Showing posts with label God's gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's gifts. Show all posts

When the Word uses Words

Many people think the life of the caregiver is one full of constant distress. In one way this is true in that there is never a dull moment and always something or someone to tend to. But once the initial shock is over, and we accept our role and find a new normal, life just goes on like it does for everybody else.

That's of course not to say that the caregiver's life is an easy one or that we are not concerned and busy with many different tasks....daily. Even though our minds and bodies go a hundred miles an hour all of our waking hours, there can still be an underlying heart peace.


John 14:27 tells us that God gives us a peace that is not like the world's version of peace, which is not peace at all. I have to be the first one to say that not letting my heart be troubled and not letting  my heart be afraid are not easy tasks and it takes a lot of effort on my part.

He gives us His peace; a peace that is way beyond our understanding (Philippians 4:7.It is up to us whether or not we yield our hearts to His peace. It's there - He gave it. But it's on us to tap into it, relax with it and enjoy it.

One of my favorite people is Tyler Perry who writes and plays the character Madea in plays and movies. In Diary of a Mad Woman, Madea shares a word of wisdom straight from Tyler Perry's heart. In this scene Madea is talking about the story where the disciples were in the boat with Jesus and a storm arose and Jesus stood up and said three simple words, Peace be still.

Madea's point is this. Jesus is the word according to John 1:1. And in this story the Word is using words. When the Word speaks words He speaks them in past, present and future tense. So when Jesus said Peace be still.  Peace was already still. So according to Madea (Tyler Perry) peace was still, peace is still and peace is still being still! While Madea's method is a little unorthodox, what she says in this scene is revelatory.

Peace is eternal it is up to us to tap into the source. Then the next task is to keep our hearts there and allow His peace to reign in our hearts. (Colossians 3:15)

Today I will make a conscious effort to allow the peace He gives to rule in my heart. I will fight off anything that comes to disrupt this peace. My meditation will be on how His peace is eternal and never goes away. Today I will rest in His peace. Will you join me?

We Have What Is Needed

There's an interesting scripture in the first chapter of Daniel. It says And God gave these four men an unusual appetite for learning the literature and science of the time. It's interesting in several different ways. For one, the church and science tend to be at odds a lot of the time, yet we see here that God caused them to enjoy science (and I'll throw in math too!! lol). Sometimes education and "faith" can collide as they seem mutually exclusive - even though they are actually very complimentary.

But the most interesting is that God gave Daniel (and the three Hebrew boys) the ability to learn. They were captives in a foreign land. They had been elevated to live in the castle with the king, but only to see if they could cut the mustard and achieve the high slave status of serving the king. Yet God gave them the ability to learn. Basically, God put in them what they would need to make it through their trial. And trust me, they were tried!

First they are taken from their home land by force only to be made to serve in the king's court. Daniel was royalty in Judah. But here in Babylon he was stripped of his ability to have a "normal" life. He could not marry and bear children and go to war as many young men most likely dreamed about. He was made to be impotent...and forced to serve. Yet God gave him what he would need to make it through.

Remember on in the book of Daniel - he will find himself thrown into a den of hungry lions while the other three will face the fiery furnace...and all because they would not bow to the idolatry around them. Of course this all started here in chapter one when they decided that they would not be defiled with the king's meat. They were not the icon for vegetarianism we try to make them! They simply refused to eat meat offered to idols...they chose purity even if it might mean getting thrown out of the king's palace; or death.But they had been given what they needed to get through the trials.

2Peter 1:3 says to us today His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. He has given us what we need to make it through today. It doesn't matter what it looks like, feels like or what kind of trap reality has set for us! We can make it through the fires of today!

Just like God gave Daniel what he was going to need to survive in Babylonian captivity, He has given us what we need to make it through our particular circumstances! It's up to us to trust Him and not bow to idolatrous ways when they present themselves to us. So cheer up! We have what we need to make it through this journey!

The Stare

  Do you ever just find yourself sitting and staring at the wall? It doesn't really happen too often because, quite frankly, who has tim...