Relational Peace

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

Harmonious relationships are a precious gift.

Who do you enjoy being with? I expect it is someone you respect, and who also respects you. You share personal joys and sorrows. You feel safe in their presence. You likely agree on the important issues of life. Your time together is peaceful.

But then there are other relationships where you are on your guard, with defensiveness on both sides. There are those who hurt you, and you can’t seem to get past it. Or, a barrier of jealousy or pride has been erected between you.

Whether a person is a good friend, an acquaintance, or someone you would prefer not to rub shoulders with, God wants us to live in harmony with one another—the BFFs, the agitators, and even the haters. He desires peace in our relationships. And, honestly, doesn’t that sound good?

The ball is always in our court. The choice is ours. Peace begins with us.

The Apostle Peter offers uncompromising truth in his first letter:*

  • Be like-minded – agree on Biblical non-negotiables and a shared desire for Godliness.
  • Be sympathetic – give the benefit of the doubt, respect individuality, and honor the unique experiences and personality of others.
  • Love one another – not an option! You may need to start with Jesus’ command to “Love your enemy” and work up from there.
  • Be compassionate and humble – care, be understanding, show kindness, swallow your pride.
  • Repay evil with blessing – you were hurt, you suffered at their hand, you didn’t deserve such treatment. Neither did Jesus, and He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”  

Peter cites Psalm 34:14, with a clear-cut command and a bold challenge:

Seek peace and pursue it.

The choice is ours, and the benefits are eternal.

*1 Peter 3:8-9

World Peace

~ Barbara ~ 3 Comments

Tuesday night, a collective sigh exhaled around the world. During a fragile two-week truce, bombs will not fall.

Christians know this world is not our home, even if our creature comforts tempt us to forget. And, though earth is a temporary stopover, God reveals an attitude and an action that will stand us in good stead during our sojourn here.

Like us, the Israelites were captives in a strange land. They longed to go home, but in Jeremiah 29:4-7, God told them what they didn’t want to hear: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens… marry and have sons and daughters.” In other words, make yourself at home because you’ll be here for a while. God knew how long the Jews would be in exile, just as He knows how long we will be here before Jesus returns. Then He added a caveat for them, and for us:

“Increase in number there; do not decrease.”

As long as we have breath, we are to grow and not diminish; become more, not less; gain strength, not become weak. And then God gave them a plan of action:

“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

This is why I pray for peace in America, for Godliness to prevail, and for faith to prosper.

In closing, I share a prayer I found on FB, posted by Chad Prather before the truce was declared. May it encourage your own prayers for peace and prosperity while we dwell in this alien home.

Father in heaven,

We come before You in this moment, not as people shaken by the noise of the world, but as citizens of a Kingdom that cannot be moved. You are enthroned above every nation, every ruler, every headline, and every decision made by human hands. Your Word declares that the heart of the king is in Your hand, and You turn it wherever You will.

So we ask You now, not in fear, but in faith:
Let Your Kingdom come. Let Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Even in the midst of flawed leadership, confusion, and unrest, we ask that Your purposes would not be hindered. Advance Your Kingdom through Your people. Let the gospel run swiftly. Let truth rise. Let righteousness stand. Let light break through every shadow.

Lord, remind us that You are not reacting to history, You are writing it.
Where men make decisions in pride, establish Your wisdom. Where there is injustice, bring Your justice. Where there is division, release Your peace. Where there is deception, let truth be revealed.

And in us, Your people, anchor our hearts.
Teach us to live with eternal vision. Your Word says our life is a vapor, here for a moment and gone. So fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. Let us live in a way that echoes into eternity, faithful, bold, unshaken.

Give us peace that surpasses understanding. Not peace because circumstances are stable, but peace because You are sovereign.

Remind us that Christ has already overcome the world. That the cross was not defeat, but victory. That the resurrection was not a possibility, but a declaration that Your purposes cannot fail.

So we stand today with confidence: Your Kingdom will advance. Your purposes in Christ will prevail. Your glory will fill the earth.

Keep us faithful in the meantime. Watchful. Prayerful. Steady. Let us be found doing Your will when You return.

We trust You. We rest in You. We follow You.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our King, Amen.

Death, then Life

~ Barbara ~ 3 Comments

Jesus’ disciples didn’t seem to process His words when Jesus told them He would die. Did they recall what He said when they watched the soldiers arrest Him? Did they hang on to hope, or did their cherished hopes wither? Even though Jesus told them He would rise from the dead, we don’t see evidence of anticipation. As the night of His arrest lengthened, I believe their fear and confusion grew. And then their worst nightmare happened—Jesus was sentenced to death and crucified.

We don’t like death; it’s so final. We don’t like thinking about the death of those we love or even those we barely know. How about our own death? I hope we don’t dread it, after all, it is the only door to Heaven. You may even be uncomfortable reading this post, but press on.

Good Friday, then Easter. Death first, then life. In eternity, we will find no dread, no fear, no suffering. We will only know joy, wholeness, and freedom. This inheritance is possible because Jesus died and rose to life. He ascended and is preparing a place for us, eager for us to join Him.

The somberness of Good Friday inspires our anticipation of Easter’s victory, which in turn, ignites our eagerness for eternal life. Death, then life, for Jesus, for us. Anticipate it!

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, 
and the dead in Christ will rise first. 
After that, we who are still alive and are left 
will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever. 
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

I Always Have a Problem with the Donkey

~ Barbara ~ 3 Comments

They anticipated a Messiah. They wondered, Is Jesus the one? He preached with unprecedented wisdom, He healed with a word, He commanded demons, He ruled nature. Anticipation was building. Jesus came to Jerusalem for the Passover, and again they wondered, Would He take His position as King now?

“He’s coming!” Can you hear the excitement, sense the tension, feel the hope?

And then He appeared. On a donkey! No white stallion, no trumpeters, no fanfare. So they created their own. They took off their cloaks, spreading them on the road. They spontaneously cut branches to line the way and waved fronds in the air. Apparently, they weren’t put off by the donkey. All they saw was Jesus. And they worshiped Him.

Personally, Jesus’ humble entry saddens me. I admit, it aligned with His birth in a stable and His bed in a manger. It reflected His lifestyle with no place to lay His head. It must have resonated with the sick and sinners He had healed and forgiven. And, it was a harbinger of the excruciatingly humble death that awaited Him.

Yes, the donkey discomforts me, but this is not Jesus’ only “Triumphal Entry.” He is coming again, and I eagerly anticipate His return. It will be amazingly glorious!

“There will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars.
And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil,
perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides….Then everyone will see the Son of Man 
coming on a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke 21:25, 27