God's Peace, Our Referee

God’s Peace, Our Referee

I told someone that I am going to call my devotional from here on out, “The Life and Times of FFCN People.” It seems that we have had a lot of unexpected events in the church this past year. It has been a mixture of good and bad. One minute we are celebrating babies being born, the next we are shocked of someone being diagnosed with cancer; from leaking roof problems to marriages being renewed; from other babies being born to heart attacks; from tile breaking down below the parking lot causing water issues to miracles before our eyes. Just recently Lee Burgard was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain, and the doctors found malignant tumors in Lorna Morse’s jaw. Lee is doing well after surgery and Lorna was able to go home last night. With everything that happens, I can see the hand of God moving in a powerful way. Each person, no matter the severity, has a special grace line directly from God because we read in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10,

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

As the pastor of our church, my prayer is that we will deepen our walk with Jesus with each announcement and prayer request. Rather than throw in the towel and give way to the emotions that want to get the best of us, we are called to place the Word of God as our barometer and rule. When I say, “rule,” I’m talking about God’s supernatural peace dominating and governing every emotion and situation that confronts us. If we do not intentionally make the decision to believe what God says about things, then worry, fear, insecurity, doubt, and other emotions will be the order of the day. Then we can talk about a roller coaster ride that will leave you numb. Instead, let the peace of God rule in your heart and let it result in praise and thanksgiving.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Colossians 3:15

The Greek word used for “rule” is called brabeuo. It describes an umpire or a referee. Now I know what it is to referee. I have refereed several Upward Basketball games over the years. That is just below the NCAA basketball tournament level. Okay, maybe I am stretching it a little. This means that when we have detrimental emotions weighing down on us and trying to dictate our outlook in life, we can make the choice to let God’s peace rise up from deep inside of us like a referee to moderate our emotions. As we do, we will be kept under the control of God’s divine peace He wants to place in our hearts. When this divine referee called “peace” steps into the game, it suddenly begins to call the shots and make all the decisions instead of anxiety and worry.

It is true; there are some weeks that are harder than others. But you don’t have to surrender to those emotions that try to steal your joy, mess with your relationships, or rob you of your victory. So when you feel overwhelmed by problems or a number of debilitating events that happen around you, intentionally set your heart and mind on Jesus and the Word of God. Let the peace of God call the shots in your life. Let the peace of God act as a referee in your everyday life.

Looking forward to see what God wants to do in our services on Sunday. He is preparing us for a great move of His Holy Spirit.

Thank you for all of the people who are praying and visiting the family of God. I am grateful for the encouragement and inspiration that comes from the body of Christ during each and every one of these situations. You truly turn challenging times into blessed times as you allow God to use you for His glory.

Joyfully serving the King of kings….

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike