Quote from Forum Archives on September 14, 2003, 10:24 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Nearly everyone, with the possible exception of warriors and
those who love to fight, likes the idea of peace. We want world
peace, we want peace in our neighborhoods, we want peace in our
homes. Some of us, however, get too wrapped up with our
activities and our possessions, and instead of peace, we look for
a "piece" of something - a business, some prestige, and maybe
even things that we know are clearly wrong and inappropriate.

However, when we get beneath the veneer of whatever is polished
up on the outside, we usually find that all we really want, deep
down inside, is to be loved, accepted, and tolerated, just the
way we are.

I have good news for those of you who yearn for such things, way
deep inside. That's precisely the kind of relationship that God
offers to each one of us. He wants to give us His peace, He
wants us to acknowledge Him, give Him the first priority in our
lives, and a result of doing so is that we will experience
complete peace.

The unfortunate thing is that although many of us would claim to
want such a thing, quite a number of us don't actually experience
that kind of peace. The reason is simple - we don't really fully
embrace Jesus Christ, we're really more cultural Christians than
anything else.

Several years ago now, I met a man who went through the kind of
financial crash that I've gone through for the past two years.
He had a very successful real estate business. One day, that
business went away. The man put too much emphasis on this work
and the market demand for real estate softened and his empire
crumbled.

That man was Patrick Morley, and he wrote several books based on
his struggle and the shift in his life. Patrick wrote "The Man
in the Mirror", "Seven Seasons of a Man's Life" and recently he
retitled one of his books "Seven Seasons of the Main in the
Mirror".

My friend Larry Davies sent me a copy of Morley's latest book; I
have at least one or two of his other books already in my own
library.

I'm considering contacting Morley's publisher and asking if I can
share, in a series of messages, material from one of those
chapters. If yes, I'll be writing a series and incorporating my
own thoughts, comments, and experiences with those of Morley.

Meanwhile, today, Neil Anderson also has some relevant and
useful comments about the peace of God.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

___________________________

NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

September 14

THE PEACE OF GOD

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world
gives, do I give to you (John 14:27).

Peace on earth--that's what everybody wants. But nobody can
guarantee external peace because nobody can control other people
or circumstances. Nations sign and break peace treaties with
frightening regularity. Couples lament that there would be peace
in their home "if only he/she would shape up." No one can
guarantee peace at home or on the job site. However, we should
always strive to be peacemakers. Jesus said, "Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9).
Paul instructed, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at
peace with all men" (Romans 12:18).

But let's face it: Peace with others isn't always possible,
because peace doesn't just depend on us. Peace on earth is what
we want; peace with God is what we have; the peace of God is what
we need.

Peace with God is something you already have (Romans 5:1). It's
not something you strive for; it's something you received when
you were born again. The Prince of Peace reconciled you to God by
shedding His own blood.

The peace of God is something you need to appropriate daily in
your inner world in the midst of the storms which rage in the
external world (John 14:27). There are a lot of things that can
disrupt your external world because you can't control all your
circumstances and relationships. But you can control the inner
world of your thoughts by allowing the peace of Christ to rule in
your heart on a daily basis (Colossians 3:15). There may be chaos
all around you, but God is bigger than any storm. I keep a little
plaque on my desk which reminds me: "Nothing will happen to me
today that God and I cannot resolve."

The peace of Christ will rule in your heart when you "let the
word of Christ richly dwell within you" (Colossians 3:16). And
when you turn to Him in prayer, "the peace of God, which
surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Prince of Peace, rule in my heart today. Give me Your peace and
make me a peacemaker in all my relationships.

-----------
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Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.14512.1.293748.

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link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.14512.2.293748.
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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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