Peace by Piece..BRENDA BRADFORD OTTINGER

 Peace by Piece

BRENDA BRADFORD OTTINGER 

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)

The relentless heat of a late southern summer hung in the air as I cheered from the sidelines of my son’s football game.

At halftime, while I stretched beneath the searing sun, a curious wonder caught my eye. High above the field, like a vivid smile in the sky, was an upside-down rainbow!

Puzzled by this unusual sight, I did some research and learned this atmospheric anomaly wasn’t technically a rainbow but a “circumzenithal arc”: a vibrant arc formed from the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals rather than through raindrops, which form traditional rainbows.

The calendar has now turned many a year since that afternoon at the football field, but my mind often returns to that upside-down rainbow, for it mirrors life in many ways.

So often, parts of our lives can feel upside down, rearranged in ways that don’t appear quite right according to our human understanding … disrupted plans, health struggles, discouraging news, complicated relationships, financial setbacks, etc. We naturally comprehend life from a right-side-up perspective of normal and familiar, so we can easily perceive those upside-down pieces of our stories as backward and awry.

Yet more and more, I’m realizing the legacy of those upside-down pieces of our stories — for the God who shaped our souls for purpose understands every part of our lives from the eternal perspective of completion.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he speaks of our hazy, human perspective compared with a heavenly perspective: “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Paul’s illustration of a mirror was apt for an audience of Corinthians, as bronze mirrors were manufactured in the city of Corinth. Those ancient mirrors reflected less clearly than modern-day mirrors, but even modern mirrors reflect backward images that aren’t as clear as direct sight.

The Greek word Paul uses for “reflection,” αἰνίγματι, translates to “in a riddle” and is where we get the English word “enigma.” An enigma is something puzzling or hard to understand. Just as that upside-down rainbow seemed an enigma to me that afternoon at the football field, so the seemingly upside-down pieces of our stories can feel puzzling, as well.

When we walk through the confusing arcs of our lives, we often long to understand the whys and hows and whens. Yet the peace we seek from these answers can’t be found in the partial, earthly understanding we have available to us now. Paul speaks of a greater, perfect perspective we’ll hold in eternity, assuring us that one day the upside-down pieces of our lives will make sense, complete in purpose and perception.

Still, how can we reconcile this with our spirits today, while we’re still in the throes of questions and confusion? By developing a habit of living peace by piece: We receive His abiding peace in exchange for every puzzling piece of our stories.

Day by day, hour by hour, peace by piece — we release each confusing piece of our lives into the able hands of Peace Himself. (Judges 6:24)

Sweet friend, when you can’t understand the puzzling parts of life that feel so upside down right now, may your soul find rest in God, who has infinite insight for every word in every chapter of the story He’s writing upon your life.

Start right where you are today; ask the Lord to help you release each confusing piece of your story to Him, and receive the perfect peace of the eternal God who sees the end from the beginning and does nothing without purpose. (Isaiah 46:10)

Dear God, thank You that You see every detail of my days through the eternal lens of completion. Please help me release each confusing piece of my story to You, and give my spirit rest while I live with this hazy, earthly sight. I trust You, Lord; thank You for being my very peace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Defeating the Devil's Strategies..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Defeating the Devil's Strategies

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 21:15-19

All of us make tracks through the valley of failure. Then the key question is, What we will do next? Sadly, many believers who stumble give up a vibrant kingdom-serving life for a defeated existence. But failure can also be a chance for a new beginning of living in Christ's strength.

In pride, Peter thought his faith was the strongest of all the disciples' and swore that even if the others left Jesus, he never would (Mark 14:29). Yet when the time of testing came, he denied even knowing Christ--and did so three times (Matt. 26:69-75). Satan hoped the disciple would be so wounded by his own disloyalty that his faith would be undermined by shame, condemnation, and despair.

Likewise, when the Enemy sifts believers today, his goal is for us to become shelved and ineffective for God's kingdom. That's why he goes after our strengths, especially the areas in which we proudly consider ourselves invincible. But if we're willing, the Lord can use our failures to do spiritual housecleaning, as He did in Peter's life. After the resurrection, Jesus met with the disciple personally and restored him, preparing him to become a great leader in the early church. He made it clear that Peter's potential to serve was defined, not by failure, but by his unwavering love for Christ.

Peter laid down his pride, received the healing Jesus offered, and put on courage with the Holy Spirit's help. He then risked his life fearlessly to further the gospel, and many came to Christ through his example. Failure was the catalyst that grew in him a stronger, more authentic faith.

How to Live Out of the Goodness of God’s Grace..Lynette Kittle

 How to Live Out of the Goodness of God’s Grace

by Lynette Kittle

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” - Philippians 2:3-4

A few years back, I spent numerous hours each week in our mini-van, commuting over 80 miles each day to work and back on the South Florida turnpike. It was tiring to say the least, especially on busy roadways filled with aggressive drivers. Daily, I found myself maneuvering through an onslaught of cars speeding up behind, passing, and cutting in front of me. I tried to keep a good attitude, but it wasn’t always easy.

On one particular day, a car sped up beside my vehicle, then maneuvered to pull in front of my car to exit the ramp. Unlike my usual reaction to let cars in ahead of me, I felt aggravated. Instead of slowing down to make room, I edged closer to the auto in front of me, preventing it from pulling in front of mine. Seeing I wasn't going to let him in, the driver sped ahead and cut in front of the next car.

Almost immediately after doing so, Philippians 2:3-4 came to mind. In examining my own heart, I realized how my actions had fallen short in meeting this exhortation to think of others as more important than myself. I hadn't look out for the merging car's interest, or for the other ones in front of me.

As God’s word gently spoke to my heart, I felt sorry for my prideful and selfish actions, turning to God in confession and repentance. Like 2 Corinthians 7:10 states, sincere, godly sorrow leads to repentance.

Consequently, with my thoughts elsewhere, I wasn’t paying close attention when approaching the tollbooths and unknowingly lined up behind a red light in a closed lane.  Finding myself stuck in a traffic-jam, parking lot type of going nowhere line, I needed someone to let me into a moving line, like the car a few minutes ago had wanted me to do.

Turning on my signal, I hoped someone would be kind. Yet, I thought of how I didn't deserve it after the way I had just acted. Looking in my rear mirror I saw a truck stop and motion to me to pull in front of his vehicle.

Just as immediate as my need to repent had come, I was flooded with the realization of God’s mercy and grace. As James 4:6 describes, God gives us more grace, showing favor to the humble.

In a few passing minutes in an everyday, ordinary commute, one where I behaved poorly, something extraordinary happened. I experienced God's wonderful grace through a person who lived out thinking more of my interests than his own.

A Prayer to Forsake Following Your Heart..Emily Rose Massey

 A Prayer to Forsake Following Your Heart

By Emily Rose Massey

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).

Shortly after college graduation, I became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ; I repented of my sin and surrendered my life to Christ, committing to take up my cross and follow Him no matter the cost. Yet, I still wanted to pursue my original plan of becoming an actress in Los Angeles. As a Christian, I believed I was called to be a light in a dark place so that meant that I was supposed to use my talents for Christ in Hollywood. I was receiving mixed messages from trusted believers because they kept telling me to trust God with the plans to pursue my dreams. This just led to more confusion.

Trust God with my plan and my heart’s desires? Again and again, the phrase “follow your heart” was echoing through my mind. This phrase seems to be very popular in American culture, even among Christian circles. You can find these three words boldly displayed on T-shirts, on Instagram graphics, and even heralded by some influential professing Christian leaders.

“Follow your heart…”- just a harmless motto, right? It sounds really encouraging, doesn’t it? Yes, very encouraging, almost Disney-like, but definitely not biblical!

The Lord spoke these words about the heart through the prophet Jeremiah:

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV)

As Christians, sometimes we fall into the trap of giving man’s words more weight than the Word of God. I wanted to encourage us to look to the direction found in scripture for those who are God’s children. A very familiar, but powerful passage found in Proverbs gives the believer wisdom:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).

If we are putting our trust in everything or anyone but the Lord, we will constantly be disappointed and led astray from God’s perfect will for our lives. We must trust in the Lord with all of our heart, which should never be filled with more of this world than God’s Word. I’m so thankful that during that time in my life while I was faced with a major decision, I kept my heart full of God’s Word, which helped me renew my mind so that I was filled with faith to trust God when He began changing my desires to follow and obey Him most of all. One month after I made the decision not move to Los Angeles, realizing that it was pride that was actually driving the desire to pursue an acting career, I was introduced to my now-husband and the rest is His Story.

My advice to you, beloved one, is do not follow your heart- follow God instead. He knows what you need more than you do. Trust Him with your entire heart and let him mold it to look more like His. He will never lead You down the wrong path!

Let’s pray:

Father,
The culture around me is often very loudly proclaiming how important it is for me to pursue my dreams and destiny by listening to my heart and following it. But Your Word is very clear that my heart can often bring confusion and that the only One who can be trusted to follow is You. You have given me a new heart is Christ, yes, but my flesh is always at war with Your desires and longs to lead me away from Your will. I find Your will in Your Word, so I ask You to please help me have a hunger to hide it in my heart so that I will not sin against You. Your Word is what renews my mind so that I am able to walk in obedience and look more like Christ to the world so that they may know that Your ways and thoughts are higher and better than man’s. Help me to not lean upon my own understanding and trust You, not my heart’s desires. I long for my heart to be molded to look more like Jesus, but I cannot do that without Your help. Thank You, Lord, for leading me by Your Spirit and Your Word that is a light unto my path.
In Jesus’ name, amen. 

God Is Near..Jessica Van Roekel

God Is Near
By Jessica Van Roekel

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 NIV).

Broken hearts are one of the heavier burdens we carry. Unanswered prayers, unfulfilled longings, and unmet expectations can lead our hearts to brokenness. Elijah, an Old Testament prophet, knew brokenheartedness too. His people, the Israelites, continually turned away from God and they rejected his message to return. How his heart must of broke for them.

God revealed himself to his people over and over again and for a time, they served him, but then fell back into idol worship. This led to the famous encounter on Mount Carmel between the prophets of Baal and the lone prophet of God. Fire fell from heaven and consumed the drenched altar, the wood, the stones, and licked up the water that remained in the trench. The people rose up and proclaimed, “The Lord is God,” and killed the prophets of Baal. Once Jezebel heard this news, she vowed to kill Elijah. And Elijah ran away. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. He had had enough.

Elijah struggled with broken heartedness. And if he can struggle with it, then it shouldn’t surprise us when we struggle with it too. Living for the Lord and seeking to be obedient to him carries with it its own set of difficulties. We wrestle against our old nature that rises to demand its own way, whether it’s through wanting recognition for a job well done or revenge against those who stand against us. We grow weary and declare that we’re done. We have had enough. 

There are times when God doesn’t feel near. He feels far off and we wonder where he went. This happened to Elijah too. Imagine standing alone against an entire group of Baal prophets and a people who toggled between serving the Lord and serving idols. Visibly you are outnumbered except you have God—the Everlasting God who has no beginning and no end—on your side. To the human eye, victory looks impossible, but God fights for you and makes victory possible. Elijah didn’t do anything except obey the Lord. And God won the victory. But then Elijah got scared and ran away.

But in the wilderness, God came near. Under that broom tree, God provided sustenance and rest for Elijah’s refreshment. When we’re under duress of heart, we need to take time to satisfy our needs for refreshment too. Our broken hearts can cause us to throw up our hands in defeat and run away, and when we do, Jesus meets us in that moment, ready to remind us that victory is found in him and that he gives us the courage to stand and face the giants once again. Jesus is our bread and living water and his yoke is easy. When we turn toward him instead of away, we find that he satisfies the weariness in our heart. When we state that we have had enough, Jesus becomes enough for us. We can taste and see that the Lord is good, and he is everything we need.

Elijah left his broom tree of despair and traveled deeper into the wilderness to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. Again, God met him there and asked him, “What are you doing here?” It is here that Elijah finally gives words to his broken heart. He says, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me” (1 Kings 18:10 NIV). And the Lord drew near. The wind came and shattered rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then the earth shook and fire fell, but the Lord was not in either. Instead, the Lord arrived in a gentle whisper.

It is in gentleness that the Lord draws near. A broken heart doesn’t need more devastation like windstorms, earthquakes, or fire. It needs tenderness, and that’s what the Lord brings to us when our hearts are broken. He is gentle with our heart. He draws near. Will we come out of our caves of brokenness long enough to see his gentle ways with our hearts?

Intersecting Faith and Life:
You may be feeling crushed by the weight of a broken heart. You might even say like Elijah, “I have had enough.” But let me encourage you to be still and let God draw near. He longs to refresh you physically with rest and sustenance. Jesus longs to be your bread and living water. Run to him. Pour out your broken heart to him. Ugly cry if you need to. He’s near, waiting to receive you with open arms. Take time today to walk into them.

Further Reading:
1 Kings 18-19