As most of you have seen I was featured in the Lincoln Times this week. My picture was on the front page carrying two bags of apples. Debbie and I attended the Apple Festival in Lincolnton on Saturday. The news photographer snapped a picture of me with my two 10 lb. bags of apples and asked for permission to print it. I agreed but never expected front page coverage.
When I saw the paper I wondered why this was newsworthy. Was it because someone bought apples at an apple festival? I assumed that was a normal routine. I could have understood if I had purchased 20 pounds of oranges at an apple festival.
However, this photo led me to ponder about spiritual fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 reads “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” I wonder what God views us carrying in our spiritual arms. Are we carrying fruit that is newsworthy in the heavenly rounds because it is what is expected or are we carrying fruit that does not fit in with our spiritual environment?
This week we will begin a series to help us discover how we can acquire the proper type of fruit; the type of fruit that will be featured on the front page of God’s Kingdom. The first fruit we will discuss is peace.
Peace. We all seek it. We often struggle to keep it. Absence of peace often leads to frustrations, stress, and anger. How many times have you said;
I am ready to throw in the towel.
I am at the end of my rope.
I am just a bundle of nerves.
I am at my wits’ end.
I feel like resigning from the human race.
My life is falling apart.
We all battle the desire to find peace in our lives and peaceful solutions for our problems. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 14:30 “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body. ---” In order to have a peaceful heart we must begin with having peace with God.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
We cannot have peace with ourselves or others without first experiencing peace with God. Jesus died on the cross at Calvary and rose again from the dead for us to have peace with God. We must, through faith, accept Jesus as our savior. In doing so we are found righteous before God. This means we are in right standing with him. God finds no fault in us. If you have not taken this first step then you will never find true peace.
Once we have established this spiritual peace with God then we can find the spiritual peace within.
Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
Two things I want us to notice. First, the peace spoken of here is the spiritual peace we just discovered. It is the peace that comes from our relationship with God in whom we have right standing. Secondly, this peace is to rule in our hearts.
The Greek word for this type of rule is used only this one time in scripture. It is not like the way a king rules or a shepherd cares for his sheep. This word relates to an official who insures that the rules of the game are followed.
In other words we are to let the spiritual peace of God be the referee in our lives. A referee is charged with being sure the game is played in an orderly, smooth, and peaceful manner. God wants his spiritual peace to act upon us in this same manner. He wants us to be at peace when everything else is chaotic.
We often try to find this inner peace by fleeing our situations. Most of us call it vacation. But have you noticed that you really cannot get far enough away to escape that inner turmoil when you have no peace. It is always with us. That is why we need to allow the true inner peace offered only by Jesus to referee our heart and give us emotional peace.
Now we can establish peace with others.
Romans 12:18 “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
In the 3100 years of recorded history the world has been at peace for a total of 286 years. Over 8000 peace treaties have been made and broken. In the past 3100 years there have been 14,531 wars accounting for the loss in lives of 3 trillion 640 million.
In a survey where several options were listed, Americans were asked if they could have their wildest dreams come true, 38% would choose to win the lottery; 1% would choose world peace.
We live in a society that does allow God’s peace to rule in their heart. Having a relational peace with God and allowing that peace to rule requires us to make every attempt to live at peace with everyone. This can be very difficult, sometimes almost impossible. However Jesus said in John 14:27 “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.
Jesus stated that the peace He offers is a gift. We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t use our willpower to find it. It is a gift. But as with any gift it is useless if not opened. So let’s unwrap the five layers of wrapping to get to this marvelous gift.
1) We must obey God’s instructions.
Psalm 119:165 “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”
When we buy a new car we are given an owner’s manual. This manual will tell us about all the buttons and knobs; and what they control. It will also inform us about recommended maintenance. If we read the manual and apply the principals listed our car will last longer and run smoother.
God’s Word is the instruction manual for life. He designed us. He knows all about out buttons and knobs. He knows what it takes for our lives to run smoother. And He has placed it in his Word for our information.
If you ignore the owner’s manual for your car you run the risk of doing damage and creating problems. If you ignore God’s Word you run that same risk for your life. If you are struggling with peace be sure that you are following his instructions. That responsibility is on you.
2) We must accept God’s pardon.
Micah 7:18 “Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.
Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”
In the Hebrew the word pardon meant to be lifted up and carried off. Our guilt was lifted up at the cross when Jesus became our sins. Our guilt was carried off and thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. God has chosen to forgive our failings. We must learn to forgive ourselves.
We will never find the gift of peace if we do not pardon ourselves for our past mistakes. We cannot change the past but we can our future. God’s word says He delights in showing unfailing love. He delights in forgiving us. Find delight in forgiving yourself.
3) We must trust in God.
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Years ago I ran a paper route to supplement my income. I had a pick-up truck to drive to work and on my route. I did not do the required maintenance on this truck. For example, I never got the oil changed. The sludge build-up was so bad that when I added oil it would take a few minutes for the oil to work its way into the engine. The oil pressure light was on constantly. My mechanic advised against doing an oil change to prevent the sludge from locking up the engine. Also he advised that I trade it. I could not afford a payment so I covered the oil pressure light with a sticker so I would concentrate on the problem. And I began each day with a prayer of trust that God would allow me to drive this truck one more day. I drove this truck for several months until I could afford a newer one.
Please don’t misunderstand. I am not advocating stumbling along with a blind faith that God will handle everything and nothing will go wrong. I do believe that God, at times, will help us through our stupidity. But we are still responsible you our spiritual maintenance. We should not ignore when our spiritual warning light comes on. And that warning light is stress.
When you allow stress to dictate your life, you have loss the peace that comes from trusting God. In the midst of stressful situations we are to fix our thoughts on God. We are to trust that He is in control.
Remember when Jesus was in the garden? He was under so much stress that He began to sweat drops of blood. He asked God to provide another way for man’s atonement. His thoughts were fixed on his death. But when He fixed his thoughts on God’s will He became filled with peace.
Psalm 46:10 reads “Be still and know that I am God.” The Hebrew word for be still meant “to hang limp, be feeble.” We are to rest in the midst of our situations. We are to recognize that some situations are out of our control and learn to trust God.
4) We must seek God’s will.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
The writer of Proverbs gives us three commands and a promise. We are to trust in God. We are to put confidence in him and his choices for our life.
We are not to try and figure out circumstances. We are not to rely upon our own understanding. We do not have the mind of God or his ways.
We are to seek his will. We are to recognize that God is in complete control of all the situations that occur in our lives. Nothing occurs that He does not allow for his purpose.
When we quit trying to manipulate our circumstances but instead trust God and seek his will, we have the promise of peace. When we have this spiritual peace then God begins to show us the direction He desires for us to travel.
Jesus was able to sleep in the midst of a storm. Peter was able to sleep on the night before his execution. They trusted God, did not attempt to understand God’s entire plan, and sought his will.
5) We must pray.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 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.”
What are you worrying about? Have you prayed about it?
What ever we worry about we should pray about. I made apple jelly and apple butter for the first time. I worried about how well I would do. I prayed about it. The jelly gelled and the butter thickened. It was not as tasty as I had hoped but I thanked God that my attempt was not a total disaster.
We are to pray about everything. We are to share our most intimate needs with God followed by thanksgiving for the times that He has shown himself faithful.
When we quit worrying and allow God to interact with us through prayer, things will begin to change. When we off-set our list of needs with worship for what He has already accomplished, we will begin to experience a peace we cannot begin to understand. It’s the type of peace that comes in the midst of a tragedy in life that assures us that we will survive through this pain.
This peace will act as a filter to our hearts and minds. We will discover that adversity has actually made us stronger.
Let’s close with this prayer that I am sure many have heard.
“God, grant me the peace to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
