Peace in the Storm

Psalm 3:3  "But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."
Psalm 3:4  "I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah."
Psalm 3:5  "I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me."

David's own son Absalom had turned against him.  Absalom wasn't content to simply attempt to take the kingdom, but he desired to take David's life.  David cries out to God in the midst of his trial with words that resonate to us today when trials come our way.

In Verse 3 David declares the Lord is a shield.  He is a protector and defender.  He stands between us and those that would seek to destroy us.  What an incredible confidence we can have when we fully put our trust in Him.  He is our glory.  We have nothing in ourselves that is worthy of glory.  We are simply sinful men saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Any thing in our life that is worthy of glory is because of God and His grace.  God is the lifter up of our head.  When we are so discouraged, so beaten down with life, the God of all comfort comes and lifts us our heads and He tells us to look upon Him.  Keep our eyes upon Him and we can be saved from the midst of trouble.  We are reminded of Peter when he stepped out of the boat to walk to Jesus upon the waves during a storm.  When Peter was focused on Jesus he was fine, but when his focus shifted to the storm he found himself in dire straits.  Peter started to sink and the waves were quickly starting to engulf him.

In Verse 4 David cried out to the Lord and God heard him from His holy hill.  We have a God that immediately hears us when we cry out to Him from the anguish of our souls.  When Peter started sinking into the sea, he cried out to Jesus.  Jesus heard his anguished plea and reached out his hand and rescued Peter from the deep.  When the storms of life come to us what should we do?  Cry out to the Lord and allow Him to step in and rescue us in our distress.

In Verse 5 David discovered the result of calling upon the Lord.  David found peace in the midst of danger, as Absalom sought to take his life.  David lay down and slept knowing that God would protect and keep him.  Peter cried out to Jesus and Jesus not only rescued him, but spoke, "Peace, be still" to the storm.

God has the power to help in your life today.  If everything seems turned upside down and you feel that you're teetering on the edge of a cliff, call out to the God of all comfort and allow Him to work in your life.  He stands ready to help.

How to Live Longer

Exodus 20:12  "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

     Have you ever stopped and considered the parents that God has given to you.  You could have been born anywhere upon the face of the earth, with any of eight billion other people as your parents.  God specifically allowed you to be born with the parents that you have.  Science teaches us that you are a composite of both of your parents.  You've inherited traits and characteristics from both of them.  That could be pleasing or scary depending on how you look at it.  We understand the science behind birth, but don't leave God out of the equation.  God gave the life that you received at conception.  God created you and you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
     The Bible teaches that we are to honour our father and mother.  They are due honour from us.  Our parents took care of us and provided for us when we were unable to care for ourselves.  Our parents have loved, encourage and supported us through our life.  They've been there to pick us up and pat us on the back.  They've held us in their arms when the pain of life became too great.  They nursed us back to health when we were sick.  They taught us to ride our first bicycle and taught us another million lessons in life.  Our parents are due great honour for all that they have done for us.
     God teaches us that there is a reward for honouring our parents.  God will bless us with many days upon the earth.  When we give honour to whom honour is due, it brings joy and happiness into our life.  Take time to honour the parent or parents that God has blessed you with.

Handling Hurt

Proverbs 24:17  "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:"
Proverbs 24:18  "Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him."

The natural reaction when we see an enemy fall or stumble is to laugh.  We enjoy seeing them taken in their own traps and snares.  The spiritual reaction that Jesus taught in the New Testament was that we should pray for our enemies.  When we are wronged, it is easy to get on a spiritual high horse and feel that we are vindicated when evil befalls the person that hurt us.  God would remind us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  He suffered agony, humiliation and separation from the Father to pay the wage for our sin, which was death on the cross at Calvary.  When we consider what God has done for us, how He loved us when we were all together unlovely, the least we can do is pray for those that have wronged us.  Ultimately we must remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord, its not in our authority to punish those that have treated us wrongly.  Leave it in the Lords hands and handle the hurt and pain in a manner that is pleasing to God.

Confident or Ashamed?

1John 2:28  "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."

Christ has promised His return in the Bible.  It is as sure as the promise of God.  Jesus is indeed, returning to this earth.  How should we live our life in light of this promise in the Scriptures?  We are to be active in reaching others with the Gospel message.  We should live day by day allowing God to conform us to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We should live in such a manner that when He comes, we won't have to be ashamed before Him at His coming.  When we allow our life to become polluted with sin, we don't live expectantly, we live with dread at the thought of Christ's return.  We don't want our Saviour to return and find us in the midst of sin.  We must abide in Him.  The bible likens it to the fruit abiding in the branches.  We are to find our sustenance and security in Him.  He is the life-giving source in our life.  How are you living today?  Are you living a life that is eager to see the return of the Lord or would you be ashamed at His coming?  If you would be ashamed, take time to make some things right with God.  He stands ready to forgive, if you simply ask for forgiveness.

ASK

Matthew 7:8 "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

     How many blessings have we failed to receive simply because we didn't bother to ask.  A preacher once said that one of these days we are going to get to heaven and God is going to show us a huge warehouse that contains all of the blessings we could have received, if we had prayed and asked God.  God wants to bless us far more than we even realize.  Just like we enjoy blessing our children, God the Father enjoys blessing His children.
     Another principle contained in this verse is, "He that seeketh findeth."  Have you ever lost something valuable?  If you have, then you can understand the value of this verse.  You search and search, not resting or relaxing till you find the valuable object you were searching for.  What a relief when you find the lost object.  God is teaching us the value of importunity, persistence in praying for the desires of our heart.  We must never forget that we can't command God to do anything, but we can approach our heavenly Father by faith to petition Him for our requests.
     "To him that knocketh it shall be opened."  We are to put action to our prayers.  There are times that God expects us to take the first step and then He responds to our prayer.  God wants to see our willingness to step forward in obedience.  Sometimes the simple action of putting feet to our prayer is the action that shows God we're serious about our request.  It shows that we are willing to act and respond to God's answer to prayer in our life.
     How about you today?  Have you taken time to pray and ask God for an answer to the situation in your life?  Are you diligently seeking an answer from God?  Have you put feet to your prayer, believing that God is going to do a work?

The Great Physician's Mission

Matthew 9:12-13
But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.


In today's passage of Scripture Jesus explains the underlying motive for His earthly ministry. Jesus uses an illustration that could be easily understood. If you're not sick you don't need a physician. If you are sick, you desperately need one. Jesus understood fully the condition of man. Man is born into this world a sinner, under the condemnation of a holy God. Man is sick to the very core of his being. He stands in need of the Great Physician to do a work in his heart. A work of regeneration, a work of reconcilliation with God the Father. Jesus further explains His mission in verse thirteen. He had not come to earth to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. For a person to repent he needs to see himself as God sees him. When he realizes fully that he is a sinner separated from God, he will come to a place of repentance and a place where he is willing to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How is it with you today? Have you allowed the Great Physician to do a great work in your life? He came to heal them that are sick and tired of sin! Let Christ work in your life today!

Glory in Tribulations

Romans 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Romans 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Romans 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

What an incredibly rich passage of Scripture!  Verse 1 reveals that peace with God comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The clear teaching of Scripture is that before we are saved, we are at enmity with God.  We are literally an enemy of God.  When we believe on Christ by faith, God declares that we are justified in His sight.  Not only does Christ give us peace with God, but Christ gives us access by faith to God the Father.  All of this is wonderful, but there is even better news in verses 3-5.  We see a seeming paradox mentioned in verse 3.  Paul reveals that as Christians, we can can glory in tribulation, understanding that God the Father is accomplishing something in our life.  The concept of being able to glory in tribulation seems crazy to those apart from Christ.  We can rest confidently in tribulation with the understanding that God is accomplishing His perfect work in our life.  He is conforming us through tribulation to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Tribulation works patience in our life.  It teaches us to wait patiently upon God the Father to deliver us through the tribulation.  It teaches experience, because it demonstrates the faithfulness of God to see us through each and every trial that we confront.  It teaches hope, as we wait for God's glorious deliverance.  In verse 5 it is revealed that hope maketh not ashamed.  If there was ever a time in history that God's people need hope, this is that day.  The Holy Spirit of God renews that hope in our hearts as we spend time in sweet fellowship with God the Father.  Remember when God allows tribulation to come to pass in your life, its not that He doesn't care, it's not that He is unconcerned, but He is accomplishing His perfect purpose in your life!