"I AM"

I am re-running this post from 2010. I enjoyed the message when I saw it. I still find comfort in it today.



(I found this on my late sister-in-law’s refrigerator when we were helping clear out her apartment. I like the listing of several aspects of God.)





While praying one day, A woman asked, “Who are You, Lord?”

He answered, “I AM”

“But, who is I AM?’ she asked.

And He replied. . .”I Am Love, I Am Peace,

I Am Grace, I Am Joy,

I Am the Way, Truth, And the Light. . .

I Am the Comforter,

I Am Strength, I Am Safety,

I Am Shelter, I Am Power, I Am The Creator

I am the Beginning And The End,

I Am the Most High.”



The woman, with tears in her eyes, looked toward Heaven and said, “Now I understand. But Lord, Who am I? Then God tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes and whispered, “You are mine.”

Simon Peter and the Risen Christ

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs022/1103767629530

That disciple whom Jesus loved, therefore, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. John 21: 7 (ESV)

Simon Peter and six other disciples came together on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

He told the others, “I am going fishing.” The others agreed they would like to also do that.

They fished all night long and did not catch anything. At daybreak, they heard a voice. The voice asked, “Children, did you catch any fish?” They responded they had not. The person who appeared to be a stranger told them to cast the nets on the other side of the boat. The netted a huge quantity of fish.

John suddenly recognized the man on the shore, “It is the LORD!” Simon Peter heard John’s words and removed his outer garment, “dove into the sea.”

Have you wondered why Simon Peter did that?

Let’s keep in mind that Simon Peter denied Christ not once, not twice, but three times. We know he was tempestuous, not thinking things through before taking actions. Might he have been so thrilled to see Jesus that he threw caution to the wind in order to get to talk to Him? He may have realized how much he loved the LORD. He might have wanted to tell Him that. Maybe, he desired some one-on-one time with Jesus in order to ‘clear the air.’

What would we have done? Would we have swum to the shore in an effort to see the risen Jesus first? Or would we have tried to hide behind some of the other disciples because we were ashamed of our earlier behavior? I believe that at least one time in my life I would have cowered and even hid behind a tree or a post because of my fear and shame. As I have matured in Christ, I realize that I would be wrong in trying to hide from Jesus.

Psalm 139:7-8 tells me I can’t hide from God.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend the heavens, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! (ESV)

What Do We Know about Peace?

http://picphotos.net/peace-dove-with-olive/

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

My husband and I were in the produce section of the supermarket. A man and his son were selecting fruit. The boy wanted to get a pineapple. The dad responded with, “What do you know about pineapples?”

This conversation was right at my elbow. My husband was nearby and heard what I did. When we finished our shopping and entered our car, I asked him the question that we heard about pineapple. He laughed and told me he thought the dad was talking to him. I thought he was talking to me. That question still evokes laughter at our home.

Which brings us to the discussion about peace. What do we know about it?

•True peace comes from God.

    • Jesus is peace.

     • Jesus brings us His peace.

      •It is a Fruit of the Spirit.

       •We strive to maintain it.

                                                                         •We have to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Several of my Christian sisters and brothers have felt the workings of the enemy during the past couple of weeks. We know that the enemy has stirred up these issues. They tend to bring us down. The only way we can be victorious over him is to rely on God to carry us through these days.  As Isaiah tells us, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus in order to have peace in our lives and our hearts.

Peace, If Possible

http://picphotos.net/peace-dove/

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live at peace with all. Romans 12:18 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul gives us sage advice here. I love the qualifying phrases.

“If possible,” These two words tell me that it is not always possible to live peacefully with everyone, as would like to. In Sunday school, we are studying the Christian virtue of gentleness.

“When Paul picked the word gentleness to depict an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, he selected the word prautes. In Paul’s day, this word was linked to the medical world and carried the idea of ‘mild medication.’ We might say a gentle person is someone who is ‘easy on your stomach.’^(1.) Maybe you haven’t experienced it, but sometimes we have people in our lives who cause us discomfort due to their behavior or attitudes.”

“. . . so far as it depends on you,” We can’t control other people. We can’t confess another person’s sin before God. Speaking personally, I can rarely tell someone what to do about an issue. All I can do is listen and pray.

“ . . live at peace with all.” I’m relieved that Paul saved this phrase for the end of his statement. He shows me some compassion here in that his wording tells me he is aware that we can’t live at peace with everyone. However, I believe we have times when we have to strive for peace with our relatives, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances.

When I started writing this, I wanted to relate the need of peace in our personal worlds. As I chose to let it 'perk' overnight, I discovered I had several oughts against someone. I had to pray about the issues this person has made worse for several of us.

1.      Think, Act, Be(lieve) Like Jesus, Randy Frazee with Robert Noland, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. © 2014 page 211

Jesus Came and Said, “Peace”

https://navlife.deviantart.com/art/Dove-Peace-28154009

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week,

 the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,

 Jesus came and stood among them and said to them,

“Peace be with you.”

 John 20:19 (ESV)

The risen Christ came into the midst of his followers. They locked the door because they feared the Jews and those in power. The first words He spoke were words of comfort to them, “Peace be with you.”

His followers had been turmoil, the like of which they never before experienced. All His closest followers, except one, fell away from Him. He had told them they would do that very thing. That fact that his prediction came true may have added to their somber mood.

In our present world, devout believers know that their walk with God can be difficult and they will face trying and event tumultuous times. Those believers also know that through their faith and trust in Jesus, the will find peace.

For Our Thoughts:

· Should we, as Christians, have fears about what we hear and see going on in our society today?

· What do you suppose the people in that room thought when they heard Jesus say “Peace be with you?”

·What do we need to do when we face trying even tumultuous times in our daily walk through this world?· 

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This devotional essay is from my book, Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy. Karen Lange, at Write Now, has a Book Spotlight about my book today. Go on over and join the discussion.

Seek Peace and Pursue It

http://www.saltandlightdevotions.com/January_17_2017

For “whoever desires to love life

and see good days,

let him keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit;

let him turn away from evil and do good;

let him seek peace and pursue it.

1 Peter 3:10-11 (ESV)

The Apostle Peter refers to a passage from a psalm of David (34:12-14).

As children of God, we should all want to love life. However, those who have been abused or who suffer from mental illness can’t always look at life as God intends.

Because we belong to God, we are to refrain from evil language and from speaking falsehoods. Churches of the Holiness Tradition have their church disciplines (book of teachings) one section of which states that a Christian refrains from gossiping. Gossip is defined as: telling of an event that one of which a person was not a part.

David’s words tell us here that we need to shun evil and practice good behavior. As children we were told to choose our friends carefully. We learned to obey our parents and that disobedience had consequences.

He tells us to seek peace and pursue it. We seek peace in various ways. Personally, I try to not get into the middle of things that don’t involve me. It is not always easy to adhere to this personal rule but I know I have to in order to please the LORD.

The Bond of Peace

http://christrescuemission.org/36peace_weekly_bible_study

I, therefore, a prisoner for the LORD, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the believers at Ephesus. What he tells them applies to 21^st Century believers as well.

“. . . walk in a manner worthy of the calling. . . ”

 When we accept the LORD into our hearts, we learn to respect God. Certain former habits become disrespectful of Him. We learn to omit these things from our lives. The Holiness tradition sums it up this way. We are to avoid the appearance of sin.

“. . . with all humility and gentleness, with patience,”

Humility simply means that we recognize our place before God. We learn that, while God loves us like we are His only child, He has other children who might have greater needs than ours. When we are humble we recognize we are sinners and Jesus is sinless.

Gentleness is one of the Fruit of the Spirit. I recently had to fill in for our Sunday school teacher. The second Sunday, the topic was gentleness. The author cited a Gallup poll from 2002 that said that most Christian believers found they were *not* gentle. The one question that showed they messed up in this area was, “Do you ever raise your voice?”(1.) In preparing for this lesson, I realized that I have not always displayed gentleness.

Patience is a learned response. Babies and small children want what they want when they want it. Some adults possess this same attitude. The hardest thing for us can be to learn to wait. If we go to a fast food restaurant, we expect our order to be filled in a few minutes. If we have microwaves, we have become used to the short wait for we want. God works in a different way. He allows things to happen when He deems us ready to accept them. We are to wait for Him.

“. . .  bearing with one another in love,”

 As we deal with those around us, we are commanded to show love for them. Sometimes, we have to overlook the behavior of those who display certain actions. Other times, we have to protect ourselves and those close to us.

“. . .  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

This can be difficult. Our main goal is to have peace in our hearts, lives, nation, and world.  Sometimes, what I see reminds me of two school kids fighting on the playground. At some point, one of the parties has to ‘be the bigger person’ and walk away from the issue. Maybe, at a later time after they have cooled off, they can come to terms and put the difficulty behind them. 

.   1..  “The Spiritual State of the Union,” a study conducted for The Center of Religion and Urban Civil Society at the University of Pennsylvania (Princeton NJ: Gallup Organization and the George Gallup International Institute, November 2002) 24’29