DISCIPLESHIP
Dr. John Yarbrough, Discipleship Pastor
One of the great provisions of the gospel is the very real possibility of peace in some of the most troubling circumstances. Read the graphic story below.
Two artists put upon canvas their concepts of peace. One artist painted a placid rural scene in the center of which was a country home. Adjacent to the home were fertile fields and an abundant harvest. The undulating roads stretched in different directions from the home toward the horizon. A lazy haze hovered over glen and dale. One could almost hear the rustle of the ripened wheat, swayed with the kiss of the gentle breeze. A friendly sun shone upon the blissful picture of calm and contentment. Cows lay lazily under a shade tree, chewing their cud.
The other artist gave a totally different concept of peace. A destroying tempest raged in his painting. Trees swayed to and fro on the storm-lashed mountain-side and in the valley. The sky was ominous and gloomy, relieved only by the zigzag flashes of lightning. A roaring waterfall lunged furiously over the precipice, working disaster in the valley below!
Why could the artist call this violent, turbulent scene a representation of peace? On a rock projecting from the cliff, sheltered by an overhanging boulder, sat a little bird calmly on its nest, seemingly unmindful of the howling storm or of the raging waters which plunged downward nearby. There the little bird sat in peace, with no fear, unperturbed and undisturbed!"
Our life can be filled with God's peace or with our panic? Think about these questions:
- Where is the peace of God most needed in your life right now?
- What can you do today that will encourage another believer who is suffering?
- What is the secret to keeping your peace in the midst of the storms of life?
Remember that Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27 (NASB).
None of us know the storms that we may face in life as we go through another Texas summer, but we can be assured that whatever the difficulty, Jesus will ride out those storms with us. As the song says,
“There is peace in the misdst of the storm-
tossed life
There is an Anchor,
there is a Rock to build my faith upon
Jesus Christ is (rides in) my vessel
so I fear no alarm
He gives me peace in the midst of the storm”
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