Monday, December
17, 2018
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will
eat hay like a cow. The baby will play
safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will
hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. Isaiah 11:6-9(NLT)
One of the most difficult concepts
to wrap my mind around has always been the calling upon the Christian’s life to
accept the Now, but Not Yet reality of Kingdom peace. Peace is a reality now, but will not be accomplished
(in the sense that God banishes everything which is not peace), until the not
yet part is over; but we are to work towards it, even now.
That’s like telling me to enjoy my
ice cream even though I can’t have it until tomorrow! While that goes against the typical instant
gratification instinct of babies, mature believers have worked
through that paradoxical impasse and live in the mystery of now,
but not yet. Though we may
not see genuine, lasting, and total peace in this lifetime, we can live-into
that quality of peace in Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit gives us Jesus’
promise:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7(NLT)
One thing I have learned about
this promise of God’s peace is that it is true, and doesn’t depend upon the
circumstances, even if the circumstances scream the total opposite!
My bride is a highly competent
administrator. She has worked with many
pastors and denominational leaders assisting ministry in a number of
settings. Once she worked with a most
difficult denominational assistant director whose personality bordered on
Atilla the Hun. He was Napoleon and
General Patton rolled-up in one nifty, order-spewing package. He called her from his car one day to read
Elizabeth the riot act for the way she had handled some task. In the middle of his tirade my sweet wife
spoke up; she said: I’m sorry; how can I make it
right? The phone went silent for
longer than a few seconds, and when the boss next spoke his whole demeanor had
transformed into a calm and rational co-laborer. He never barked at her again.
Now that kind of makes you believe
what Scripture declares:
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. Proverbs 15:1(NLT)
For You Today
When believers are willing to overlook the
world’s lack of peace, and live-into their Master’s promises, wonderful things
can happen in the Now, but Not Yet department!
No comments:
Post a Comment