Month: July 2023

I was in marching band all through school and can still hear the director drilling alignment into our heads.  Formations had to be stepped out and counted carefully or we wouldn’t be aligned properly.  If one person was not in the proper place, it would throw off the whole formation.  A straight line when marching in a parade was no different than the desks in a classroom that had to be lined up straight at the end of a day.

I want to continue a little on the line of one of my last posts.  It is so important to align ourselves with God’s people, Christian beliefs, and truth.  I’ve met people who claimed to be a Christian but then I would see or hear something both from them and from others that told me there was a major disconnect in what they said and what their life portrayed.  Some (Disclaimer, NOT ALL) people will self-identify as a Christian or as a believer, but unfortunately in today’s world especially we cannot always take their statement at face value.  No, we are not to judge others, but the Bible does tell us this:

“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
Matthew 7:16-20, NLT

So thinking back to my last post, based on the above words from Jesus, what do you think you should do when you come across a person or people who do not align with the Word of God and what Jesus taught us???  Should you let them think what they want and move on?  You may be able to move away from wrong teaching and bad influences, but what about the next person whom they encounter?  What if a friend who is not as strong as you are in the faith encounters someone who is leading people into things that are wrong?  What if they follow that person and find themselves being led farther and farther away from the Lord? 

This is why it is so important for us to be observant, knowledgeable, and discerning.  As I mentioned in the last post, we so often like something so much that we look for more things (books, music, movies, products, etc.) like it and are so engrossed with it that we share it with all our friends whether it’s in person or on social media.  Soon our enthusiasm has spread to many others.  The problem comes in when we have not done proper research before sharing.

I remember one time I read an article on the internet in the early days of my using a computer.  It said that if you find this one file on your computer, you should delete it because it was a virus.  Well, I was gullible, found the file, and deleted it.  In addition, I shared it with several other people who also deleted it.  The bad news was that it must have been a hacker who posted that article because I found out too late that it was NOT a virus and was indeed a very important file to the operating system of the computer.  All turned out OK in the end when we all found how to restore the file, but it could have been a very different outcome.

We really need to know who our favorite authors, musicians, groups, and churches are aligned to, what they believe, who they promote, and who or what they stand for.  If a person is hanging around with and supporting those who do not believe the truth of God’s Word, they are going to be unquestionably influenced by what’s surrounding them.  Then those values, words, and actions are going to affect their lives and their ministries.  I’ve had to re-think many of my “favorites” because of their alignment with things that do not reflect the greatness and love of God and that do not adhere to the Word of God.  You’ve heard of the duck test—”If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck”.  The characteristics of a duck are what identifies it. 

The absence or distortion of certain characteristics identify false teachings.  Make sure that you are promoting only good and true things and people.  You don’t want to lead anyone astray nor do you want to be led astray.  It takes time to research and we don’t always find a definitive answer, but keep your eyes and ears open, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment.  That is what is needed to maintain the perfect peace of God in our lives.

Does your peace wane about the time you need to start cooking and you haven’t decided what to make yet???  Mine does!  It’s too late to get anything out of the freezer so I check the frig for leftovers.  None today.  Next I check the closet and see what’s there that I could throw together.  I’d rather go take a nap than have meal malaise!

I find myself eating the same things and remind myself that I need to do more planning ahead of time.  Ah! A menu!  Years ago my spouse insisted on sitting down on Sunday and planning a menu for the week so when we went to the store on Monday we could get what we needed.  That’s a great idea but not my idea of the best thing to do on a Sunday afternoon or evening when all I wanted to do was rest up for the busy week ahead.  It does have its merits, though, because getting frozen items out the night before and knowing what you are going to make the next day saves time and stress.

Now that I’m alone I find myself deciding from day to day what I want to have tomorrow—most of the time.  It’s so easy to put off the decision until later or allow distractions to take over…but I’m getting better at it.  My activities and appointments for the week as well as projects I’m involved in may change what I had thought I’d make, but at least I’m planning ahead.  Besides I’m only a couple of blocks away from a grocery store!

We all have our favorite dishes or recipes but do you find yourself eating chicken five different ways in a week?  Or the all-time ground beef 50 different ways?  Even when I go to my freezer, I discover that if I want a home-cooked meal to pull out and warm up, I only have chicken one time or steak another time.  It all depends on what I’ve made recently and how many meals of it I had left. 

I like to fill my crockpot and cook once for multiple meals rather than just making one serving.  That usually yields enough for a meal that night, maybe two meals in the frig for later in the week, and maybe a couple meals packed away in the freezer for some day when I’m really busy or don’t feel like cooking.

For the last few days I was contemplating how I could more variety into my meal ideas (I am a list maker, but due to past experience with menus, I don’t like to be so specific as to pin myself down to a specific meal on a specific day.).  I came up with food adjectives for each day of the week and a category so that if I use my own idea, I will have more variety of meats and dishes.

• Sumptuous Sunday (roast, potatoes, & veggies)
• Melted Monday (cheese, ground beef, sandwiches)
• Tasty Tuesday (grilled pork chops or steak)
• Warm Wednesday (leftovers, breakfast meal)
• Themed Thursday (Italian, chicken, crockpot)
• Fresh Friday (seafood, salads, fruits)
• Saucy Saturday (spaghetti, alfredo, ravioli, stew)

If that doesn’t work for you, switch the categories and descriptions to a different day of the week or come up with your own plan.  Sometimes our plans are good and sometimes we need a little input from others to get us thinking—sometimes out of the box!  If you keep planning, you will eventually be more productive and maybe even creative…which brings success.

“Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.”
Proverbs 15:22

The Bible even mentions some foods that are good to put into our diet such as olive oil, grapes, flax seeds, sprouted grain bread, goat milk, herbs, raw honey, and vegetables—just to name a few.  Incorporate a little Bible study with your meal planning and see what new menu might present itself and then use it as a springboard for conversation at the dinner table.  Though you might not want to tell your kids you used goat milk to make their favorite pudding (at least until they’ve eaten it)!

Part of my meal malaise problem is not having the ingredients I might need for a specific recipe.  That’s where a certain amount of planning ahead comes in.  Before I go to the store I usually take a few minutes and think what I haven’t had for awhile or what recipe I’d like to try out.  Then I add those ingredients to my shopping list.  However, for the most part I keep my pantry stocked with basics such as spices, soups, and vegetables.  When I get low on any item, I immediately add it to my list for the next shopping trip.  

To make it easy for myself, I created a spreadsheet on my phone with every item I ever buy in the store.  The list is separated by categories such as dairy, meat, produce, etc.  (I also include other items such as batteries, water filters, and other household items.)  I alphabetize the items, and there is a column to the left of the items where I can place an “X” when I need to replenish that item.  Then I went on to organize the categories in shopping order according to my favorite store’s layout.  I told you I’m a list person!  😊  But that way I’m never out of an item.  Well, almost never!  Just last week I went for a cup of rice and had just a cup left.  Normally I would have already purchased another package, but must have gotten interrupted before it made its way to my shopping list.

Well, enough about food—for today anyway!  I hope you enjoyed this little side trip from peace and yet it’s not a side trip because food is not only a “comfort” food, but also a necessity to our physical bodies if we want all the parts of our bodies to be at peace with one another.  Speaking of bodies, drink lots of water and though sun rays are important to our health, seek more shade in these extreme high temperatures we’ve been having everywhere.

I grew up in an old farmhouse and these were the steps to the second floor.  (The ones to the basement were even worse!)  As we were emptying the house after my dad’s death, I remembered as a kid growing up there how many times I slid down those steps on my bottom for fun.  But as an adult carrying boxes down those steps, I thought how pure evil they were as I had to so carefully watch my step.  If I had slipped on those steps with an armful of boxes, it would not have been fun, so I had to resist the urge to take one last slide down those old steps on my bottom.  It would have been pure evil to my back!

As I read about peace by other authors, I’m amazed at how so many things affect our peace or lack thereof!  One writer said that for peace to flourish, evil must be resisted.  Oh how true that is!  So how do we resist evil?

“So humble yourselves before God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7, NLT

To resist means to withstand the force or effect of.  The nature of the evil we need to resist dictates our response.  If the evil is chasing you, an immediate decision to run is the best choice, and strength to do so is very much needed.  If the evil is a subtle thing that catches us by surprise, we must be prepared in our mind how we will respond and not hesitate to respond accordingly.

Evil is not always a horrible monster that attacks us.  Evil comes in a variety of ways.  It doesn’t always look, sound, or feel the same way twice.  It’s that constant urge to go to the refrigerator or the snack closet when you are trying to diet.  It’s that unhealthy desire to take just a peek at something inappropriate on the internet.  Or how about staying in the break room when you should be back at your work station?  Evil is sin…sin is evil. 

Whenever there is sin active in our lives, our peace will be short-circuited until we resist the sin.  So again I ask, how do you resist sin (evil)?  Just as there are shortcuts, remedies, and helpful hints for a lot of things in life, resisting sin has them, too.  One is to remove yourself from the situation. You know what they say: out of sight, out of mind.

Instead of choosing to sin, decide beforehand what you will do in various situations.  Part of that decision is being reconciled to God—having a relationship with Him, meditating on God’s Word—your resource for ammunition against Satan, turning away from anything ungodly, avoiding tempting situations, and being accountable to God and others.

We much too often underestimate how sin operates.  Understanding the nature of sin is very important. To resist temptation and overcome sin, we must be aware that sin is deceptive, divisive, and destructive.  But on the other hand, resisting temptation strengthens your faith because when you resist once, it shows you that you can do it and gives confidence for the next time.

The Bible declares that the devil is the source of all temptation and is called the “tempter.” Matthew 4:3 says “The tempter came to Jesus.”  In previous posts (# 22 through 27) I wrote about the temptations Jesus faced and how He handled them.  Go back and re-read those posts to find further help with temptation and resisting evil.

If we don’t resist the tempter and turn from evil/sin this time, it will be much harder the next time.  Don’t wait for the next time to come to deal with it.  Deal with it on the first encounter.  Sliding down those steps in the picture may have been fun for a resilient kid, but not for an older adult.  Know your strengths and weaknesses and don’t allow the weaknesses to dictate your response.  Ask God for guidance in dealing with the tempter so you will be able to resist just as Jesus did.  Then your peace will be protected.

Ah, the lazy days of Summer!  Or is it the busy days of Summer?  As a kid I looked forward to Summer—no school, sleepovers, pool time, and rides in the back of my uncle’s old pickup truck.  I loved to ride in the back and feel the breeze in my face, my hair blowing in the wind (no such thing as bad hair days back then!), waving to people in other vehicles as we rode along, and occasionally making funny faces at people.  Those were the days!  Things change so quickly.  Twenty years later when I had my own kids, it was unlawful to ride in the back of a truck so they never got to experience that.  Today I wouldn’t want to ride like that because of safety issues, not only due to accidents but because of what could happen when the truck was at a stop or someone who didn’t like you waving at them or whatever…you get the picture.  Things are so much different today than they were 60 years ago when I was a kid.  It’s so sad to think of all we’ve lost over the years.

As I think of the patriotic holidays we’ve just surpassed, I’m reminded of those freedoms that have gradually been taken away from us by laws, people, situations, and losses.  Parents still have children but the things they have to face these days are so much different than what I had to face as a kid.  I know I wasn’t prepared as well as I wish I had been for the working world, marriage, parenting, and life in general, but when I look at the world today, I’m thankful I grew up when and where I did.  We are all facing a different world and it is many times a very unfriendly, intimidating world.  That can eat away at our peace if we let it.

What does your Summer break look like?  Catching up on those house projects?  Playing chauffer to the kids’ activities?  Family vacation on the go?  Or a time of lying back, catching some rays of sun, playing Frisbee, catching lightning bugs, and grilling dogs and s’mores in the backyard?  A break is supposed to be the opportunity to stop everything you are doing, step back, and do something different.  Sure we have projects to work on, and kids need transportation to the pool and sports.  Sure vacation sounds good, but if it’s a hurry-up-let’s-get-to-the-next-place kind of vacation, tensions may run high and plans go amok, leaving everyone exhausted and wishing they were back home.  Make sure your Summer break includes a “stay-cation” not just to work around the house, but also to spend time with family and friends before the return to a busy Fall schedule.  Take time to rest and allow your body to rejuvenate itself.

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,
Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”
Psalm 37:7, KJV

Resting allows us to quiet ourselves before God and revives our minds, bodies, and spirits.  I like what Got Questions says.  Below is a partial quote.  Go to the link to read the complete article.

Rest in the Lord is a frequently used expression in the Bible. When the psalmist says, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7, NKJV), he’s not talking about physical rest that involves taking a break from activity, relaxing, napping, or stopping to gather strength to continue or complete some physical undertaking. Rest in the Lord refers to a spiritual rest from confusion, worry, stress, useless human effort, and a break from all internal, external, mortal, and spiritual enemies.

The Hebrew word translated as “rest” means “to be at peace,” “to be still,” “to be quiet or calm.” In place of “rest in the Lord,” some Bible translations say, “Be still before the Lord” (ESV and NIV), “Be silent before the Lord” (CSB), “Surrender yourself to the Lord” (GW), and “Be still in the presence of the Lord” (NLT). These versions convey the essential idea that to rest and be at peace, one must dwell in the presence of the Lord, surrendered to His lordship.

from https://www.gotquestions.org/rest-in-the-Lord.html

So take at least some of your Summer Break to rest in the Lord and renew your relationship with Him which in turn will re-balance the rest of your life and keep that peace ever present in your life no matter what comes your way.  Enjoy the Summer!  (It’s not my favorite time of year!  I can’t wait for Fall!)

Someone said, “To hold your peace, keep one’s peace.”  My six-month-old sibling kittens didn’t understand that.  When they played, they went all out tooth and nail, biting, clawing, growling, and chasing each other around.  Sometimes I had to separate them because their play was getting too rough, and I didn’t want them to be so aggressive.  Today 16 years later the gray one I still have gets a little feisty at times.

The dictionary says that if you hold or keep your peace, you do not speak, even though there is something you want or ought to say.  That does sound like peace, to be sure, but how many of us are predetermined to hold their peace?  Most of us like to be free to say what we think even if it does not end in peace.  I must continually guard my tongue and my thoughts from where the words come.  Sometimes I engage the tongue before the brain which is reverse of what I should do.  Hey, I’m not perfect! 

During the times that I have held my peace and allowed the Lord to do His work with the other person, the situation ended much differently—and better—than if I had plunged ahead and spewed out words in frustration or anger.  Which would you rather have—a happy ending or a worse situation than you started with???

Peace involves your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.  They work together.  Mental is what you’re thinking about.  Physical is how your body is acting or reacting.  Emotional is what you’re feeling in your heart.  Spiritual is about the connection you have (or don’t have) with God.  Let’s do a little experiment.

What are you thinking about right now?  Now be aware of your body.  Is in relaxed or tense?  Is there pain anywhere in your body such as a headache or tight muscle?  Keep that in mind while you think about your emotions.  Do you feel happy? Content? Unsettled? Upset?  Last but not least, how does your faith or spiritual life interact with your mind, emotions, and body?

When steps are not taken to protect your peace, there is a disconnect.  When I find myself becoming tense or irritable, I have to stop and consider what else is going on in my life.  Usually I find the culprit is a thought or emotion…something that upset me…and something which I have not taken time to process and pray about it.  Most of the time when I take time to look at the bigger picture, I can resolve it and feel the peace returning…peace that never actually left, but had just gotten buried under stressors, thoughts, and emotions.

“The Lord will fight for you,
and you shall hold your peace
and remain at rest.”
Exodus 14:14 AMPC

Have you ever gone for a massage?  I have had therapists who did not talk but just massaged the body.  I’ve also had therapists who talked the whole time.  The quiet ones are my favorite because I can really relax the whole body and mind instead of having to think and maybe get uptight about something in the conversation.  That’s kind of what I picture as holding your peace.  No argument, no discussion, no disagreement, just total rest in the arms of the Savior as I hand over to Him the things on my mind, in my emotions, and body. 

There are some benefits of peace.  Reduced stress levels can help our whole body.  Becoming more compassionate endears us to others and shows God’s love.  Our response to negativity is different.  When I’m at peace, I don’t want to be around someone who is always looking on the dark side of things because they could easily drag me down if I let it.  Improved sleep quality is a big one!  Who can’t use better sleep, whether it’s uninterrupted, longer, falling asleep quicker, or just restful?  Managing your emotions efficiently helps deal with things that arise in life in a better way and helps to stay on top of things instead of allowing yourself to be dragged down by others.  Contentment is one I struggle with.  When I’m alone, I want to be with someone; when I’m in a crowd, I want to go home alone.  Contentment arises in many ways.  For you it might be possessions—what you have or don’t have.  Self-restraint is greatly affected by whether you have peace in your heart.

The next time you don’t feel that peace, go back to my experiment and see if you can find out why.  Ask God to show you what’s interfering with your peace.  Peace is a healthy benefit for every part of your being.  Holding it in place is the best way to keep from losing that peace.

I’m sure most of my readers know what a benediction is, but in case there is one who doesn’t, a benediction is most known as the short blessing at the end of a religious service such as a prayer or Scripture verse.  A benediction is also known as an expression of good wishes.  For me, a benediction reminds me of an end to something.  As stated in the definition, it’s at the end of a worship service.  But more than that, I think of the benediction of the end of a person’s life. 

The purpose of a benediction is to declare a reality. It speaks a spiritual fact about your life.  So when it comes to the end of your life, the final benediction will most likely be at the graveside.  What would you like that last benediction to be?  I’d like to hear others say that I lived my life pleasing to the Lord.  Though I will not physically hear it said, that is what I want others to remember about me, and in the words of a song, “May all who come behind us find us faithful”. 

“May the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13, NIV

This is not my last post on this blog and not the last one about peace, though I will write on other topics as well.  But if it was my last post, I would want to leave you with a benediction such as the one above or below.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself
give you His peace at all times and in every situation.
The Lord be with you all.”
II Thessalonians 3:16, NLT

A benediction is not the end (like we think of a benediction) of peace, but the end of struggles as peace comes to stay.  In this world there will never be true permanent and lasting peace, but we can cease struggling when God’s peace comes in.  To cease struggling is certainly an unending battle, isn’t it?!  It’s kind of like putting out one fire only to find another one starting.  I often find myself saying now what? Or what next?  Many times it seems in life that you no sooner get one problem resolved and another presents itself.  Even in the midst of problems, struggles, difficulties, and health issues, though, it’s not the end of peace.  Peace didn’t fly out the window or get buried underneath all the issues.  It’s still there.  We need to guard it with all diligence and look for it.  Don’t let the hard things of life push out the peace.  Don’t let peace slip away like a neglected friend.  Cultivate it by making space for it so the weeds of life don’t choke it out.  Hold onto peace because that is what will help get you through those hard times.

God be With You Till We Meet Again is known both as a doxology hymn and a benediction.  Listen to it and consider the words of the four verses with the chorus ending in “God be with you till we meet again.”  One church I attended sang it occasionally at the end of a service and another church sang it every Sunday at the end of the service as we joined hands across the aisles.  The song has a sad connotation for me because at one church we always sang it on the last Sunday our pastor was present with us before he and his family moved to another church.  We aren’t promised tomorrow or even the next breath, so to say God be with you till we meet again can be a short-term blessing or it could be a final ending.  But even if it is the final ending of death on this earth, eternity has so much more peace and blessings than we could ever experience here.

The benediction of peace isn’t just for the good times, but the bad as well.  The last verse above says “at all times and in every situation”.  God’s peace is available to us at all times—good, bad, sad, happy, hard, easy—and in every situation—health, finances, relationships, work, play.

Since we’re talking about benedictions and the end of life, can I encourage you (if you haven’t already done so) to sit down and plan out your funeral?  I had to wing it with end of life issues with my parents’ illnesses and deaths because they never wanted to sit down and talk about it.  I didn’t want my kids to have to go through that, so I’ve planned out everything and provided a copy to my pastor.  I want the benediction of my life to be a celebration because I’ll be promoted to eternity with Jesus…the very best benediction!