03-09-03 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church

Philippians 4:4~7 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Many times in life we're confronted with things that make no sense. Things happen that we know are totally unfair, but we have no power to make it right. We hear words we know are false, but we see the world around us deceived and accepting them as truth. We see undeserved suffering, injustice, wrongdoing that goes unpunished, and senseless tragedies are commonplace. All these things make war against your state of well-being by depriving your heart and mind of the peace that God has intended for you. If your life is peaceful, maybe it's time to re-examine the closeness of your walk with Christ. We can be at peace with God through the blood on the cross, but we cannot be at peace with the world while living a life in Christ. That's why truly walking with Him is so difficult for me and for you. Nobody wants to suffer, and the devil constantly preys on this weakness. We all prefer taking the path of least resistance, to go with what we know, but the trail gets rougher (and less certain) the higher we climb. When we finally scramble up above the shelter of the tree line, out of the forest of deception that blinds the world below, we catch our first glimpse of the heavenly summit. Suddenly, the route up the mountain becomes rocky and less traveled. As a result, it becomes more difficult to follow the footprints of Jesus. Sometimes you can't see them at all, and every step upward is taken on faith. Then you see the boulders of tribulation increasing in size and number, more jagged, more slippery, and more difficult to overcome. When you stop to catch your breath, you're reminded of Jesus' words, (John 16:33) "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." You take some comfort in the knowledge that these boulders are normal, and they are conquerable, so you continue your struggle to make progress onward and upward. Then it happens; something that defies all your reasoning, something so awful and so large that it blocks your ability to see God's purpose behind it. Something that goes beyond all your understanding of the word "tribulation." Something that makes no sense, no matter how hard you try to understand it. What do you do? Is your first reaction like mine, trying to figure it out on my own, then turning back down the mountain to seek help, or do you look up through that boulder, toward the summit, and rejoice in God's promise to give you His peace? The peace that passes all understanding gives you a gentleness, a fairness, and a mild manner under fire that becomes a subtle but powerful ministry to those around you. God tells us to be careful for nothing, to cast our cares on Him, to not be anxious about anything, to pray about everything, always giving Him thanks and letting Him know the needs in our hearts. Through Jesus we receive the peace of God that passes all understanding, the peace that guards our hearts and our minds when our state of well-being is under attack. If I try to understand what's going on in this world, I have no peace in my heart and mind, but when I follow these instructions in His word, God delivers on the promise and gives me His peace. The peace that rises above, that far exceeds and trumps all my efforts to make sense out of senseless things. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, knowing that He is at hand, with you, in you, ready and willing to help you.

As members of one body, divided that we may each have a part, united in the peace that we're called to live in, let us be thankful, and rejoice in the Lord!

In loving memory of Shelli LaRayne Bishop.