BBD 11.10.06 Quiet and Peaceful
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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11.10.06
Quiet and Peaceful
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in
authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. -
1 Timothy 2:1-3.
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all
men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all
men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for
it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. - Romans
12:17-19.
In addition to the election news of recent days there has been the quiet
revelation of a website that is.shall we say, dull. It is the Dull Men's
Club. The website in plain letters quietly says about itself, "A place -- in
cyberspace -- where Dull Men can share thoughts and experiences, free from
pressures to be in and trendy, free instead to enjoy the simple, ordinary
things of everyday life." The Dull Men's Club is said to be a place for
people who "enjoy watching grass grow." The website states that it "contains
no violence or scary scenes." This apparently also includes exclamation
points because they are also avoided. The creator of the website, Lee
Carlson says, "Many people - corporate executives and celebrities I've heard
about - enjoy doing the dull things."
>From the personal experience of being a man I doubt that there are many men
who think of themselves as being dull. It is unlikely that there are many
who would make it their life goal to become a dull person. In fact I think
it would be almost shocking (As is the Dull Men's Club website.) to
encounter someone whose goal it is to be dull. Sadly, I think that many view
the Christian life as being dull. As a result, the Christian life, Christian
people, and all things Christian are looked at as being dull and borrring.
The Christian life is far from being dull and is instead a daily adventure
when lived, as it ought to be lived.
The apostle Paul urges that we live "quiet and peaceable lives" and that we
live "peaceably with all men." Living quiet lives, peaceable lives can be a
challenge and is far from living a dull life. It may be easier to live quiet
and peaceable lives in a rural setting than it is in an urban area. But it
is still possible to have God's peace wherever you live and in whatever
situation you may be. You cannot manufacture this peace and quiet through
your own strength or power. No, that is not possible. The apostle does tell
us how to have that peace in Philippians 4:6-7 where he writes, "Be anxious
for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus." Prayer is necessary to engage the supernatural power of God
to bring about that peace that we long to have.
There has been a peaceful change of power in the United States. How much of
a change is yet to be seen but there have already been some changes. No one
in the United States wants to live in a world of war and violence. If we
really want to live quiet and peaceable lives, Paul tells us what we should
be continually doing. He says, "I exhort first of all that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings
and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and reverence."
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