Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Salvation

Joy And Peace

Encouragement, Faith, Salvation

Joy And Peace

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13

The Source of Peace And Joy

God wants you to be filled with joy?  He also wants you to experience peace in all areas of your life.  He wants you to have peace with your family, peace with your friends, peace with your church family, and peace with the world.   He wants you to have peace within your work, your play and your worship.  The only way to experience peace and joy is through a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

The reason most people don’t have peace and joy in their life is because they are missing the free gift of salvation.  God gives us peace and joy through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Because we are born with a sin nature we are naturally at war with God.  Once we surrender and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we are at peace and all sin is forgiven.

Another reason why most people don’t have peace and joy in their life is because they are seeking to be filled with worldly pleasures instead of the hope of God.  Even as a Christian we can get caught up in the trap of worldly living.  If we are not careful we will find ourselves seeking pleasure in things that will only last temporarily and will soon fade away.  However if we keep our minds and hearts set on the things of God we will enjoy the peace and joy that only God can give.

Prayer

Ask the Lord to fill your heart with peace and joy and then seek the things of God.

One Spirit

Faith, Salvation, Trust

One Spirit

But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:17‬

Our Identity

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned against God there has been a separation from mankind and God.  After Adam sinned he was afraid. Genesis 3:10 says, “And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.””  Adam was afraid because he realized he was naked.  On that day Adam, due to his sin, was stripped of his identity in God.  Thankfully we can have the identity again with God through Jesus and His accomplishment on the cross.

Paul reveals in 1 Corinthians 6:17 that believers are joined so closely to Christ that we become “one spirit with Him.”  Paul is comparing our oneness with Christ to the oneness that takes place in marriage between a man and a woman.  Even in marriage we keep our individual identities while at the same time two people become one flesh.  A similar thing happens when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.  However our oneness with Jesus goes far deeper than human marriage as it produces eternal results.

We all inherit the sinfulness of Adam.  We are all born lost and separated from God.  But we can do something about it by placing our faith in Jesus and become one with Him.  As a believer you are adopted into the family of God to never be separated again.  Paul says in Galatians 3:29, “and if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”  If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you are saved and redeemed.  No longer do you need to be afraid.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for making me a new creation in Christ Jesus.  I know that I am in Him and He is in me.

My Shepherd

Salvation, Trust

My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1‬ ‭

Perfect Provision

The biblical shepherd knew everything about his sheep.  He knew what they wanted to eat and when they needed fresh water to drink.  He also knew the area well enough to guide the sheep in the right direction for the perfect food and water.  The sheep grew to trust the shepherd to meet their needs.  A good shepherd always gave his sheep the best.  The condition of the sheep was a reflection of the shepherd.

The Lord is our Good Shepherd.  (John 10:11)  The Psalmist was convinced that he would never “want” for anything because the Lord would always provide the best.  Just as the sheep need a shepherd so we need the Lord, our Good Shepherd, to meet our needs.  He provides everything we need just in time.  We do not need to worry of the Lord is going to provide, we just need to follow His lead and trust Him.  The Psalmist gives us a perfect illustration of how the Lord loves His sheep.  Even to die for us.

Is there something you are “wanting”?  It may be that you have turned your focus off the Lord and turned to a worldly perspective.  God’s economy is not the same as the world’s economy.  When our desires are distracted by a worldly attraction our sense of “wanting” changes.  We never need to “want” what the world has to offer.  If we keep our minds set on Christ and heavenly things, we will never “want”.  But if we place our passions on the things of this world we will find ourselves lacking because the things of the world will never satisfy our souls like the Lord does.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, I know you give me everything I need.  Help me not to want what the world has to offer but to desire your perfect provision.