October 31, 2013 - Real Peace!

GM and I pray this morning finds you well and smiling. My major encouragement today is margins. No rushing, driving fast, being in a hurry. Lots going on today - slow down. :) Also, we have LIFE GROUP this Sunday at 6:00. Please confirm if you are coming. Lots of treats to share, and recipes also, to ensure your Thanksgiving is filled with great taste but life-giving health. Right? I was reading this morning and would like to quote Fenelon, the arch bishop of Cambrai, 17th century: "Haven't you yet learned that the strivings of the human mind not only impair the health of your body, but also bring dryness to the soul? You can actually consume yourself by too much inner striving. And to no purpose at all! Your peace and inner sweetness can be destroyed by a restless mind." I don't know if you ever find yourself with a restless mind, but I do. Sometimes I find that I allow that restless mind to spin and twist and then give birth to strife and confusion. I know the enemy of our soul brings confusion as a guest to introduce throughout our day, but we choose to shake hands. Let me say, sometimes I do that. The Lord has really been speaking to me about trust and peace and I see so clearly how they fit together intricately. Without a sincere and deep trust in WHO God is and His promises to me, my peace can become simply a word that I speak as opposed to a life that I live. Have you ever been around someone that always seems to fret? I must admit - I have been that person at times. But Fenelon reminds us that our "inner sweetness" can be destroyed by a restless mind. I find that in these times, I have started looking toward and relying upon my own abilities and ways as opposed to God's plan. I am taking a hard look at the components of my life, including my health, and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal any of them in which I am trusting in Kathy. This is a hard season. Humility means death, but death to self means life in Christ. Let me close today with this passage from Psalms: Psalm 116 (MSG) 116 1-6 I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him. Death stared me in the face, hell was hard on my heels. Up against it, I didn’t know which way to turn; then I called out to God for help: “Please, God!” I cried out. “Save my life!” God is gracious—it is he who makes things right, our most compassionate God. God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me. 7-8 I said to myself, “Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings. Soul, you’ve been rescued from death; Eye, you’ve been rescued from tears; And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling.” I tell you - I feel many in this hour need an infusion of returning to the confidence that God is our stabilizer and our plans and lives are nothing outside of Him. God makes things right - in that I relax and rest, which actually is one of the Greek renderings for the word PEACE. So today amid the flurry of activities, let us pause and humbly ask, "where do I need to have my heart set at rest AGAIN?" Peace be with each of you this day and be encouraged that God takes the side of the helpless. We'll talk again tomorrow, PK