The average modern
Christian lives chaotically. She goes
from one activity to another, accomplishing countless chores and feeling the
weight of ten thousand demands without a shred of the peace and contentment
Jesus possessed as He went about His Father's business. Jesus did not separate what He did from what
His Father was doing through Him. The
reason is that He refused to disengage Himself from the Father relationally or
psychologically. It was not theological
fluff when Christ said that He and the Father were one. Our Lord worked at this oneness and developed
it so that it was habitual. His times on
the mountain established the oneness but so did His turning inward to the
Father as He ate, talked with the disciples and the Pharisees, sat on the well
in a Samaritan village and strolled along the edge of the lake. He kept His mind aligned with the Father
wherever He was and refused to let the lusts of the world disrupt that
connection. There are two temptations of
Satan that knock us off our block. We
want what isn't ours and we don't want what God bestows. The struggle in our head is a violent one. Do we believe that our Lord loves us
absolutely and that His will for us is perfect and good? When we question those two axioms of
scripture we lose our bearing with God and strike out on our own. At that point we begin to operate as the
Israelites in the time of the Judges, "everyone
did as he saw fit." If you
want the peace that "passes understanding", then you must doggedly
remain aligned with the same God who provides that peace. Stay attached to the Lord at every level and
at all costs. Habitually thank the Lord
for what you have and what you encounter at the moment, whether it seems good
or bad to you. The gratitude of the saint
is her greatest defense against depression, anxiety and conflict.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as
members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 NIV
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