ¹³ If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.  ¹⁴ You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.  Don't dwell on, think about, and in essence, worship those feelings of being down.  Don't turn those feelings into other gods.  Follow God's instructions and receive His promises today!  You don't have to.  He won't force you to.  But He really, really wants you to know that you can have the victory in every single thing if you do what He says and allow Him to uphold you in His victorious right hand.  Are you struggling beneath your circumstances this morning, feeling failure and defeat.  Or, are you following God's commands to the best of your ability and finding yourself way above your circumstances in a comfortable and secure seat of victory?  Right in the center of God's powerful and victorious right hand! 

CALLED TO PEACE

Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

What happens when you catch a cold or the flu?  What happens when you are emotionally disturbed by rejection or abuse?  What happens when you doubt God's Word or feel that He has not heard your prayers?  The disease hits your body, the emotional upset hits your soul, and the doubt hits your spirit.  Do any of these operate apart from the other?  We all know they don't.  Whatever affects one area will affect the other.  If you have a disturbance in any of these areas, your body will react.  It will not be peaceful!  Body, soul and spirit operate as one.    You and I are all members of one body.  It doesn't matter what the sign says that hangs over the door of the place where we go for corporate worship.  If we are believers in Christ, we are all one body!  Whose body is it?  It's the Body of the Prince of Peace!  (Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT)  ⁶ For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

That is why Paul tells us in Colossians 3:15 that we need to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts!  In other words, let the peace of Christ be the umpire in our hearts.  This is so important for us to remember these days when we are being hit from all sides with health issues, financial issues and relationship issues.  If we just look at all of those things, we will have no peace.  However, in the midst of these things, God offers His peace, deep within our hearts, to help us make decisions when challenges come against us.  That umpire of God's peace will enable us to make wise decisions and settle with finality any questions that arise in our hearts and minds.  The storms may be raging around us but, right in the center of the storm in our hearts, we can have peace.  It is a peace that will make people take a second look at us because it defies human understanding.  Philippians 4:7 (ASV)  ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.  I have had times in my life when I had to pinch myself in the middle of the storm because I felt so much peace.  You and I are called of God to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.  The interesting thing is that the peace that comes from God is connected to thanksgiving.  Paul tells us that in Colossians 3:15 and in Philippians 4:6  In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  We're not supposed to be anxious or worried even when the worst storm we've ever seen comes upon us.  It is during those times that we need to recall the fact that, if we love God and are the called according to His purpose, this storm will be turned by God for good in our lives.  Romans 8:28 (TLB)  ²⁸ And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

When we have God's peace reigning in our own hearts, we will then be more gracious to those around us.  We are all in different places in our journey of this faith-life.  However, we can all be thankful.  Even if we had nothing else, the fact that Jesus gave His life for us to purchase our salvation would be enough!  Another thing is that we have the offer of His peace even in situations where those without Him might break or be destroyed.  If everything that happens to us is working for our good, what's not to be peaceful about?  Did I say that everything would feel good?  For sure, not!  Because, as God's precious children, we are each in a different place along His pathway of life, we need to look past the faults and weaknesses we see in others and remember that we are all one body in Christ.  If another claims the name of Christ, we need to look past denominational, gender, racial, financial, and other lines that divide us and encourage one another.  Our job is to let the peace of God dwell in our hearts so much so that we are interested only in doing the following:  Colossians 3:16 (TLB)  ¹⁶ Remember what Christ taught, and let his words enrich your lives and make you wise; teach them to each other and sing them out in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord with thankful hearts.  Are the words of the Prince of Peace dwelling in you so richly that your heart is overflowing with thanksgiving?  Are you meditating on those words, even though the world is speaking words to the contrary, constantly?  Are you becoming more and more wise as those words enrich your lives?  Is it your desire to look past dividing lines in the Body of Christ and teach others, receiving also the teaching that He has given them?  Do you have a song in your heart of thanksgiving and praise?  Is your life one long song of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs?  This is a life that demonstrates God's gift of peace and let's it flow out to others in every situation.  Even the situations that don't feel so good.  May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds today and always as we remember together that we are each a valuable and integral part of the Body of the Prince of Peace and, as such, we are all connected to one another.  May His peace rule in all of us as members of His body.  We are called to peace.  Romans 15:33 (TLB)  ³³ And now may our God, who gives peace, be with you all. Amen. 

IT'S TIME TO CLEAN YOUR CLOSETS!

Colossians 3:6 (NLT)
⁶ Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.

If you have been reading along in the Morning Manna the last few days, you should now feel secure and know that your life is hidden in God with Christ.  You also know that you should clothe yourself with God's chosen garments.  Although it isn't quite Spring yet, it is time to clean the closets of our lives, getting rid of some garments that really are ugly and do not fit us any more!  This will not be your normal cleaning project.  It's going to require some violence.  We're not just going to clean our closets.  We're going to get some varmints out of there and kill them!  Warfare is never a fun thing.  It requires self-discipline and resolve.  But, don't worry, God has given us the assurance that the battle is not ours alone.  It really is His.  We just have to agree to be His soldiers.  1 Samuel 17:47 (NLT)  ⁴⁷ And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”  Young David was about to go up against a Philistine giant when he realized that his war was not going to be won with a sword and a spear (that is, unless you consider that the Word of God is a sharp, two-edged sword  Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)  ¹² For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.)  David had to admit that he could not conquer Goliath on his own.  The battle he was about to face was not his own but the Lord's.  David also had the faith to believe that the Lord would give the victory.  Before it was all over, that giant would be dead and God's children would win.  God is just the same today as He was then.  Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)  ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Today, we're going to begin to get rid of some things in the closets of our lives which may have stayed in there so long, nourished by our thoughts, that they have grown to be giants!  I can think of a couple of large ones in the closet of my life that I'm, for sure, going to need God's help to defeat!

Why not just close the closet doors and let those things remain in the dark corners?  Because, if we keep them in our lives, God's anger will surely be unleashed.  We don't want that!  Even though we serve a merciful God, we also serve a Holy God and we can't live unholy lives without expecting His anger to come, sooner or later.  His Word says that, because of certain things, God's anger is coming.  Pretty scary.  So, let's get busy and kill those things that don't belong in our lives, not even in the darkest corners of the closet!  What are those things in our lives that we have to go after and destroy with a vengeance? Colossians 3:5 (NLT)  ⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  Colossians 3:5 is the beginning of our list of things that must be given a deadly blow.  We all know what sexual immorality is.  To make it short, it's any sexual relationship that is outside the bounds of marriage between one man and one woman (including pornography).  Pretty simple, but sometimes this will lurk in a dark corner of our lives.  Matthew 5:28 (TLB)  ²⁸ But I say: Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  I notice that this does not speak just about our outward actions but about what goes on in our heart.  Gotta kill any thoughts of that sort.  Don't store them up!  Impurity of any kind must go.  Romans 6:19 (NLT)  ¹⁹ Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.  Next, we need to conquer lust.  That is, our desire for anything that is intrinsically worthless in living godly lives.  And then, digging further, we may find some evil desires.  That is essentially a longing for anything that God has forbidden.  Next, we may find some covetousness which is another word for greed.  This is the desire to constantly have more.  How many of us have so much that our possessions possess us?  This is one that I really need to totally destroy!  God says that this one is the same as serving idols.  Now, I doubt if you have statues of Buddha or other such things sitting around you house.  But, what do you have that you serve more than you serve God?  A car?  A closet full of clothes?  A home?  A hobby?  What is it in this world that makes you desire to have more and more?  I'm already at work on my list!

Now is the time!  We've been looking at things that we need to destroy.  Once we kill them, we've got to be sure they don't resurrect themselves in our lives.  Now is the time to rid the closets of our lives of all those things we are putting to death.  Now is the time to do the following:  Colossians 3:8-9 (NLT)  ⁸ But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. ⁹ Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.  God doesn't make it hard for us to understand.  Now is the time to get rid of anger and rage!  Now is the time to get rid of any bad behavior; behavior that does not glorify God.  Now is the time to get rid of slander (and that means gossip).  Now is the time to clean up our speech and stop using offensive or crude language just to get a laugh.  It's not funny to God!  This may include getting rid of things in our homes that come in through the TV, movies, books, magazines, and music.  Now is the time to stop speaking anything that is untrue.  We know that these things are totally opposed to God's way of thinking and His will for us.  We already learned that God's garments are beautiful, uplifting and flattering!  Colossians 3:12 (NIV)  ¹² Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  We don't need to store up the worldly garments that we used to wear.  We need to strip ourselves of them and get rid of them!  We can't wear both types of garments.  That would, not only look hideous, it would render us double-minded and unstable.  It would show a true lack of wisdom, along with a lack of faith.  If we are not willing to strip off the old and put on the new godly garments, we will hinder ourselves from receiving anything from the Lord.  James 1:5-8 (NIV)  ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;   ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.  Now is the time to clean our closets, kill anything that has grown in there that eats away at our lives, and make sure we have a good stock of all the wonderful things that God has given us to wear close at hand!  I'm going to be a while at this so I'm sure glad God is patient and that He honors baby-steps!  Now is the time to take those first steps.  Clean up the closet of your life, throw away the ugly stuff.   And, don't stop to look back!

BOUND BY LOVE

Colossians 3:14 (NIV)
¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

If you read the Morning Manna from yesterday, you might remember that I referenced verses from Colossians, Chapter 3.  If you have the time, read for yourself, Colossians 3:1-17.  I am going through a Bible Study and the following was one of the exercises.  We were to read it all the way through Colossians 3:1-17, out loud, three times (using different translations if they were available) and then write down something different we saw each time we read it.  If you choose to do this exercise, I promise you that you will come away with much to think about and lots of things to work on.  Also, with great encouragement!  In fact, you will come away with many more than just three things!  

You and I, if we are believers, have died to this world and our lives are hidden, with Christ, in God.  That fact, in itself, is enough to think on!  In it is amazement and security, at least for me!  Colossians 3:3 (NIV)  ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  Many people are asking the question, "Who Am I?"  If we are in the Word of God, we know who we are in Christ; but it's good to remind ourselves and remind each other.  One of those things that we are is, "hidden."  Beyond the touch of the world and the devil!  While Colossians 3:1-17 lists several things that we need to put to death, it also lists several things with which we are to clothe ourselves and gives us guidelines for living this new life that Christ has given us.  2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB)  ¹⁷ When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!   It's not any coincidence, in my mind, that this passage which I have been meditating upon in Colossians, speaks of love.  Right on time.  For Valentine's Day!  I like how the Living Bible paraphrases Colossians 3:14.  Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony. Most of all, let love guide your life!  That could be rephrased this way, "Most of all, let God guide your life."  God is love!  1 John 4:8 (NIV)  ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This, "love," that is supposed to guide our lives is not that sentimental, romantic love that we usually celebrate on Valentine's Day.  It is a love that far supersedes our wildest imagination!  It is a tough love that will not quit, even in the worst of situations.  God's love binds us together and creates unity!  There are so many divisions these days.  You find them in the workplace, in families and, sadly, in churches.  That's not what God wants.  Jesus prayed that we, as believers, would be in unity just as He is in unity with the Father.  John 17:11 (NLT)  ¹¹ Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.  Love is what binds us together in unity, just like the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are in unity. 

There are many other virtues with which we need to clothe ourselves, as Christians; but the one that holds all the others together and creates unity among us is love.  Not a gushy, saccharine kind of love but a love that is resolved to keep on, even when the going gets tough.  1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP)  ⁷ Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].  Even when it means we have to overlook and forgive faults in one another.  Real love never fails!  1 Corinthians 13:8  (NIV)  ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  Of all things that God has given us, love is the greatest!  1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)  ¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.  Love is God's, "super-glue" that holds everything together in it's place.  It's the binding force that helps us look past each other's weaknesses and faults to the One who is Love, personified.  Are things falling apart in your church?  In your friendships?  In your marriages?  In your family?  Wherever we find division, may it be that we take another look at God, who is Love, and then determine to reflect what we see in Him.  Bind us together Lord, bind us together, Lord; bind us together in love! 

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR REAL LIFE IS?

Colossians 3:3 (NLT)
³ For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

You know, I had never really thought deeply about the above question.  When I think about "real," life, I tend to think of the everyday practical things I have to get done each day.  I tend to do life as sort of a, "reality show."  The show of my life might be entitled, "Survivor."  Yes, this life is many times hard and many days we find ourselves overwhelmed by the pressures that surround us.  Questions that we cannot answer.  Solutions we cannot find.  We feel like we have to struggle just to survive.  Just this morning, I saw God say to me, through His Word, "Never mind trying to survive, you're already dead!"  If you are a born-again Christian, you, too, are already dead!  As difficult as this earthly life is, we're dead to it.  We're only going through the motions of working out our salvation.  Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)  ¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Now, I never thought I would rejoice over the fact that someone told me I was dead!  In fact, I once had a dream where I was looking into a mirror at myself straight-on.  A voice said, "Beatrice is dead."  Let me tell you, that dream has haunted me for years now.  It was spooky!  However, this morning, I realize that it was not a nightmare.  It was a good dream!  I am dead!  And rejoicing about it!

Why am I rejoicing?  Because my real life is hidden with Christ in God!  Nobody can get to it.  I can't even ruin it myself.  It is hidden!  And so is yours if you have trusted Jesus to take it to the Father and hide it there!  With all the awful things going on in this world, how awesome is it that our real lives cannot be touched?!?  Our lives are secretly hidden with our Father because Jesus has set us free from this worldly life!  Our old lives are dead and our real life is now secure!  Our real life may not be visible to those around us.  I used to, and sometimes still do, feel like I'm invisible.  Like people don't know I'm around or hear what I'm saying.  In fact, once I actually did ask God if I was really dead and just walking around invisibly in this world.  I didn't get an answer then but today I think He is saying, "Yes."  Because we are dead to this world, some people will not see or hear us.  God has kept our lives a secret, hidden away in His protective place.  We are covered until He chooses to show us to whomever He will.  It is then that He gives us the power to become salt and light where we are.  Just a glimpse of our hidden lives can make a vast difference in this dead world in which we live!  Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)  ¹³ "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ¹⁴ "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Because our, "real," lives are hidden with God, it is He who will give us the desire and the power to be salt when salt is needed and to be light when light is needed.  It will be just at the right times and just in the right places.  Because it is Him working in us and because our real lives are hidden with Him, we will be victorious and He will get the glory!  Philippians 2:13 (NLT)  ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Because it is God working in us and because our real lives are hidden in Him, we're covered and His work proceeds!

Now we are secure!  But, as always in God's Kingdom, we have a part to play.  Since we have been raised with Christ and hidden in God, we have to set our sights a bit higher.  Wouldn't you say that most of us get caught up in the here and now?  The where and how of it all?  I know that I do when deadlines and chores mount up as if they were going to come after me and devour me!  That's when we need to remember not to depend upon our own understanding!  Proverbs 3:5 (AMP)  ⁵ Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  God's Word has just told me that I have been raised (and you too, if you have believed Jesus).  Colossians 3:1 (AMP)  ¹ IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Why are we allowing ourselves to stay in and dwell on the mud-puddles of this earth?  We've got to set our sights higher than that!  There are rich and eternal treasures that belong to us if we'll just look up, see them, and receive them.  God has raised us up, friends, but I have to admit, I'm not always living like I've been raised up!  Are you?  Ephesians 2:6-10 (NIV)  ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.  ¹⁰ For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Today, I am very glad that I am dead.  I'm glad that my real life is hidden, along with Christ, with my Father.  I'm glad to be invisible when He wants me to be invisible and very visible when He wants to use me for that purpose.  I'm glad that, ultimately, nothing bad can reach me in that hidden place!  Glad that God has raised me up and given me a seat above my circumstances instead of leaving me to be crushed under them!  I want to aim at and seek for everything He has for me because, without those things, I cannot be effective in what He has called me to do!  My fellow Christ-followers, God has already set us in high places and hidden us with Himself.  What is next is for us to set our hearts there also.  He will not steal our hearts from us, we have to set them in His loving hands in that hidden place.  Are you willing to do that right now?  Where is your real life?  

WHITE AS SNOW! 

Adam and Eve had it made, there in the garden.  All their needs were taken care of and they had a Heavenly Father who spoke to them and walked with them, personally.  They knew nothing of sadness, pain, or death.  They didn't have to worry about losing a job, getting cancer, a pet dying, where their next food was coming from.  They didn't have to worry about anything.  Everything was perfect.  There was nothing ugly there.  So the enemy used what was beautiful.  He used a gift from the Creator to seduce God's children into creating their first idol.  And, he has been doing the same thing ever since!  The only fruit in the garden that God told them not to eat was not ugly.  Actually it looked, not only beautiful, but even quite tasty.  Genesis 3:6 (AMP)  ⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate.  It was not bad, in and of itself.  There would probably have been a time when God said, "Go ahead and eat."  But, this was not the time.  This was the one and only restriction Adam and Eve had.  Not many rules to remember there!  How many times are we attracted to or even attached to something that, in and of itself, is not bad?  In fact, it may even be really good!  How many times do you and I forget that God is the One who answers our prayers and the only One who really cares for us?  When the enemy comes around our camp of blessing, He will usually try to "hook," us with one of those blessings!  What is it that you and I look at that looks so good that it gives us temporary amnesia and makes us take our eyes off of God?  For me, it is clothes, for one thing.  Another thing is bargains.  Those are kind of obvious things.  But, what about the compromises we make when watching TV or listening to a piece of music that goes against God's principles?  The TV is not bad, all by itself.  In fact, it can help us to learn good things, hear good sermons, and stay abreast of what is happening in the world.  Music is certainly not intrinsically bad.  It can be quite good when used to bring us comfort, to help us express our praise to God, and even to bring healing to troubled minds and bodies!  God loves music.  He sings Himself!  Zephaniah 3:17 (AMP)  ¹⁷ The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.  It is when we use God's gifts in the wrong way or place the emphasis on them, rather than on Him, that we get into trouble and the Lord may need to remind some of us as He reminded the Israelites, "I am the one who answers your prayers and I am the one who cares for you deeply."  He may have to say to some of us, "Stay away from idols."  As a final thought, an idol, for us, can be another person.  It could be a child, a spouse, or any other person that we think about more than we think about the Lord.  We can come to depend upon our spouse to make us happy.  That's when the spouse becomes an idol.  God said, "all your fruit comes from me."  When we cling to anything too tightly or put our expectations in anyone but God, we are in danger of creating a, "little god," or an idol for ourselves.  We can't serve all these little gods in our life and serve Jehovah, God too!  Matthew 6:24 (AMP)  ²⁴ No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).  It's good to take a little time to think about this and sort out our hearts and lives, putting everything back in it's rightful place.  God gives us good gifts to enjoy.  Some of those gifts are for just a certain time and place.  There isn't anything that God gives us that is not good!  It's what we do with those good gifts that God has created.  If any little thing becomes the end-all, be-all for us; if there is anything in our lives that we just can't live without (except God, of course); have we created a little god or an idol?  When we try to worship more than the One God, we are double (or more) minded.  Not a good place to be and very dangerous, to boot!  James 1:8 (KJV)  ⁸ A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.  Has the evil one deceived you into cherishing any one (or more) of God's good gifts so that you feel incapable of letting it go?  If so, God is waiting for you to put that thing or person back in it's rightful place and take your rightful place in the presence of the only One who will ever be able to answer your prayers, the only One who will ever wholeheartedly care for you, and the only One who can may your life fruitful and satisfying!  Is it time to do some house cleaning?