CALMING SCRIPTURES: 1.1.22

 The Planet’s Most Momentous Event - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’ —Matthew 16:16 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-planets-most-momentous-event/- Listen During His earthly ministry, did Jesus know the word on the street? Was He aware of what people thought about Him and said about Him? Absolutely. In fact, He would call people out for their thoughts while He was engaging them. So at Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say Iam?” (Mark 8:27 NLT), He was giving them a test. And why do teachers give tests? It’s to see if their students are learning the material. The disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles. They had seen Him walk on water,heal leprosy, drive out demons, and even raise the dead. But did they really understand who He was yet? Apparently not, because they replied, “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets” (verse 28 NLT). That wasn’t the right answer. But Simon Peter, known for his outspokenness, got it. He said, “You are the Messiah” (verse 29 NLT). Matthew’s version of this story has Petersaying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16 nlt). Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being” (verse 17 NLT). Peter understood that Jesus wasn’t Elijah. He wasn’t John the Baptist. And He wasn’t even a mere prophet. He was and is the very Son of God. Jesus wasn’t a mere man or just one of the prophets. He was God, coming to us in human flesh. As Jesus entered our world, He was God with skin on, walking among us. The birth of Jesus Christ was the most momentous event that has ever occurred in the history of the planet. The eternal God literally became a fetus and was born of a womanin order to be the Savior of the world. ChooseLife �I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessingand cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.� (Deuteronomy30:19) Shortly before his death, Moses restated the law and the covenant between God and His people summed up in the greatest commandment: �Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might� (Deuteronomy6:5). Furthermore, Moses claimed that �this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven...Neither is it beyond the sea� (Deuteronomy30:11-13). Nothing about it was hard to understand. �But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it� (Deuteronomy30:14). Indeed, the evidence that God is Creator, Judge, Provider, and Redeemer is all around us. Our text informs us that �heaven and earth� are witnesses of God�s nature. We have more than enough information than we need in order to respond. In fact, these things �from the creation of the world are clearly seen� so that those who reject are �without excuse� (Romans1:20). Indeed, to ignore the evidence of creation and the Flood, one must be �willingly...ignorant� (2Peter 3:5). Rejection is foolishness. �See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil� (Deuteronomy30:15). The choice is between blessing (v. 16) and cursing (v. 19). All lines of reasoning point toward the God of the Bible as the one true God. �Therefore choose life,� as our text encourages us, �That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thoumayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life� (v. 20). JDM ------------------------------- That Verse before 'All Things' by John UpChurch I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians4:12 I'd rather live a Philippians 4:13 type life. But that verse before it always gets me. I'd rather jump right into the doing all things through him who gives me strength� without slogging through the content in any and every situation part. The second verse makes for suchgreat posters, but now, when I read it, all I can think is whether living in plenty or in want.� Talk about a buzzkill. But God's plans come in a larger size than my earthly satisfaction. He wants my sanctification, my being-made-more-like-Jesus-ness. He wants me to see that His riches don't come with dour-looking presidents or expiration dates or limited warranties. Theyaren't earned by the sweat of my brow. Instead, His riches come pouring down in my contentment. Paul told Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain (1Timothy 6:6), and he's driving at the same thing here in Philippians. Strength, according to the world, boils down to laying claim to the most stuff�power, model spouses (emphasis on the plural), houses, and influence. But those who think that way cannever be content no matter the situation. When their strength� disappears, they wilt. Some do whatever it takes to get back to where they were; some end up in rehab; and some see no reason to live. Some strength, huh? Jesus doesn't play by our rules, though. His Beatitude bunker busters make that pretty clear (see Matthew 5). The weak, the poor, the hungry ,those are the ones who receive the treasures. You see, Jesus does want us to get to Philippians 4:13, but to do that, He has to demolish our strongholds by taking us through Philippians 4:12. We're strong through Him only when we've learned to clear the detritus of what we think we need in this world and see Him for the all-sufficient treasure that He really is (Colossians2:3). We can do all things through Him who strengthens us. But to get to that point, we have to learn satisfaction in His things, the plans He has for us. That's because it's His strength, not ours. Intersecting Faith & Life: God's plans for us don't always send us down the paths we might choose. Okay, they rarely do. That's why true contentment becomes so vital for the Christ follower. And the only way we can get there is to die and die and die. Everyday we die to the things that supposedly make us strong in this world. Every day we kill the need to have more, to be more. Every day we die for Him. You are strong right where your contentment in Christ begins. --------------------------- Believe It�or Not - By Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/2021/09/11/believe-itor-not-by-terry-james/ �Believe It or Not� was a syndicated newspaper series of brief facts about strange things in the world that ran for decades during the twentieth century. As I recall, eachexplanation of the strange goings-on was accompanied by an artist�s rendering that more or less encapsulated the weird story being told. Later, actor Jack Palance snarled out in his usual villainous voice a TV series telling Ripley�s Believe It or Not stories. The viewers could make up their own minds aboutthe truth of the stories. However, most had enough evidence to back up their veracity. These were, of course, for entertainment purposes. The things told were mostly about events that had happened in the distant past, so, more often than not, they had no relevanceto the well-being of or potential harm to the reader. You could believe it�or not. No further action was required. There is one particular profound fact, however, that�as strange as it might be to some�requires a decision that involves total commitment to belief. To not believe invitespersonal destiny that is the most devastating imaginable. This is not some imponderable factoid or matter of conjecture as to whether it�s fact or fiction. This is the truth we must believe, or else we�ll face a destiny beyondimagination: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believethnot is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:17�18) The whispers that come in soothing sounds from the creature that tells people to not believe is a million times more sinister than the snarling admonition by Jack Palancein the TV series. Satan says to each human being facing this all-important decision: �Yea�Hath God said?� It is the same deception that brought sin into the world when the serpent whispered those words, and Eve, being deceived, convinced Adam to partake in tasting the forbiddenfruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God�s Word says we are lost because of that original sin. Satan seductively says that God didn�t really say that but said something else because man, being God himself,can determine for himself his course toward ultimate destiny. It is true that God created us in His own image. At the same time, He gave us volition (free will) to believe or not to believe. God doesn�t force Himself on us. He didn�tcreate robots. He wants men and women, boys and girls, to love Him because it is our decision. We can believe it�or not. At the same time, however, there are consequences to that decision, individually. Whether we choose to believe or not believe determines where we will spend eternity. To believe that Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world, but so the world can be saved through Him is the all-important decision we can make. Our choice setsour personal destiny. To believe that Jesus came to seek and save the lost�those in unbelief�and to accept that He is the only remedy for this lost condition is what God requires to cover oursin that condemns us to an eternity apart from His holy presence. Sin cannot enter heaven. That�s why Jesus said that we must be born again�otherwise, we can�t even see the kingdom of heaven, much less enter it. We must believe that Jesus died for us to save us from our lost condition, we must believe that God raised Jesus from death, and we must confess with our mouth that we believethis (Romans 10:9�10). Like it or not�believe it or not�this is the way, the only way to go to heaven either upon death or at the Rapture of all believers. It is more important than ever for Christians�believers�to share this truth with everyone we meet. Conditions proliferating in every direction point to the any-moment removalfrom planet earth for the believers. We must look through God�s eyes, being one with Him in Spirit, and point to that one Way He accepts for redemption. Jesus addressed His disciple, Thomas: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14: 6) ---------------------------------------------------- GodIs Love �And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in lovedwelleth in God, and God in him.� (1 John 4:16) God is clearly �the Lord, the righteous judge� (2 Timothy 4:8), but He is also �the God of love and peace� (2Corinthians 13:11). Not only in our text verse but also in another place, we are reminded that �God is love� (1 John 4:8). Of all the attributes ofGod, His nature of love is the most definitive. God is love! It was not His omnipotence nor His omniscience that constrained Him to create men and women in His image. It must have been His nature of love, the desire for fellowship with beings like Himself. There is not much revealed on this question�only hints. �I havecreated him for my glory� (Isaiah 43:7). �The LORD hath made all things for himself� (Proverbs16:4). But fellowship is a two-way relationship and requires freedom to choose on the part of both. When man volitionally broke that fellowship, sin came into the world and God�s creation purpose was to all appearances set aside. But God is love! He had not only a plan of creation but also a plan of salvation already in process. He �saved us,... according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began� (2Timothy 1:9). And so �God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us� (Romans 5:8). �For God so loved the world, that he gavehis only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life� (John 3:16). �Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us� (1 John 3:1). God is, indeed, a God of love! HMM ------------------------------------------- OurGod Is Everywhere “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs15:3) The God who created and made all things is not only omnipotent, He is omnipresent. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2Chronicles 16:9). David’s insightful Psalm 139 is certainly one of the most striking affirmations of God’s omnipresence. “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of thesea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the lightare both alike to thee” (Psalm 139:8-12). God’s omnipresence, however, should not be understood in a pantheistic sense. Although He sees everyone and everything, that does not mean He is in everyone and everything. The creation did not create itself! But since God is everywhere, He Himself cannot be seen anywhere. Jesus said concerning the Father, “Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape,” but He also said, “I am come in my Father’s name” (John5:37, 43). “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). It is also a wonderful revelation that the Holy Spirit of God now indwells every Christian believer, so this is another way in which God is everywhere—that is, wherever there are true Christians, God is there. “Therefore glorify God in your body, and in yourspirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20). HMM ------------------------------------------ TheMeaning of Man �When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?� (Psalm8:3-4) This question has been posed as a rhetorical question by many generations of skeptics, especially in our present generation when the tremendous size of the universe is often used to argue that God, if He exists, could not possibly be interested in such a smallspeck of dust as our own planet. But essentially the same argument was used against Job by one of his three �miserable comforters� (Job16:2) over 3,500 years ago. �How then can man be justified with God?...that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?� (Job25:4, 6).This dismal type of reasoning, however, is utterly fallacious. Significance is not a function of size but of purposeful complexity, and the human brain is surely the most complex physical system in the entire universe, as acknowledged even bysuch an eminent atheistic scientist as Isaac Asimov. Rather than being insignificant nonentities, men and women have been created in the very image of God and are the objects of His redeeming love. The most wonderful measure of man�s importance is the fact that God Himself became a man! �Christ Jesus...being in the form of God...took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men� (Philippians2:5-7) to be able to take our death penalty upon Himself. Furthermore, God�s love for man is measured not only by His substitutionary death for our sins but also by His eternal creative purpose for us. He has redeemed us so that �in the ages to come hemight shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus� (Ephesians2:7). HMM -------------------------------------------