Translate

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Be clear...Be peaceful...

In my post entitled, Our Reflections..., I talked about how important it is to guard our hearts; to watch what we put into our minds and spirits.  We will mirror what is in our hearts.  The more time we spend on something, the more that "thing" dominates our lives and becomes a part of us.  In Our Reflections..., I gave a couple of examples of how what we dwell on can show through us and be mirrored in our words, actions, and social interactions. 

In study time with our children this weekend, this subject came up.  The question was posed: 

"What should our reflections look like?"

John 14:9

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father?

Jesus reflected the image of His Father.  He spoke the Father's words and He did the Father's works.  He did not do anything on His own. 

John 14:10

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?  The Words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in me, He does the works.

Jesus did not do anything or say anything without it first having come from the Father.  Jesus operated in peace and in love.  He is a reflection of the Father. 

One of the things I enjoy doing while we are camping is taking pictures of the scenery.  This past weekend we stayed in a camping spot we haven't camped in before by the river.  It was really pretty and very quiet for the most part.  It rained quite a bit on us over the weekend, but one time after the rain had stopped and the water had stilled, I took this picture:




The water was so still that the reflected image was almost an exact mirror reflection of the tree.  How do we stay this still and reflect the image we want to reflect?

Peace...Jesus said He left us with peace.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

Jesus' peace isn't just a relaxed demeanor that isn't easily ruffled.  Phillipians says:

Phillipians 4:7

And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

We cannot understand the type of peace that God gives us...that Jesus left us.  His peace can keep us still and allow us to focus on Him so that when the world looks at us they see a reflection of the love and peace of God through Jesus Christ.  How do we obtain that kind of peace?

Psalm 34:13 - 14

13 - Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile. 
14 - Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Seeking peace and pursuing peace and obtaining the kind of peace that Jesus has to offer us requires action on our parts.  We cannot be passive and obtain peace.  We don't speak evil, we depart from evil, we do good, and we seek peace. 

Sometimes it is much easier said than done, but all things are possible through Christ Jesus who gives us strength. (Phillipians 4:13)





No comments:

Post a Comment