True Peace with God

(In reference to crossroads church-Albert Lea-Sunday morning worship-pastor Kaleb)

What child is this?

What kind of child are you?

Shhh.... Be still. Listen

PEACE...

We can't find temporary joy or peace. 

What is the peace that endures or is everlasting! 

Live life

Live a peaceful life

Live a live that is peaceful unto God

The Book of Isaiah talks about our Disobedience to God. 

And yet there is still Hope through what Isaiah writes. 

Essentially We are all seeking hope. 

Isaiah 9:2. Those living in darkness can see a light. (This means we know that Jesus is the light-it is within us) 

Isaiah 9:6-7. 

Jesus came to us to bring Salvation. (God truly sent his son for peace on earth). 

PEACE-completeness-SHALOM!

We have all gone astray. That is why God sent his son to take our sins by his wounds. 

Be still

Refrain from creating a disturbance. 

Out world has been trying for this for many years. 

So we could say world peace is the answer. 

But... That could never happen.

It can't sustain. 

John 14:27 Jesus gives to us in a different way. (As compared to our world). 

TRUE PEACE cannot be found in this world. 

True Peace is Jesus Peace. 

It surpasses all understanding.

It is a gift given to us. 

We are called to receive it. 

Receive Salvation- Receive Peace. 

Jesus brought PEACE to earth. 

To anoint Jesus-humility, service. 

To truly desire peace and healing. (Internally). Jesus said you are forgiven. 

Luke 7:48-50. 

Jesus said GO IN PEACE. 

YOU ARE FORGIVEN OF YOUR SINS. 

LISTEN to the Gospel. 

We are hungry

We are thirsty.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me all who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

We can't have rest or peace carrying the heave burdens of this world and of our lives. 

WE MUST TRUST HIM. 

John 16:33. 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have PEACE. In this World you will have trouble. But take Heart. I have OVERCOME the World. 

John 3:16. 

For God so love the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not parish but have everlasting life. 

Forgiveness of sins 

Rest in life 

Trust in times of trouble 

Eternal security. 

(ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST-the one God sent to SAVE us!!)

Tidings of comfort and JOY!

Peace on earth and mercy mild God has sinners reconciled.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Col. 3:15. 

May PEACE be with you!

Walk in His PEACE!

There are storms even when Jesus is with you!! That is when we must trust in The Lord with our heart and not lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5). 

God WILL calm the Storm. 

Have FAITH. 

Have a CONSTANT FAITH. 

THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD. 

Be at Peace with God. 

Do I/We have True Peace-Jesus Peace?!

May PEACE be with you!

Walk in His PEACE!

Jesus gives to us in a different way. (As compared to our world). 

TRUE PEACE cannot be found in this world. 

True Peace is Jesus Peace. 

It surpasses all understanding.

It is a gift given to us. 

We are called to receive it. 

Receive Salvation- Receive Peace. 

Jesus brought PEACE to earth. 

To anoint Jesus-humility, service. 

To truly desire peace and healing. (Internally). Jesus said you are forgiven. 

Luke 7:48-50. 

Jesus said GO IN PEACE. 

YOU ARE FORGIVEN OF YOUR SINS. 

LISTEN to the Gospel. 

We are hungry

We are thirsty.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me all who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

We can't have rest or peace carrying the heave burdens of this world and of our lives. 

WE MUST TRUST HIM. 

John 16:33. 

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have PEACE. In this World you will have trouble. But take Heart. I have OVERCOME the World. 

John 3:16. 

For God so love the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not parish but have everlasting life. 

Forgiveness of sins 

Rest in life 

Trust in times of trouble 

Eternal security. 

(ONLY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST-the one God sent to SAVE us!!)

Tidings of comfort and JOY!

Peace on earth and mercy mild God has sinners reconciled.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Col. 3:15. 

May PEACE be with you!

Walk in His PEACE!

There are storms even when Jesus is with you!! That is when we must trust in The Lord with our heart and not lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5). 

God WILL calm the Storm. 

Have FAITH. 

Have a CONSTANT FAITH. 

THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD. 

Be at Peace with God. 

Do I/We have True Peace-Jesus Peace?!

May PEACE be with you!

Walk in His PEACE!

A Prayer of Praise to the ALMIGHTY GOD!

God! you bring so much JOY to me!! 

Thank you so much for that! 

You are the one I thirst and hunger for. 

May I Give you PRAISE HONOR and GLORY in everything.

May you be the center of my life.

You are the one I need-

may we keep growing together-

closer and deeper!

You are the ultimatum of everything!

You are Peace, when everything is Chaos!

You are my supply and my breath of Life!

You take me on many journeys- 

I pray that I keep following and listening to you!

I pray that you are the only one people see in me!

May your light shine!

You are the only reason that I Live!

May everything I do be for your glory!

Yes,

I am human and I obviously make mistakes all the time-

I pray you will forgive me

Well,

You actually already forgave me for everything-

Therefore,

I pray I persevere down your path of Righteousness! 

I want, I pray for people to KNOW you.

God, do your work and may we be obedient to your calling!

You are the one I shall FEAR-

no one else & nothing else!

By FAITH I am TRUSTING You

Every step of the way

Giving YOU Praise and Adoration!

AMEN

LIVE for the GLORY of GOD

How Do I give glory to God?

How Do I daily surrender to God?

How Do I live righteously for God?

Is it through my human disposition and understanding?

NO…

Is it by doing things out of my own human will power?

NO…

Is it by satisfying myself through believing deceiving lies?

NO…

May we thirst for righteousness and salvation

May we hunger for truth and moral guidance

May we then recognize the attributes and characteristics of God

God is righteousness, truth and power

God is forgiveness, salvation and mercy

God is wisdom, knowledge and understanding

We must live striving to know God

We must live striving to know the thoughts of God

We must live striving to fit into Gods perfect plan and purpose

We must not limit who God was, is and is to come

We must know and believe the characteristics of God

We must understand that our infinite minds cannot understand fully what God can do

May we take action

May we respond with faith

May we answer the call on our lives

We must trust in God

We must submit to God

We must embrace the presence of God

I WILL give glory to God

I WILL daily surrender to God

I WILL live righteously for God

(Poem in reference to Isaiah 55)

The IMPORTANCE of Family

           The values and virtues of family play an important role in our society today. The four letter word “Love” has been thrown around one too many times and has lost its root value in God’s word. According to God’s word; 1 John 3:1 states, “How great is the love the Father that has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (Bible, NIV). The love of God factors into our family life as we live and represent his love in our society today. Family is an important factor to our humanity today in decreasing the poverty rate. It is stated that being raised in a married home decreases the probability of living in poverty by 80 percent (Rector, 2010).

            The ethical dilemma foresees that traditional family values are not important to our American society anymore; it is the root cause to why our government has a welfare system. The family system has the most impact on who individuals becomes within their humanity. Within our society, it is believed that the media has a role of explaining the definition of a family. We ought to believe that the values within a traditional family of the church should and will change the repercussions of the welfare system based on the government.

            Virtues are kinds of characteristic traits that we ought to seek and sustain; they come from deep within of our own human nature (Westin, 173). Our moral values come from what we believe personally within our own lives. Our environmental surroundings contribute to our moral beliefs. Based on our family life or the influence of our growing up years, we have gained knowledge and belief of our own virtues and values. The Christians shared virtues such as faith, hope and charity; are all a part of our character traits of staying close to God throughout our lives (Westin, 177). The scriptures play a role in what we believe as our faith, virtues and values.

            According to Reuschling; “Who we are informs the decisions we make and how we act in the world” (120). Reuschling also states that good characteristics of human qualities lead to a good life of virtue (121). Christian virtues are based on what is morally right according to the scriptures. We must live according to God’s word in acts of living to represent the love of God.

            Coinciding with scripture; God speaks in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Bible, ESV). This passage in itself shows the greater importance of how families should live and apply the scriptures to their daily lives. As families, we are commanded to live within and share the love of God in our homes. The scriptures role is to help us face reality and foster a moral vision of committing to the truth of God’s word (Reuschling, 153). God’s word speaks of the truth in how we should respond and grow in our faith. We need to study the word to know how we are called to live in society.

            Through facing the reality of life, families are not seen as important according to statistics. Children that live in single parent homes are 50 percent more likely to experience poverty as adults when compared to children from married homes (Rector, 2010). This proves that the role of family plays an important role in our society today. The welfare system is actually hurting the value of married families. There is more support to single parent homes rather than married families (Rector, 2010). According to Rector, he states that the Government should provide factual information on the role of healthy marriages to reduce the poverty rate (Rector, 2010).

            In referring to movies and the media, the families are seen as single parent homes, divorced homes or broken families. The traditional married home life with one mom and dad is the best place for kids to be raised in, although, today we live in a broken and fallen world (Family Values).  Due to our broken society and multiple perspectives and beliefs of morals, traditional families are not valued highly any more within our society. Today’s value in society includes the importance of having loving and caring relationships (Family Values). Yes, this is important to our society but, it is long lost from the roots of traditional love and marriage. Scriptures share that God is Love. 1 John 4:8 states, “but anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (Bible, NLT). God is the center of all love and the four letter word cannot be thrown around out of selfish ambition. Love is a selfless act. 1 John 4:16 shares “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.” (Bible, NLT). God always acts in love. The bible stresses on the importance of love because God is the one who loved us first. Love is to be identified as an action through compassion and commitment to those that are around us. As God loved us first, our actions should reflect and represent the love that God has on the whole world. John 3:16 says, “For God so Love the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him, shall not parish but have everlasting life” (Bible, NIV).  The church and the traditions of the Christian faith become irrelevant to our moral bearings, and salvation is not a personal decision to accept Christ and be saved from sin (Reuschling, 159).

            The Christian faith plays a role in what the church body believes is morally right. According to Reuschling, we are often confused by the complexity of moral questions and yearn for the days when it appeared that right was right and wrong was wrong and everyone knew it (145). Today, with our world’s problems it is believed that the importance of family and its morals are now an ethical issue. Our society has so many different perspectives and views of what values and virtues mean to each of us at a personal and family level. In Christian ethics, it can be understood that we live in a broken world and the problem can only be solved spiritually (Reuschling, 145). This is a means to society, that we must build relationship with God and understand that his love is what overcame and overcomes the world. John 16:33 states, “I have told you all this so that in me you may have peace. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (Bible, NLT). The word of God is truth and we must believe it with our virtues, values and faith in God.

            Our self-conscious plays a big part into what we believe and agree with morally. As we face these ethical dilemmas, we need to make judgments about what is right and good (Reuschling, 145). Our conscience is a source to all guidance of our own decisions and behaviors and forms our moral character (Reuschling, 145-46). Within Christian ethics it is believed that the Christian community plays a role in moral consciousness and formation (Reuschling 158). The body of believers is important to the community of Christians. God works through a body of believers who share the love of God and put his love to action. God is the center of all relationships through the belief of care ethics. Our value and purpose of Christian ethics involves our moral beings of believing the truth. Through the knowledge of our Christian values, the traditional family is important to the well-being of our society.

            The social welfare system should not be a means to our society today. If the body of believers would believe the truth of God’s word and put it to action in our daily lives there would not be a reason for the welfare system. As the church, we need to love and support the beliefs of a traditional family. We need to come together within a community of believers and do what God has called us to do; put love in action. We need to be a supportive community and not a judging, selfish, condescending society. May we believe with complete faith and trust in God that our root beliefs in the word of God is what will guide our moral conscience to love the world as God called us to. 

Sources:

"Critical Issues." Family Values. Volume 1. Issue 2. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.             http://www.leaderu.com/critical/family.html

Rector , Robert. "Married Fathers." America's Greatest Weapon Against Child Poverty. (2010):     Web. 12 Dec. 2012. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/06/married-fathers-     americas-greatest-weapon-against-child-poverty

Reusching, Wyndy. Reviving Evangelical Ethics. Grand Rapids, Michigan: BrazosPress, 2008.     120-159. Print.

Westin, Anthony. A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York: Oxford    University Press, 2008. 173-177. Print.

Do I FEAR God?

Ok. God is not dependent on us at all. 

I fear something. Maybe even everything but, God. 

I remind myself always of who God is and what his love is. 

I become more optimistic- but do I become so optimistic that I lie to myself?  

Who is God in my life?

What is my purpose?

I feel that I have become so scared of what God has planned and willed for my life?

Am I trying to flee from the promises?

- while in time, I still believe in the promises and faithfulness of God. 

What am I holding onto? 

What truly motivates me? I feel I have lost motivation.

Am I just becoming distant from God?

Am I becoming distant from the truth? 

We are the light and we grow through life experiences.

But, what am I to grow in right now?

What am I depending on OR am I just trying to be independent?!  

I feel that I keep confusing myself. 

What am I setting my heart on?

Am I trying to do everything on my own? I do not feel that I am. 

What am I daily surrendering to?

“Create in me a clean heart oh God,

Renew a right spirit within me

-and restore unto me the joy of your salvation.”

Psalms 51:10-12. 

(This is a verse that I constantly meditate on or somehow comes to mind all the time. Blah.)

Have I lost the joy of The Lord within me? 

It's like my life analogy. Fill my cup to overflowing.

Am I just down to the bottom?

And am not allowing my cup to be filled??  

Have I filled my cup with evil?

With fear of so many things rather than the holy righteous one- Our Savior? 

I so want to follow my passion and maybe I have lost my direction.

Have I lost my "in tune with God" sense? 

If that's my passion why do I feel like I don't want to help?

Does Satan have a foothold on my life?

How am I to live?

How am I to be led by the spirit?

Have I lost all trust?

Have I allowed distractions? 

How am I to figure out my life?

Yes I know this answer.

Trust god and study his word.

Meditate on it.

It is ultimately God. 

Where is my focus?

Why am I so scared?

Maybe I am longing to just be comfortable.

Whereas, we are to live by faith outside of the comfortable bubble.

But of course that is too scary. 

Am I walking in the Spirit?

Have I lost the path?

I mean obviously there are many paths I follow.

But how am I to feel?

How am I to live life? 

I pray to not judge.

I pray to pray for love among ALL.

For lives to be changed. 

“Walk with the people of God.

Walk with the people of God.

Be in the encouragement of God.”

Hebrews 10:23-25.

I have:

Hope. 

Trust. 

Faith. 

Joy.

But why do I feel confused??

Just Living Life. But what does that mean to me?  

Am I depending on God completely?

I don't truly feel like I am.  

I know I strive for all the truths and promises... But,. 

Am I actually willing to allow God to work through my life?

What is stopping me? 

Why do I feel like this? 

Actually what am I feeling? 

In all these things I pray. AMEN