p.e.a.c.e.

By Clifton Angel

    Peace. Even the word itself sounds calming and tranquil. Paul's prescription for true peace is recorded for us at Philippians 4:4–9.
    Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
    With this text in mind, let's use the acronym P.E.A.C.E. to outline the prescription.
    Positivity. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice" (4:4). Can anything negative be said about true joy? Notice also the positive mindset Paul encourages a few verses later, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (4:8)."
    Expression to God. "Be careful (anxious, worrisome, CRA) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (4:6). In some cases, depression and anxiety have been linked to complaining. So, if we have a problem, and we're tempted to complain, let's talk to God about it.
    Appreciation. See "thanksgiving" in Philippians 4:6. Giving thanks when we take our complaints to God will help us reevaluate our complaints. Furthermore, an attitude of appreciation in every situation is going to make us more delightful people. Paul says, "In everything, give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Notice, he does NOT say, "Give thanks for everything."
    However, in every situation, we can find something for which to be thankful.
    Christ. True peace is impossible without Christ. Peace with God through the washing of our sins is only possible through Christ. We contact his sin-cleansing blood in baptism, first having faith, being penitent, and having confessed His deity. "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). Once we have put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27), we can: (1) Rejoice (Philippians 4:4); (2) Know things that are truly praiseworthy (4:8); (3) Pray to the Father (4:6); (4) Be thankful in every situation (4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). Paul also said, "The Lord is at hand" (4:5).
    Encouragement to Others. "Let your moderation be known unto all men" (4:5). The word "moderation" can be translated as "gentleness" or "reasonableness." If these characterize us, then we are approachable because we are encouraging. Taking the time to encourage and lift up others helps us get the focus off of our own problems, relieve ourselves of unhealthy self-pity, hinder us from complaint, and encourage us to be more thankful. If we are positive, prayerful, appreciative, and find peace in Christ, then we can be an encouragement to others.
    Finally, Paul says, "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you" (4:9). Only one thing is greater than the "peace of God." That is "the God of peace.

- Clifton Angel preaches for the Coldwater Church of Christ in Coldwater, MS. He may be contacted through that congregation's website: http://www.coldwatercofc.com/

Learning the Language

By David A. Sargent

    Billy Horton is entering his third year as a minor league hitting coach for the major league baseball team, the San Francisco Giants. Tim Elmore and Billy Boughey of Growing Leaders recently asked Horton to write a blog about connecting with his younger players. Here is an excerpt from his blog:
    In my year of coaching with the Giants, we had a good ballclub and a lot of the players got better. However, there was a big disconnect between myself and the Latin [American] players. The biggest chasm between us was verbal communication. I had taken Spanish class in high school and college, but over the past twenty years I have not used it on a regular basis. I was at a crossroad. I knew I had to lead the way if we were to connect. It became clear I needed to re-learn the language to better coach them.
    I started by learning what I call “Base-ish” – Baseball Spanish. I learned how to communicate our batting practice routine in Spanish and then moved on to body parts that are used in the hitter’s swing mechanics. I asked the players a lot of questions and they were more than happy to help me... If I want to be able to communicate with my whole team, learning their language is very important. I could tell every player noticed the simple effort I put in to learn, not just lead...
    The funny thing is that when I first started down this road, it was for job security. I wanted to make myself more valuable to the organization. What it turned into was a bridge between me and the players. I showed them effort in learning their language, and they appreciated that. They saw I cared about them, and our relationships grew. *
    From the beginning, God has communicated His love toward us:
    He has communicated His love through CREATION. He formed the world to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18), and it is just the right environment to sustain human life! He has shown kindness and love by giving us “rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides us with plenty of food and fills our hearts with joy (Acts 14:17).
    He has communicated His love through His written REVELATION. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (Hebrew 1:1 NIV). We have the words of the inspired prophets and apostles in Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:11-13). We can know something of God’s divine nature and His power through His creation (Romans 1:20), but we know of His will for us through His written revelation (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
    He has communicated His love through the INCARNATION. God “put on” human flesh in the person of His Son Jesus and came to live among men. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14; see also Hebrews 2:14-17).
    He has communicated His love through the CRUCIFIXION. Our sin separates us from God and condemns us eternally (Romans 3:23). “But God demonstrates [or “communicates”] His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, we can be saved from our sins through Him (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
    God will save those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38). His atoning blood will continue to cleanse those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).
    Because of the wonderful ways that God has “communicated” with us, we can know that He loves us and desires to save us so that we can spend an eternity with Him.
    Won’t YOU respond to His love through your trusting obedience to His will?

- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled "Living Water." To learn more about this excellent resource contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org

* “One Secret to Bridging the Gap with Team Members” by Tim Elmore in Elmore’s blog on March 27, 2014, at http://www.growingleaders.com.

Peace in the Home (Galatians 5:22-23)

By Travis Robertson
 
     It doesn’t take much effort to see that there is a need for peace in the world. Hatred and violence spread like wildfire and it can be difficult to see any path for peace. But the fruit of the Spirit for the Christian is that of peace. Peace should be found in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. God is the God of peace (Romans 15:33) and we should be those that have peace in our lives and are peacemakers ourselves. But how does peace create a successful home?
     First, this peace is a peace between God and man. We were lost in our sins and in essence at war with God. However, through our faith in Jesus we are finally at peace with God (Romans 5:1). To be reconciled with our God and Creator gives peace within us. Every person has conflict within themselves and struggles with feelings of guilt, failure, inferiority, etc... But with us finally being at peace with God, it helps us to get rid of the feelings of guilt, knowing that we have been forgiven. We can see that failures in this life are not the end in respect to eternity with God. We may have felt inferior be fore, but now with God we recognize our worth and value, as well as the power and strength He will give us to succeed.
     Second, God has also produced peace between men by breaking down the barriers. The Old Testament prophets predicted that the Kingdom under Christ would be one of peace, in which “the wolf will dwell with the lamb” (Isaiah 11:6). According to Ephesians 2:14, God broke the barrier between Jew and gentile. In the church, people from any place or classification can find peace. This helps us have a successful home, knowing that any differences we may have with one another, we are all united in Christ.
     Third, as followers of Jesus we are compelled to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). We will be blessed if we do so, but it is also the fruit of the Spirit from our text. It should naturally be born out in our life as we are led by the Spirit. This should first and foremost occur in our homes. Families can easily find things to fight about and nitpick every little thing. However, if we are being led by the Spirit, we see the benefit of being at peace with one another, especially in the home and with the people we love.

- Travis Robertson preachers for the Lake Norman Church of Christ in Huntersville, NC. He may be contacted through the congregation's website at http://lakenormancoc.org/

Shingles

By Larry Pasley

    Bubba walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had.
    Bubba said, “Shingles.”
    So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.
    Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aid came out and asked Bubba what he had.
    Bubba said, “Shingles.”
    So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Bubba to wait in the examining room.
    A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Bubba what he had.
    Bubba said, “Shingles.”
    So the nurse gave Bubba a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Bubba to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.
    An hour later the doctor came in and asked Bubba what he had.
    Bubba said, “Shingles.”
    The doctor asked, “Where?”
    Bubba said, “Outside on the truck. Where do you want them?”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

    There are many words which have two or more different meanings, like shingles. I used to play a game with the young people called, “My Teakettle.” In that game you choose a word that has different meanings and everyone tries to guess what the word is by the way you describe your Teakettle. A word like “plane” could be used and one description would apply to an airplane and the next description would apply to the tool. The descriptions then become confusing to those trying to guess the word.
    There are words in the Bible with different meanings which can lead to some confusion.
    For example when the word “spirit” is used, is it referring to the Holy Spirit or our human spirit?
    When the “body of Christ” is used does it refer to His physical body or His spiritual body, the church?
    When “kingdom” is used, is it referring to the kingdom on earth, the church, or the kingdom in heaven.
    With many words like these, we depend on the context to let us know which meaning should be used.
    Context is always to be considered to get the proper meaning of any Scripture.
    The story is told of the man who decided to get up every morning and open the Bible and blindly place his finger on a scripture and accept that as what God wanted him to do that day.
    The first day he opened the bible and the Scripture his finger landed on said, “And Judas went out and hanged himself. He thought, “That can’t be right,” so he tried again and the next Scripture said, “Go and do likewise.” Again he thought he would try again, this time his finger landed on, “What you do, do it quickly.” Needless to say he decided that method would not work.
    May we always strive to get the meaning intended in the context of the Scriptures.

- Larry Pasley serves as a minister with the Jackson Street Church of Christ in Alexandria, LA. He may be contacted through the congregation's website at http://www.JacksonStAlex.com

United Again

By David A. Sargent

    10 months.  That’s how long Dr. Anne Hampton was unable to see her father, Chris, age 87, face-to-face.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the The Steppes care home in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England where Chris resides, went on lock-down back in March, 2020.  Since then, Dr. Hampton has only been able to see her father through a window at the assisted living facility.  On January 1, 2021, however, Dr. Hampton was able to see her father up close, even if it was through the shield of a PPE (personal protective equipment) uniform.
    Dr. Hampton jumped at the opportunity to join a medical team in administering the Covid-19 vaccine to the residents in The Steppes care home.  "When I realized we would be vaccinating The Steppes care home, I just thought this would be an amazing opportunity to take part in the vaccination program — and also to be able to get to see dad in a safe way," Hampton said.
    On January 1, Dr. Hampton, adorned in her PPE, went to The Steppes care home to administer the vaccine to 22 patients.  The first one she inoculated was her father.
    “Hello Dad, I’ve come to give you your vaccination today, to stop the virus,” Hampton said in a tender moment caught on camera.  Hampton later explained, “He didn’t recognize me at first in all of my PPE but it's been lovely to see him, just briefly, and start him being protected.”
    Hampton and all the world is hopeful that the vaccine will help defeat this dreaded virus that has kept us separated from our loved ones.  We long to see and to be with our loved ones, face-to-face in the same room, with no masks or barriers between us.
    Separated.  That word speaks to a painful reality.  It is a word that describes what our sins do to our relationship with God.  Isaiah the prophet told the people of Judah: “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).  Because of our sins, we are separated from God and doomed.
    But God loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).  Through Jesus, we can be saved from our sins and reconciled with God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
    God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  The atoning blood that Jesus shed in His death will not inoculate us from sin, but it will keep us cleansed and in fellowship with God as we continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).
    What a glorious reality with eternal blessings: we don’t have to be separated from God anymore!  We can enjoy relationship, fellowship, and union with God – all because He loves us so much that He made reconciliation possible through the gift of His Son.
    Won’t YOU accept His offer of reconciliation?

- David A. Sargent, minister for the Church of Christ at Creekwood in Mobile, Alabama, is also the editor of an electronic devotional entitled "Living Water." To learn more about this excellent resource contact David via their website: http://www.creekwoodcc.org

* Information gleaned from “Doctor gives dad COVID-19 vaccine after 10 months apart” by Janine Puhak, www.foxnews.com.

Just Trust

By Edd Sterchi

To help your hopes
  From turning to dust,
To aid your plans
  From gathering rust,
To keep your dreams,
  From going bust,
 The simple plan is:
  You just must trust. 

- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Broadway Church of Christ in Campbellsville, KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.broadwaychurchofchrist.net/

The Devil's Schemes

By Ron Adams

FACTS
Stop signs don’t stop cars–people still fail to stop.
Laws don’t stop crime–people still commit crimes.
God’s commandments don’t stop sin–people still sin.

When something is prohibited by law or command it doesn’t prevent someone from doing it. Road signs only regulate traffic. Laws against an activity only state that it is against the law to do it. God’s prohibitions only state what is forbidden. The “teeth” in a law or a command is in the punishment (consequence).

The tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden was easily accessible. There was no fence or wall around it. No locked gate. Adam and Eve had the ability and opportunity to eat it’s fruit at any time. God’s command did not keep them from eating the fruit of that tree.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOD SAID
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17

SERPENT SAID The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die. For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5

SATAN’S STRATEGY
Deny the consequence. Won’t die.
(Plant the seed of doubt.)

Promote the benefits. Will gain knowledge, be like God.(Plant the seed of desire.) Question God’s motive. Why?
(Plant the seed of distrust.)

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
First – Doubt the consequences. (Doubt either the possibility or the severity.)
DEFENSE: Don’t doubt or question the awesome power of God.

Second – Consider the benefits. (Savor the thought of having or doing.)
DEFENSE: Look past it and focus on the consequences that will surely follow.

Third – Question the reason for the prohibition. (Why is it prohibited?)
DEFENSE: Realize your wisdom is limited; trust God’s infinite wisdom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STAND FIRM

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.1 John 5:3

God’s commands are given for our benefit: 

(1) to lead us in the right direction and, 

(2) to keep us from harm.

- Ron Adams publishes F.Y.C., a monthly publication. Bible references are from the NASB except where another translation is referenced. Back issues are archived at http://ra10ar.com Be thoughtful and kind. All rights reserved. © 2021