Monday, December 6, 2021

Monday, December 6, 2021
In the account of Creation, Moses records the first promise of Christmas.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. (NASB)

Just 3 chapters into the creation account is the response of God to Satan’s attack on Adam and Eve. Sin has come into the perfect world of God’s creation, and God must preside over a courtroom in Eden. Mankind is not going to come out well in this – the verdict for disobedience was death, and death it would be.

“But God” … I love those words! But God comes to the rescue of humanity and becomes their deliverer: promising a Savior … the seed of a woman. People ask when it comes to being “saved” – they ask, “What from?” The answer is here. As all humanity has fallen under the sentence of death for Adam’s sin – here God foreshadows His Son’s coming to satisfy the law’s demands. On the cross — Satan bruised the heel of Christ; in the resurrection — Christ crushed the head of Satan.

Friday, December 3, 2021

Friday, December 3, 2021
The Psalmist writes that those who trust God will find peace in the face of difficulty.

Psalm 119:165 Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble. (NASB)

When you love God’s will above all else: peace will dominate you completely. Elisabeth Elliot, the missionary speaker who inspired so many by returning to minister to the Ecuadorian natives who martyred her husband Jim – developed dementia in her later years. Her husband, Lars Gren, wrote about Elisabeth’s trust in God’s saying, Elliot handled dementia just as she did the deaths of her husbands. “She accepted those things, [knowing] they were no surprise to God, It was something she would rather not have experienced, but she received it.”

Steve Saint – son of Nate Saint, one of the other missionaries killed alongside Elliot’s first husband – had this Facebook posting at [Elliot’s] death: “I think Elisabeth would be happy just being remembered as not much of a woman that God used greatly. To the rest of us she was an incredibly talented and gifted woman who trusted God in life’s calamities, even the loss of her mind to dementia, and who allowed God to use her. He did use her.” Nothing God allows to happen to us can jeopardize the eternal inheritance God has in store for His children. Find peace in God’s sovereign control of every aspect of your life!

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Thursday, December 2, 2021
The prophet Isaiah says the reward for consistently focusing on God’s provision for daily life is perfect peace.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (KJV)

The power of Almighty God is so overwhelming and irresistible that worry cannot exist in the same space! Peace is the prevailing attitude in the throne-room of God. Woodrow Kroll explains the idea of “perfect peace” as like a double portion of peace. Remember Elisha desired a “double portion” of his mentor Elijah’s spirit?

Christ-followers remain serene and steadfast during confusion — because the Savior never wrings His hands and wonders what to do! There is no problem too great He cannot solve; no circumstance that He cannot overrule. The way is plain for the one who will simply place their trust in God with all their heart!

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Wednesday, December 1, 2021
The apostle Paul calls Christ-followers to guard and preserve the peace of God.

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (NASB)

One of the qualities of a Christ-follower is a peace that keeps us even tempered, through whatever comes our way. Satan will tempt you to give up that tranquility and indulge in negative emotions like anger, wrath, lust, etc. You can feel the peace of God being tugged at by these emotions! Hold on tightly and resist giving in to Satan’s temptations. The picture is of an umpire at a sporting event: let the peace of God make the decision as to where you go emotionally. Anything that tempts you to give up your peace should be resisted.

The apostle Paul calls Christ-followers back to an attitude of gratefulness! God loves us “while we were still sinners”; not by our righteousness which is like “filthy rags”. What do we enjoy as a Christ-follower that we have not received? Cultivate thanking God every chance you get, and you will develop a strong sense of contentment

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Tuesday, November 30, 2021
The apostle John records Jesus’ words about how the birth-right of a Christ-follower is His peace.

John 14:27 [Jesus said] Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (NASB)

There is peace and there is the peace that Jesus gives! As human beings you can lose your peace when you violate one of God’s timeless principles – when that happens, conflict begins. There are distractions that can divert our attention for a while, but when we are alone with our thoughts . . . the conflict starts up again!

This verse is telling you there is a peace that passes understanding. Albert Barnes describes this peace as one that, “meets all the wants of the soul, silences the alarms of conscience, is fixed and sure amid all external changes, and will abide in the hour of death and forever.” It’s a peace that provides the ability to handle the stresses of life. How wonderful that because you are a child of God, it is His Spirit that gives you this transcendent ability to cope!

Monday, November 29, 2021

Monday, November 29, 2021
The apostle John records Jesus’ call to the disciples to look to Him for overcoming power.

John 16:33 [Jesus said] These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (NASB)

During the Christmas season it’s easy to become anxious and worry! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Savior would just tell us how to overcome such emotions? The good news is that He has done just that! When Jesus was just hours from being falsely arrested, beaten, wrongly jailed, and ultimately crucified – He was preparing the disciples for the future. Jesus had a supernatural peace that carried Him through. He wasn’t depending on the disciples; He was looking to His Heavenly Father Who controlled the circumstances.

The disciples were unclear who to look to for direction after the Savior returned to Heaven. Christ provided a substitute, just like Himself, in the Holy Spirit who would indwell all Christ-followers. Depend on the Holy Spirit to be a channel of overcoming power providing peace – when the world around you is filled with trouble!