Return to PEACE

I had an experience last week that destroyed my peace for a short time. (might be better to say short-circuited my peace, for it was not a permanent situation thanks for the God of PEACE who loves me so much and brought me back into His PEACE.)

My hubby and I were changing a 'horse manger' position. In the process it came to the point where it seemed to me as though everything I said (or did for that matter) was 'wrong'. In the midst of that experience I lost my peace. And since I no longer had peace I couldn’t share it with others. I knew something had gone wrong but instead of ‘retracing my steps' to regain what I HAD LOST, I instead shared my experience of peacelessness with all around me.

One thing from this peaceless experience (we finally came to a resolution) was I took a deeper look at how I responded.

Previous to the above situation happening in the afternoon, I had been up til about 3:30 a.m. helping a friend so I was much more tired than usual. Even though that may have been a causative factor, similar situations have occured which have ended in the same peaceless results. Therefore I asked God to show me what was root to my ‘wrong’ responses.

Several ‘items’ have surfaced but one has to do with attitude, or what some also call ‘atmosphere’.

I have on my wall behind my computer the following quote.

"Often it is our own attitude, the atmosphere that surrounds ourselves, which determines what will be revealed to us in another."

As I looked back over my recent ‘peacelessness’, I saw my loss of peace had much to do with my own attitude. I can’t control those around me, and I don’t want to. But on the other hand I do have certain 'tools' which can greatly affect those around me.

I had recently set a goal of restoring beauty to our farm by May 15 (That was one reason we were working on the ‘horse manger’, which was quite unsightly). Perhaps the push may have added to my stress level but there were also other contributing factors.

Everyone has ‘baggage’ (emotional hang-ups, grievances or misconceptions, etc.) they carry with them. Sadly, I am not yet exempt.

In the ‘horse manger’ incident it was me that got frustrated and left PEACE. (Yes, I asked for forgiveness and received it, but I don’t want to go through a ‘repeat performance’ either.)
After things had calmed down I was again reminded that in order to experience either JOY or PEACE two minds must synchronize (harmonize). I was not harmonizing with anyone for a little while which of course meant loss of ‘peace’.

I was also reminded that when I offer to ‘synchronize’ with another mind they can respond in one of three ways. They can:
‘accept’, my offer, suggestion, etc.,
‘reject’ what I offered or
‘counter’ my offer with another offer of their choosing.
(And 'counter offers' continue until one of the involved parties either rejects or accepts.)

In the above case, I believe my husband gave me a ‘counter offer’ to something I had offered (in the beginning his counter offer was based on a personal ‘fear’). Rather than 'counter offering ' back to him I accepted his ‘fear based’ counter offer’ instead of ‘affirming’ him as a person and then offering something not based on fear. But because of my acceptance of ‘fear’ the situation quickly degenerated toward fear based ‘chaos’.

Can ‘fear’ and ‘love’ co-exist? “There is no fear in love; What casts out tormenting ‘fear’ ? but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” How do we ‘get’ that kind of love? We love him, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18

What wonderful love of God! And from my recent experience, accepting God’s offer of love to me enabled me to receive forgiveness and return to God’s kind of PEACE in my own heart.

Atmosphere of Peace

As this Sabbath evening began I was, with a spiritual ‘family’, partaking of a ‘Sabbath feast’ - supper, song, blessing and prayer - where minds were harmonizing together in PEACE and JOY.

This Sabbath morning the text “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27) was going through my mind and I noted the following.
· The Sabbath is similar to an ‘anniversary’ of this earth’s creation.
· Sabbath love was first experienced on the first ‘full’ day of man’s (male and female) life.
· On that first seventh-day Sabbath God ‘rested’ (Genesis 2:2);
· The ‘morning stars’ sang and the ‘sons of God’ shouted for JOY.” (Job 38:7)
· God ‘blessed’ and ‘sanctified’ Sabbath (Genesis 2:3) after He completed His creation.
· Keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy is the outward ‘sign’ of allegiance to Creator God.

What does it mean to ‘keep’ the Sabbath God’s way?
The Bible describes His view of Sabbath ‘keeping’.

God’s plan for Sabbath includes ‘delight’ (luxury, intensely pleasant) and ‘honour’ (rich, weighty)!
“ . . . Call the sabbath a delight, the holy (pronounce/observe sacred, clean) of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words not an ‘I can’t do my ways on the seventh-day Sabbath,’ but God freeing me from activities which steal time from worshiping the Creator God: then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].” Isaiah 58:13,14

Sabbath reminds me of God’s ‘rest’ (repose, intermission).
“And he said unto them, This [is that] which the LORD hath said, To morrow [is] the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: Exodus 16:23

God invites me to meet Him in holy ‘convocation’ (worshiping God in a group - encounter, to call, address).
“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy (clean) convocation; ye shall do no work [therein]: it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.” Leviticus 23:3

‘Keeping’ Sabbath (make, pronounce, observe as clean) includes remembering (mentioning, marking).
“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and [that] the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:15 (past)

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8 (present)

“Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, [for] a perpetual covenant. Exodus 31:16 (future)

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." Isaiah 66:22 (future)

How awesome! Each Sabbath offers me another uniquely special opportunity in time to worship, praise and glorify God personally and in unity with God’s family. Appropriate music, prayer, meditation, instruction in righteousness as well as communicating love, joy and peace with other minds who are in harmony with God’s mind results in blessing the Sabbath. God's purpose for the Sabbath was that it be special time on a regular basis when He and I would be together without all the cares of life to weigh me down. He also longs for me to ‘delight’ -
experience His JOY and PEACE during each Sabbath.

May you experience God's peace

Vindicating God brings Peace

God has been accused. He has also chosen to allow the accusations against Him to be assessed to see if they are 'true' or 'false'. The Universe is the jury. His witnesses in this case are all who have chosen to accept His plan to incorporate them (adopt them) into His family. One of the benefits of being a witness to what God is really like and who He really is (uncovering the truth about God's character) is that we can be 'baptized' (completely immersed) with His Spirit of Peace. Yesterday I saw that happen in a friend's life.

In short, a friend of mine got a letter. She was expecting something different in the letter than what 'came'. When my hubby and I came over she was in tears. We spent a little while with her and then I told my hubby to go on home (he needed to do a few things there during the evening) and I would use her car (at her suggestion) to come home later. Yes, it took time, but by the time I left I believe I had seen God's character vindicated in her life witness.

The situation she is in may get worse, which is more than likely what could happen. But as we went over present known facts we began to see more and more clearly that God was needing someone who would 'stand up' for Him and vindicate Him and refute lies that were being propogated concerning what He is like.

In my mind I saw her reaffirm the challenge to be God's witness and to allow Him to vindicate His true character through her in the present circumstances. The more confirmed she became in that determination to vindicate God the more PEACE she manifested. By the time I left she was in 'HIS PEACE' - Praise the Lord.

One really nice 'side effect' was that I was able to experience at least a small part of that peace in my heart as well.

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you: let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:11

May God's peace be in you,

Bringer of Peace

Paraphrases

For some time I have been 'unpacking' some of the Psalms. By that I mean that I have attempted to understand not only the meanings of the words used in each Psalm and in context but then I spend time pondering what it means to me in the here and now.

At times I have shared some of those paraphrases here.

A friend seemed interested and asked if they could share with someone else some of these paraphrases. After thinking about it I decided to post them, as I complete them, at another blogsite. Each psalm deals with another aspect so they are not always directly related to 'Peace' but my desire (and I believe) is that they all will lead you to the God of Peace.

Visit my paraphrase site as you choose. It's link is listed on the right side.

I do desire that should you read any or all of them it will draw you closer to the God of Peace.

Bringer of Peace

Peace in the Midst - 3

Scene one - I have just gotten up and am in the bathroom getting dressed when the phone rings. A friend is in distress and hopes I can come to her place as soon as possible. (Complete change of plans for the day. ) Result: most of the day spent at her place and seeing God bring peace.

Scene two - I recently got back home after spending most of the day with my friend. After eating supper I decided to work on a project here. We have been working to get the kitchen in the big farm house in a more useable condition for three people to share (not easy when each one thinks they need a whole kitchen for themselves as they had before coming here). Someone had given us some cabinets and we decided to put them up on an unfinished wall for use by one of the residents. As could be expected the other folks had 'objections' . One said we should wait until the wall was finished before putting the cabinet up (when will that happen?) The other couldn't figure out why more space was needed because the main part of the kitchen has been completed (and that resident has filled all those cabinets up) so why was more space needed? Interestingly enough the one who would receive the benefit of the current 'space' does the most cooking, or so it seems. Results: some folks won't 'get peace' because they are not looking to have peace.

Scene Three: I am reading a very special letter from a friend named David. He had some life challenges and shared some of what he learned with me in this letter. I think he wrote it more to God in the first place, but he shared it with me in hopes it would help me too. I've had it for a while but it came back to my mind (maybe because of some of the situations I am in as mentioned) so I got it out and reread it.

Open up to me, O Self-Existent One, for kind, merciful people have just about disappeared. Those who build up and foster trust have almost vanished from society. Those left arrange to devastate, ruin or make useless those around them while at the same time they talk nice to the very ones they are undermining. The Creator God will disconnect His life power source from all who speak one way and act the opposite, brag about themselves or twist what others say as well as those who think they can control others by their words, can talk as they choose and yet boast that no one else can tell them what to do.
“My response to the devastation of the depressed and the shrieking and groaning of those who have been forced to beg,” says the Creator God, “is that I will now protect from scoffers those who choose to accept My will for them”. (What the Creator says is as pure as completely refined silver.) O Self Existent One, You WILL protect and maintain those who have chosen to accept Your will for their lives even when those who are morally wrong surround them and unstable, tempestuous people appear to control.
David

(What David shared with me you might also call a 'prayer'.)

Current conclusion: Real peace comes from within. Genuine peace is not dependent on externals. While it may be nice to have everything 'just so', since I am presently in a 'war zone' that is not often the case. Then I thought of the following quote "Great Peace have they which love Thy law and nothing shall offend them." Psalm 119:165 Does that mean that when I feel offended it may be because I do not understand real love? Upon what is my focus? I am beginning to believe that experiencing 'Peace' has more to do with my 'life power source' rather than what is happening around me.

In the context of the 'war zone' I are presently living in it is basically whose side I choose to be on as to whether I will have 'peace' or otherwise. Here is the offer I received for choosing to be incorporated into the Creator God's family .

"Now the God of Peace fill you with all JOY and PEACE in believing, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:13

Bringer of Peace

The Spirit of Peace

Once a week I stay with a lady overnight. When I pulled up to her place I immediately noticed a police car sitting in her driveway. Needlees to say I immediately had some questions and a change of feelings inside me. I decided to go on in since it was time for me to 'be there' but I stayed in the 'background' until the visitors were gone.

Later the lady told me that a previous employee was under suspicion for 'taking' some valuables. I responded that I hoped she didn't feel that way toward me to which she quickly responded to me in the effect that "You have a different spirit".

Every person is surrounded with an 'atmosphere'. Even before speaking to someone you usually already have a 'feeling' about the person you are in contact with. This is both Biblical and scientific.

What is my spirit - the atmosphere surrounding me - today?

Do I have the Spirit of Peace - the peace that passes all human understanding - today?

That is my desire.

Peace in the midst -2

My brother has said it so well in his blog that I would just like to recommend you reading it there for yourself in his blog titled 'Slandering God'http://www.clayfootsteps.blogspot.com/. In short, when I 'worry' am I not slandering the very God who loves me so much. Am I in essence saying to the One who made me and knows best how I am to operate, "You can't be trusted so I've got to take care of my life myself, or at least partly myself". But that puts a tremendous 'non-peace' stress load on me when I get that kind of 'high-horse' mentality. '

On the other hand, when I hugged my son, assured him that he is still a special man, encouraged him to refocus on his dreams to become a success - even when his present goals aren't presently the same as I would have considered top priority (but material success and who he is are two separate topics) - that kind of experience helps me to refocus on what is really important in life and what is God's plan to bring peace into daily living.

May true peace be yours today