Peace Out part 2
I mentioned yesterday that when the peace of God reigns in your heart you can sleep in the boat even when the storm is raging all around you. And that's kind of what I want to focus on today. Mark 4:37-39, And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." Basically Jesus roused Himself from sleep (or a posture of rest) in order to tell the storm to peace out. He was, quite literally, the calm in the midst of the strom. The eye of the storm, right? Because He could see what was really going on. The disciples were all caught up in what was going on around them. Jesus just let what was inside Him come out. How peaceful to just be asleep, right? And then He let that peace come out. What's inside is what comes out. Always. Well, what you BELIEVE is inside is what comes out. Your belief dictates your actions. What you believe is what you will do. Actions come from belief. That's why behavior modification only really ever has tiny short term "success." At the end of the day you are who you are. Or, again, you are who you believe you are. If you believe you're a dirty sinner who needs to hide from God... you'll run FROM Him instead of TO Him. If you believe you are God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased... you will run TO Him (and rest in His loving arms) instead of running from Him. And that's what He wants. He wants us to be at peace. He doesn't want us to be afraid of Him. He doesn't want us to suffer. The verse we looked at yesterday mentioned how fear has torment. And that the opposite of fear... is love. There is no fear in love. When we know our heavenly Father loves you, we don't have to be afraid. Of anything. Certainly not of HIM. What a disservice religion has done by creating the picture of a God we need to fear. That's the exact opposite of what Jesus showed us when He showed us the Father. He showed us love. A man--like we are--who loved people. Who was willing to lay His life down for His friends. A man who was at peace, and could therefore make peace. He was asleep in the boat. He wasn't worried about the storm. But, because His friends were worried... He let the peace that was inside Him come out. And that changed everything. The wind stopped and the waves were still. It went from full on storm to smooth sailing. Listen, I know the idea that God gives us mountains so we can learn how to climb. At the same time, Isaiah wrote about God bringing the mountains low and the valleys high so that we could have a straight and narrow Way to walk. The Way that leads to life. And peace. And mercy. And grace. And forgiveness. The Way that leads to love... because it is the more excellent way OF love! Tomorrow we're going to talk more about being peacemakers. Helping others peace out. Like Jesus did. So don't miss it!