The weather is beautiful. Our lifestyle center is full again. The people are out-of-this-world wonderful. One lady gave a testimony this morning saying that she is pain free for the first time in eleven years. She claims God told her to come to EVI to get a new start spiritually as well and physically. (I could hardly keep from crying. She couldn't.)
We seem to be succeeding well at our Lifestyle Center, but I can't tell whether the farm will do as well this year. Everything looks good, but somehow everything looked good last year also. It didn't end up to be as good as it promised in appearance.
It is evident by Jason's blog that my wife made it to Africa safely. I haven't been able to talk to her, however.
I wrote an article for you: (I wish I knew how to cut and paste it in this format. I can't, so I must type it out again. Bummer.)
The Power of Peace
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne." Rev. 3:21. Wonderful promise, but flanked by a formidable qualifier.
Overcoming isn't easy. I know, I've often wept failing under its crushing demands.
For a while, I thoroughly enjoyed following Jesus; but something crept in to effectively destroy the joy I once had in the Lord. Religion began to mean getting the victory, being perfect--like Jesus. Suddenly, heaven seemed beyond my reach. The harder I tried to be pure and perfect, the deeper I sank into sin until I despaired of ever meeting so high a standard.
(I believe this is where thousands leave the church, or simply accept defeat as inevitable.)
Is defeat inevitable? No! So why the discouragement or the complacency? It appears that because the Bible emphasizes the blessedness of obedience, we naturally focus on obedience as an effort to gain the promised blessing. Take Isaiah 48:18, 22 for instance: "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments then had thy peace been as a river... There is no peace saith the Lord to the wicked." The wicked mentioned here are the disobedient. Logically then, to have the promised peace we must obey; and yes, it is true that victorious people do have peace--but do they get peace by obeying? No. Peace is not the child of obedience, obedience is the child of peace.
In the book, Steps to Christ, page 49:2, we read of an individual who struggles with all his powers to overcome sin in his life. The more he fights, the weaker he becomes until all he longs for is rest from this incessant turmoil. At this point in the narrative, we would expect the author of the book to say, "It is victory that is needed." But this isn't the song she sings. She says, in the very next sentence, "It is peace you need--heaven's forgiveness and peace in the soul." "This (peace)," according to MH 512:0, "will impart to the worker a power that nothing else can give."
But here's the problem. "The believer," according to 1Sm 395:0, "is not called upon to make is peace with God." (The only way I know to make peace with God is to bring my life into harmony with His will, i.e. to quit sinning.) But the believer is not called upon to do that. The quotation goes on to say, "He never has nor ever can do this. He is to accept Christ as his peace." So when the Bible says, in Isaiah 32:17, that "the work of righteousness is peace, it isn't pointing to our righteousnesses, we don't have any. It points to the righteousness of Christ. The effect of receiving His justifying righteousness brings a sense of peace that carries with it a power that nothing else can give.
In James 3:18 we read, "The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." Do you see it, friends? The fruit of right-doing is sown in the soil of peace because right-doing (i.e. obedience) can grow in no other medium. Don't try to obey hoping to find peace for your soul. Find peace through Christ's forgiveness and that peace will give you power to obey.
This post was just in time. Thanks for writing it. Lots of love.
ReplyDeleteAngela
Thanks for writing.
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