Meditation on Jesus and Peace

John 20:19-21 (HCSB) 

19 In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”20 Having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

In our fear, we lock our doors. We try to protect ourselves. God in His grace passes by our protection to bring us peace. Wholeness.  

Jesus builds our faith in order to build our peace. Faith conquers fear. Doubt and fear are brothers. When we doubt God we fear the world. When we trust God there is no fear. When there is no fear, we are able to receive peace. 

Peace doesn't move us to stillness, but to action. Peace! I send you. You have locked your doors in fear. In peace unlock them and move into the world you feared. Carry the same message that brought you peace to those you feared. They fear, too. They have their own locked doors, their own protections. You must move past them as I moved past yours. 

Only whole persons can carry the Gospel. Jesus was whole, but in His hands and side were marks of brokenness. We can carry the marks of brokenness yet be whole. The scar that mars is itself testimony of healing. 

We live this out imperfectly, I know. But let's live it. Let's show our hands and sides to others. Let our peace empower us to expose ourselves, even as we expose others to the light of the gospel. Let the peace of Christ dwell in us, and let us be ministers of peace in Jesus name.

Meditation on Jesus and Joy

You've heard it said that happiness is dependent on your circumstances but joy is not. The Bible doesn't teach this. Every time you see someone rejoicing (the verb form of joy) in Scripture, it is in response to circumstances. But joy takes a BIG view of circumstances, so that while we may be behind on bills, we don't limit our focus to that negative circumstance, but also include the grand, glorious and wonderful circumstance that Christ is risen. And so we are able to rejoice in the midst of the negative because of the greater positive. Infinity plus negative seven is still infinity!

The resurrection of Christ may not be THE foundational circumstance for our joy, but it's got to be one of them. In Matthew 28:8, the women left the tomb with great joy! And they were running to share the news. Oh God, let me always remember the resurrection! Let me live in its power! Let me run with the news!

Mark 4:16-17 shows how tenuous this can be. We can receive the word with joy, yet stumble when pressure or persecution comes. Lord, we need roots! But what does this mean? With a quick scan of Bible verses, but without doing any serious study, I am thinking that having roots is a result of consistent abiding in Christ and in His word. It is not enough to "receive" the word with joy once. We need to be receiving the word on a daily basis, trusting in the Lord on a daily basis, so that we become like the tree planted by streams of water, with roots deep and strong. With these roots, come what may, our negative circumstances will never overwhelm our awareness of the positive circumstances of the resurrection, our salvation, the faithfulness of God and more!

Meditation on Jesus and Love

Jesus loved the man in Mark 10:21. He loves everybody, so why point that out? Maybe because it means more than a generic Jesus-loves-everybody kind of love? Maybe it points out that He loved what the man was doing? Maybe it points out that what He did next was an expression of love? Lord, may I kneel before you as this man did. May I seek your answers to my questions. May I obey your commands as this man did. Please tell me the truth as you told this man. Please challenge me. Please teach me to lay up treasure in heaven. Love me for my good, oh God.

In John 8:42, Jesus said if God is our Father, we will love Jesus. It was not the other way around, that I loved Jesus and so became born again. The new birth taught me to love Him. So many treasures are found in the new birth, so many things we take for granted, like even the ability to say, "I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You!" Oh, God, thank You that I may love You! Thank You that I may get to know You and learn to love You more faithfully!

John 11:5, Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. So He worked in their lives (and death!) to glorify God. So He disappointed them. So He did not give them what they initially asked for. So He endured their misunderstanding. So He wept with them. So He showed them greater blessings through greater sorrow. Oh God, it frightens me to ask You to love me as much as You loved these three, but this I do ask. I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world.