Grains of Sand

Pixabay “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid .” (John 14:27) What kind of peace does the world give? Temporary. Treaties are made. Treaties are broken. Ceasefires cease sooner or later. Someone looks and lusts; conflict breaks out in the push and pull of political intrigue. Relationships sail along comfortably until the next storm. That’s not God’s peace. That’s not what Jesus promised as He approaches the epicentre of conflict—His world’s  need to be rid of Him. The political and religious leaders clamour for His death. He knows this. He knows what is coming—the maelstrom in the making. And He speaks of peace that nothing can disturb and tells His disciples not to be troubled and not to be afraid. It is not a peace conjured up by force of character. Jesus says He is leaving HIS peace with them—the inheritance of those filled with His Spirit. It’s permanent. It’s living, b...

Abby at peace. Change. It's never easy to deal with. Whether those changes are minor or major, they bring with them certain consequences. Some of us deal with those consequences without too much trouble. Others struggle a little more. But we all struggle. When Abby and Lou Lou came to Canada from Venezuela, I was told that, once released from their carriers, they would likely find some place to hide and stay hidden for up to two weeks. When we released them, they ran to the nearest closet. That was expected. But, much to everyone's surprise, within 45 minutes they were out making themselves at home as though they had always lived in their new quarters. The change caused some stress, but not much. Jesus knew that His disciples were about to face a huge change in their lives. In fact, there would not simply be one change, but several, to be confronted. He was heading to the cross and that would be traumatic for them. After all, they had walked with Him for three years. An...

Google Images As the Lord came to the end of His last Passover meal with His disciples, He offered them this word of encouragement: “ I have told you all these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world ” (John 16:33). In a way He has come full circle during this last teaching time with the men who had followed Him over the last three years. He began by giving them another look at their future hope (John 14) and promising them that they wouldn’t be alone even after His departure. His message was tucked, like a row of books, between two bookends. The first was the promise: “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid ” (John 14:27). The other bookend is the similar promise from John 16:33, quoted above. Jesus then reminded them of the importance of abiding in Him (John 15). They would face the same difficulti...

Abby, feeling secure I read somewhere that cats only sleep with their tummies exposed when they are feeling totally safe. David had plenty of times in his life when he was never safe, when a deep, carefree sleep seemed out of the question. In Psalm 4, the psalmist expresses his confidence in the God who will guard his sleep as well as He guards his servant's waking hours. " Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him...In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety " (4:3, 8, NIV). Some of us have a hard time letting go of the day. Sleep eludes us as we struggle with what has been, what is, and what is yet to come. David had as much reason as anyone to suffer insomnia. He had "issues," enemies who wanted to kill him, questions of food and shelter to deal with, people to rule, children who were rebellious. He released all these things into the Lord's hands and went ...

A simple word for today....

“ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world ” –John 16:33, NIV. I am surrounded by people who seem to have constant trouble. It makes me almost ashamed to say that my life, though it has had its “black holes,” has been relatively trouble-free. As the Lord comes to His darkest hour, His “black hole” shaped into the form of a cross, He reminds His disciples that all He has said applies to those dark moments that await them at the cross and beyond. They will need the assurance that a better life is waiting for them (John 14:1-4), that He will return. They need to know that they can ask and He will deliver that which will bring glory to Him through them (John 14:11-14). The Spirit will come to live in them so that He, the Christ, will forever be in their lives (John 14:15-18, NIV). They are not to be afraid but to trust and count on the peace that He will give during all their difficult...

“ The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing ” –Zephaniah 3:17, NIV. Wrap yourself in it. When your island isn’t a Paradise anymore and feels more like solitary confinement, have tea with Him. When you are weak and the present “enemy-of-the-month” seems sure to overcome you, remember how big and strong your “Daddy” is. When you are uncertain of your value, let Him tell you how proud He is of you, no matter what. When anxiety and fear run riot in your mind and heart, feel Him rocking you gently in His arms. When doubts threaten to kill your song, sing along with Him. Wrap yourself in it.

It's been a while since I posted anything for FRIDAY FICTION. But here goes. Friday Fiction is hosted by Karlene at Homespun Expressions . Drop by and visit. This piece was a submission for the FAITHWRITERS CHALLENGE. The theme was "Winter" but the story might warm your heart. DER KESSEL By some miracle, the shed at the farthest end of the alley had survived the massive bombing raids. Everything else around had long since been reduced to rubble. Sergei huddled inside, behind the door, waiting. It slowly opened, rusty hinges protesting loudly. He lunged at the intruder, the pain in his damaged leg temporarily pushed aside. Caught by surprise, the figure in tattered field gray, crashed to the dirt floor with Sergei on top of him. The old man blindly reached for the neck, and using every ounce of strength he had, squeezed. The man in uniform struggled weakly. His coalscuttle helmet rolled off to one side. He’s only a boy, Sergei thought, like my Arkady. H...

Psalm 46-48 " There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. " —Psalm 46:4 The psalm is titled: "Confidence in God our refuge" and speaks for itself. In the midst of whatever turmoil characterizes our lives, God IS our refuge, strength and fortress. " God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the Lord…Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress ." Stay in His shadow. There no storm can touch you.

Life is spiritually dangerous which prompts Paul to write: " Put on the full armor of God…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…Take the helmet of salvation… " Ephesians 6:10-18 Thus armed we launch ourselves into the current. It it there we discovered that there is another river that flows around us. Consider the hymn and think about the picture. Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace, Over all victorious in its bright increase; Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day; Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way. Chorus: Stayed upon Jehovah, Hearts are fully blest— Finding as he promised, Perfect peace and rest. Hidden in the hollow of his blessed hand, Never foe can follow, never traitor stand; Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care, Not a blast of hurry— Touch the Spirit there. Chorus Every joy or trial falleth from above, Traced upon our dial by the Sun of love; We may trust him fully...

Welcome to Word-Filled Wednesday hosted by Penny at PennyRaine . Make sure to check it out. We were hunting for some real evergreen in one of the local nurseries before Christmas when from out of inside a pile of clay flower pots popped this little head. I think he goes well with the verse and the attitude that needs to be our theme as we begin a new year. " You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal " —Isaiah 26:3, 4.

Today is Word-Filled Wednesday, hosted by Susan at Forever His . Check things out for yourselves. Abby and Lou Lou Bell very seldom touch. They get along very well—but usually with space in between them. It seems like the spirit of Christmas has invaded their little kitty hearts. So I send you all this greeting: " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men [and animals] on whom his favor rests " —Luke 2:14 NIV. Have a wonderful Christmas.

Welcome to Word-Filled Wednesday. Be sure to visit Lori at All You Have To Give for more of the word through pictures. Jesus used flowers to describe how well He looks after His children. My verse for today follows up so beautifully on that thought: " And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus " —Philippians 4:19.

I had the opportunity yesterday to visit my Toronto home church. It was truly a cross-cultural experience. Over the forty years I've been associated with the church, the colour of its' congregation has changed. Added to that, the guest preacher yesterday was a man from Grenada, a convert of one of the members of the Toronto church. He preached a fiery sermon which gave rise throughout to hearty "amens," hallelujahs," and "preach it, brother" expressions, not to mention applause. Since this is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada the message was appropriate to the subject. Though I was an unexpected visitor the pastor squeezed me into the program and gave me a few moments to share during the service. Since the congregation had just finished expressing some of the things it was thankful for, I added my bit of praise by reminding them of Paul's words when I said how much I thanked God for every remembrance of them. Over all these years they have been a speci...

Peace is as short-lived as the next headline, as longstanding as pleasant circumstances prevail in our lives. It is as fragile as the finest crystal, and as fleeting as a wisp of smoke. In spite of our present reality Jesus says: " Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid " —John 14:27. Jesus knew that within hours the world His disciples had grown comfortable in would be shattered. Soldiers would come and rip their Rabbi from their midst. The crowds, once friendly, would turn on their Master and demand His death, They would be looked at the Lord's followers with suspicion and accusation. The disciples' hope would be beaten, ridiculed, and nailed to a cross. How could Jesus tell them not to be troubled, not to be afraid? A peace that rises above circumstances and is not diminished by events bigger than ourselves is rooted in a God who never changes when everything else...