May 31, Chaos or peace?
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
I Corinthians 14:33
When chaos engulfs the world around you, keep your communion with God. In fact, deepen your communion with God. Seek after Him more and more. The Apostle Paul encouraged the early church to order and not chaos in their assemblies with one very powerful resolve: “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.”
Therefore, during chaos seek more intently the heart of God. The prophet Isaiah announced the blessed outcome of such a resolve:
God, You will keep at perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast in you, for they trust You. (Isaiah 26:3)
As you keep your mind set securely upon the truths of God, you will in no way be deeply agitated by the trials around you. You will indeed have undisturbed peace as your singular focus remains upon your God. So, when the world’s disorder threatens, stay focused upon God with increased faith and trust. Draw close to the heart of your Heavenly Father. Stay upon Him with the most ardent of devotion.
A. W. Tozer once commented, “to have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.” Most certainly, the follower of Jesus has personal peace with God. Nonetheless, to continually seek after God is to position oneself to be more intently affected by the close association. The more one grows spiritually, the more that God’s very nature, including His peace, affects one’s personal disposition. So, when chaos moves in, seek after the heart of God.
Amid unimaginable chaos, Jesus spoke into the lives of His followers:
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
Jesus reminded His disciples of a fact that should resonate in the heart of every Christ follower today. There is an internal spiritual reality which should always supersede the external reality of a broken and fallen world. One’s internal peace comes from the fact that Jesus has overcome the world. These words spoken by Jesus on the eve of His passion give undeniable hope. Even before the cross, Jesus had overcome the world’s temptations, bitter treachery, human discord, demonic oppression, the physical threats of nature, various infirmities, and even the grave as He spoke life into the dead. So, when Jesus announced to His disciples that He had overcome the world, He was indicating that He had already proven His power over every element of this fallen world. But the greater significance was Jesus’ announcement of the assured victory of the cross that would indeed offer complete victory over sin, death, the grave, and hell itself. And, how blessed is the one who stands in the unwavering peace that comes from the victory Jesus Christ has secured. So, dear follower of Christ, take heart. Be of good courage. Jesus has overcome the world.
Considering such peace personally, Paul once encouraged the first century church with the reality of how the Holy Spirit’s presence and influence brings to reality the peace that Christ promised His first disciples:
The mind controlled by the Spirit is indeed life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
Today, when chaos seems to subdue the landscape of human existence, position your soul upon these three very significant truths:
First, from the Old Testament words of the prophet Isaiah, keep your heart steadfast upon God, your Heavenly Father. Seek after Him more passionately every day. For in this, God will keep you at peace.
Second, from the words of our Lord and Savior as recorded in the Gospel of John, “take heart” and be at peace, for the reigning King of Kings resides in your life and has gained complete victory over the world.
Third, from the epistle of Paul, surrender your mind and thoughts to the Holy Spirit within you, for the mind controlled by the Spirit is peace.
God as the Father keeps you at peace; God through the Son encourages your heart with peace won by His victory; God through the Holy Spirit controls your mind with His peace. So, during chaos, keep your communion with God. In this way you will stay at peace.
When you are at peace amid a turbulent world, your witness of faith in God becomes so incredibly demonstrative that others will indeed take notice of He who is present within you. Your peace can become the calm that heightens others' awareness of the only true source of peace to be found - in Jesus Christ.
What can you do in the midst of chaos? Be at peace! And as your heart is at peace, respond to every circumstance and every conversation with the very heart of Christ. This is the way of faith. This is the way of God’s love. This is Jesus.
Blessings.
READ
Read John 16:1-33 and be encouraged by how Jesus prepared His disciples to live strong in a fallen world.