Has your peace bubble been popped recently? Did you leave that place of God’s “rest”? My completeness can only be found in Jesus Christ. He is the only perfect one and if I expect perfection in others, I will most assuredly be disappointed at some stage. God pours out His grace and mercy on me in my imperfections, but how many of us give it to others by the thimbleful when they do not meet the standard we expect?
Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”, Matthew 5:9.
Colossians 2: 9-10 Speaking of Jesus: “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power”
My completeness can only be found in Jesus. I may look everywhere for it, in people or circumstance, but the only place I will find it is in Him. When God’s peace in me is ruffled, it is time to take a step back and listen to what the Lord is saying to me. I have the responsibility before the Lord to be the gatekeeper of my heart, to keep it in order. Trouble is not in trouble, it is in my attitude to trouble. I either allow His peace to rule, or relinquish my inheritance of His peace.
The Lord Jesus gave us instruction: “Let not your heart be troubled….”, John 14:1
Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”
A little known quote of Alan Redpath was “Before we can pray, ‘Lord, Thy kingdom come,’ we must be willing to pray, ‘My kingdom go’.”
Alan Redpath also stated that as a person matures in their journey with the Lord, the recovery period from relationship fallouts and failures, should become shorter and shorter as we humble ourselves before God and man, and get back on track as quickly as possible. It is only pride that prevents this, and God resists the proud, (1 Peter 5:5). The last thing I want is to grieve my Saviour and God resist me. In the Christian walk, humility is an obligation, not an option. The nature of Christ is humility and when the Holy Spirit sees it operating in me, the Father is well pleased. He says: “This is My beloved Son”…….”in whom I am well pleased”. As I die to self, Christ lives in me! Christ in me the hope of glory…..to God be the glory, the credit is all His through the life of His Son.
As we journey on with the Lord, He brings us through many troubled waters by His grace and mercy. We have not yet arrived at the goal, but we press onwards, leaving a lot of unecessary baggage behind that we once thought so important.
Jesus called Himself the True Vine, John 15: 1-2 “I am the true vine and My Father is the husbandman” (Owner of the vineyard/Gardener) “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit”
As we abide in Jesus His fruit is produced in our lives. It is a natural product of abiding in the Vine. There is no strain or stress involved, just a restful ripening in the warmth of the “Son’s” rays. All the fruit produced is to be given away to others to enjoy and be blessed.
Jesus warned us that many troubles would overtake the world, but whatever befalls us, God will take care of us. God is in the detail of our lives. We make our plans in life and apply our limited understanding, but God declares He is our life and sees beyond the scope of our understanding. He is at work moving things around beyond our comprehension and making provision for us in line with His perfect plan for our divine destiny in line with His purpose.
In His perfect loveplan, God will take care of you……our divine Caretaker!
