Tag Archives: guard

GLIMPSES OF PAUL – 5

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PAUL AT PEACE

Now follows a series of “we know” or “I have learned”, not in order of priority but meaningfully contributing to the grandeur of Paul’s legacy as believer and teacher.

The most important and essential ingredient in this life of submission and obedience is trust. Every adversity we encounter on our journey is designed to test the strength of our confidence in the one who has promised and given us everything we need.

When tough times come, do I trust Him, absolutely…unconditionally? With no solution in sight, will He do as He has promised?

How many times Paul had his back to the wall! How did he find security and peace of mind in these tests?

In this life of faith, what we believe produces what we feel. Feelings are never random. Feelings always confirm our behaviour and thinking. We can trust our emotions in this that they tell us what’s going on inside.

One of Jesus’s greatest gifts is His peace. Oh, how the world longs for peace! But, God said, “There is no peace for the wicked.” Peace is the legacy Jesus left for those who believe in Him.

John 14:27 NLT
[27] “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Well, that’s great, but what do we do when we are troubled or afraid?

Paul found his answer so infallible that he could pass it on with full confidence. When we read what he wrote, it’s clear that this prescription must have come from his own experience.

What disturbs our peace?

Something happens in our thinking when we face seemingly insoluble situations. Doubts replace trust; uncertainty replaces confidence, and our feelings confirm the change. We lose our peace. We feel unhappy, disturbed, insecure.

Paul says, “Come back to the place where your peace left. Give all the thoughts and beliefs that have robbed you of peace to God.” How can I do that? Simple!

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
[6] “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
[6]” Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, AND THANK HIM for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Do you get the key?

It is impossible to be doubtful and thankful at the same time. Thanksgiving is the language of faith. When we choose to dump our issues on God and deliberately give Him thanks for who He is, faithful, reliable, and always good…God’s peace takes charge, acting as a military garrison around our innermost beings.

Connecting God’s peace with who we are, sons of God, we now have two great truths to secure our faith and two courses of action to confirm our relationship with God. We confirm we are His sons and daughters by our submission and obedience to His supreme authority. We confirm our confidence in Him by our grateful hearts, that keeps His peace in place.

Sons of God, His peace standing guard…what can be better than that!

MOLLY AND ME – MY CHAMPION

Christian Life, ,

Molly is my self-appointed guardian. I guess it’s in the nature of a dog to protect. Since I’m her owner and much bigger than her, it’s my responsibility to care for and protect her, but she has somehow reversed the roles.

When I’m at home, she uses her rotweiler bark to ward off would-be invaders, be they real or imagined, be they warm-blooded humans of any shape or colour, or cold-blooded “critters” of any smell or size.

Her pet hate is the domestic worker who comes to clean my landlady’s house every second week, because she wields a mop or broom. We are under house arrest until she leaves because Molly wants to eat her.

She also hates the gardening service men because they invade our property with their noisy machines when they cut the grass.

Neighbours’ dogs fall into the category of “enemies” as well. She treats little ones with disdain and big ones with ferocious barking… as long as they are on the other side of the gate!

Molly isn’t even afraid of thunder. She just keeps barking fearlessly until the noise goes away!

When I am not at home, she goes to ground, time out, day off, all duty suspended, immobile ’til Mom gets home. She refuses all attention and only comes back to life when she hears my car coming up the driveway or the gate being opened.

Molly is worth her weight in gold. My champion saved me from disaster when she barked a warning that my gas stove, unknown to me, was shooting a flame of fire from underneath the cooker top.

Of course, her size makes a huge difference. When there is any real danger, Mom takes over. Face to face with a real dog either turns her into a high-pitched barking/squeaking coward if it’s big, or a sharp, warning yapper if it’s small. Hairs on the back stand up and the adrenaline rushes in.

Thank you, Molly. You’re a trouper! Your intentions are all good.

If Molly thinks she is able to protect me, what about God, our great heavenly Father? He has made an endless number of promises to His children to see the enemy off and guard us from harm and danger of every kind, and does a much better job than Molly ever can.

‭Psalms 121:3-8 NLT‬
[3] “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. [4] Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. [5] The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. [6] The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. [7] The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. [8] The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

If there were no other promise in the Bible, this one would be enough to give us complete confidence in Him.

Not only does God Himself watch over us but He has also assigns angels to be on duty as well.

‭Psalms 91:9-12 NLT‬
[9]”If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, [10] no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. [11] For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. [12] They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.”

God never sleeps, never takes time out or a day off. His angels are on duty 24/7, waiting for His command.

‭Psalms 103:19-21 NLT‬
[19]” The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. [20] Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. [21] Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!”

‭Jude 1:24-25 NLT‬
[24] “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. [25] All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”

So why, then, should we ever be afraid? If nothing else, Molly is a very effective “early warning system”, false alarms or not. How much better our God who watches over us moment by moment!

Crime Scene With A Difference

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CRIME SCENE WITH A DIFFERENCE

“After they had done everything the prophets said they would do, they took Him down from the cross and buried Him. And then God raised Him from death. There is no disputing that — He appeared over and over again many times and places to those who had known Him well in the Galilean years, and these same people continue to give witness that He is alive.

“And we’re here today bringing you good news: the Message that what God promised the fathers has come true for the children — for us! He raised Jesus exactly as He described in the second psalm.

“My Son! My very own Son!
Today I celebrate You!”

“When He raised Him from the dead, He did it for good — no going back on that rot and decay for Him. That’s why Isaiah said, ‘I’ll give to all of you David’s guaranteed blessings.’ So also the psalmist’s prayer: ‘You’ll never let your Holy One see death’s rot and decay.'” Acts 13:29-35 (The Message).

This was a crime scene in reverse. Forensic science is so advanced that it is possible to prove that a murder had taken place without the evidence of a body. Jesus, on the other hand, was put to death in a public place. There were many witnesses to His murder and His burial place was known and even guarded by a platoon of Roman soldiers.

There was no need to cover up the heinous deed and no scheme to hide His body. His murderers needed to make sure that the body stayed where it was and that everyone knew it was there to prove that He was well and truly dead. He said He would walk out of the tomb and they did everything they could to prevent that from happening.

But He did the unthinkable. He walked out of the tomb and turned up among His friends to show them that He was alive. Has any other murder victim ever done that? Has any other religious icon ever done that? God Himself put His stamp of approval on Jesus by raising Him from death into an incorruptible and indestructible new body and by owning His as His Son.

All the characters in this great drama had inadvertently played their part to perfection, guaranteeing that God’s plan would come together just as He said it would. No amount of effort to cover up Jesus’ resurrection could disprove the fact. Their own prophets had accurately predicted it would happen and not just one — the same event was predicted by many different people across the centuries.

No elaborate cover-up schemes worked because Jesus walked out of a sealed and guarded tomb. No one can outwit God! His new resurrection body was not subject to earthly barriers. He moved in and out of locked rooms like a spirit and yet His disciples could see and touch Him and He even ate in their presence. No ghost can make a fire and cook breakfast on the shore of the Galilean lake.

Paul himself had encountered this Jesus in a blinding flash of light on the road outside Damascus. He had heard His voice and been transformed in an instant from a vicious persecutor to a humble servant who was willing to lay down his life for Him.

All in all, the proof of His resurrection was overwhelming but what was the point of it all? For God to come to earth in human form, to live as a human being for thirty three years and then to die as a felon for crimes He did not commit, is incomprehensible except for a very good reason.. The death penalty He had spoken over the human race because of our forefather’s rebellion, was carried out on Him and yet He was innocent of the crime for which He was paying.

This was really good news! Now every criminal — that’s us — can go free because our debt has been paid. And God can receive us back into His family as His sons and daughters if we accept His free gift of forgiveness and become reconciled to the Father.