DECEMBER 26

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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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.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

Song 5:1

“…..I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam and spice [from your sweet words]…..”

Psalm 28:7

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.”

Philippians 4:7

“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

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This month we will read choices from Charles Spurgeon’s (known affectionately as the “prince of preachers”)  devotional, “Beside Still Waters.”   It’s no secret that this world system is getting more evil by the day.  We have to stand strong in the Lord and look to Him more than ever to get through, and to be guided through, what is in the future……..known and allowed  by Him alone…..as well as whatever personal things we are experiencing in our lives.

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PASTOR SPURGEON:

2 Thessalonians 3:16

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

The words of that verse are inexpressibly sweet.  If you think for a moment, you will see that we never obtain peace except from the Lord.  In your trials, what will bring peace?  Let me tell you, the Lord of Peace Himself.  I find great peace just thinking about His mysterious person.  He is a Man, “tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

A Man who knows every grief of the soul and every pain of the body – thus His tender sympathy and power to deliver.  His person is a source of peace.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I  am helped:  Therefore my heart greatly rejoices” Psalm 28:7.  This passage has great charm.  It is charged with softness and sweetness, like a gentle strain of tender music.

I think of a battle furiously raging.  After fighting valiantly, the one whom it most concerns steps aside.  He goes to a quiet, bomb-proof place almost out of the cannon’s roar.  There he talks with his heart and forgets the raging strife.  He knows his weakness, yet he has caught a glimpse of the guaranteed divine strength and thus expects a joyful victory.  He is trembling, certainly, perhaps from the toil of the battle, but he also rests as one insensibly subdued to calm and composure.  He rests in God.

In the same way, I want you to get out of the crowd and take shelter in a quiet place.  Forget the troubles of business, or the domestic cares that often harass, or the inner conflict that plagues your soul.  Whatever may disturb, distress, or distract, let it alone.

Now, for a while, revel in the sweet peace that God alone can give.  “The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7).  (Remember Paul wrote Philippians while in a Roman prison, chained to soldiers and condemned to die….still, He had peace AND joy from the Lord!).

Rest in your soul by meditating on Jesus’ death.  View Him wounded, bleeding, and dying on the cross….for your sins.   A wonderful calm will steal over your heart.  Jesus is that bundle of myrrh and spice from which peace flows like a sweet perfume.  When He comes near your heart and shows you His wounds and speaks His love, you feel the divine fervency of His peace. 

When He assures you that you are one with Him, united in an everlasting embrace that knows no divorce, your soul is steeped in peace.

This is an experiential business, and words cannot express it fully.  He does not merely offer peace, or argue that you ought to have it, or merely show the grounds for it.  He GIVES IT.  He can give you peace.   He WILL give you peace.

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