Having Peace In The Right Place

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
Romans 5:1 (NKJV)

Have you ever been in the wrong place?  Maybe you were looking for a classroom in a school and by mistake you went into the wrong room, or maybe you were driving somewhere, and you turned the wrong way into a one-way street.  When you know you are in the wrong place, you do not have any sense of peace, but rather you feel a bit anxious, because you know something is out of place and you want to get out of there.  Being in the right place is a good thing, and being in the wrong place makes us uncomfortable.

So many Christians are trying to do the right things in their life to please God.  This is a good thing to do, if we do it for the right reason.  We need to be in the right place in our life with how we live, to please God, as the Bible talks about, but we also need to realize that we are already spiritually in the right place with God.  Through Jesus, and by our accepting His sacrificial death on the cross, we become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and that means we are right with God. 

Romans 5:1 says that we have been justified, made right with God, by faith in Jesus Christ.  We are no longer separated from God by sin, we are no longer enemies of God, but we are a part of His family, all because of Jesus, and that is a place of peace.  Yet so many Christians are still not certain about their standing with God, they are not at peace, and they are still trying to do things that they think will put them in the right place with God.  But through Jesus, we are in the right place, our position with God is secure, and we can be at peace. 

Leading The Way, Or Just Pointing?

"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
Philippians 4:9 (NKJV)

Once when I was in the Frankfurt airport, traveling to the USA, a woman behind me in the passport line asked about what we needed to do there, and where the security lines were.  As I talked to her, I found out that this was her first time flying back to the USA from Germany, and she was not sure what to do.  So, I explained some things, and then I encouraged her to just follow me through the airport to the gate where the flight that we were both going to take was.  Since I already knew the way, it was easy for me to help her, and she was very thankful.

To give someone directions, you could write something down, point out the direction they need to go, or explain what they should do and lead them to where they needed to go.  Any of these methods can be successful, but the most successful way would be to not only tell them or show them where they need to go, but to actually lead them there.  This is exactly how we need to do things as we follow Jesus and help others along the way.  We not only need to tell them how to follow Jesus, and "point" the way, but we should also then lead and guide them along the way. 

The Apostle Paul wrote several letters that are a part of the New Testament, and we can see from the Book of Acts that Paul was an effective speaker.  Paul wrote and taught about what Jesus did for us and how we can have a living relationship with God.  But Paul was also a leader and an example to others.  He told the Philippians to do what they had learned, received, heard, and saw from him.  We need to be like Paul, and rather than just telling others what to do, or pointing them in the right direction, we need to be a living example of someone who follows Jesus, and help lead others in the way they should go.

Billboard Christianity?

"For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God,"
Acts 20:27 (NKJV)

Billboards are usually advertisements and sometimes announcements of some kind.  But billboards are not a textbook, a complete set of instructions on how to do something, or an in-depth study of any material.  Billboards are meant to convey a simple, brief message.  If all you knew about a product or thing was what you saw on a billboard, your knowledge of that thing would be very limited, and you might even misunderstand something about that product or what is being shown you, because you only see a very small part of what is being represented by the message on the billboard.

People sometimes have problems because of their limited understanding of a thing.  If you only know a little bit about a topic, the little bit that you do know may give you a wrong impression about the entire scope of the topic.  This is also very true concerning biblical truth.  Many people take things out of context, they only have a limited understanding of a Bible topic, or they might even have a misunderstanding of something in the Bible, because they have never taken the time to really study everything God's Word has to say about that subject. 

In Acts 20:27, Paul told the leaders of the church in Ephesus that he had declared the whole counsel of God to them.  Everywhere Paul went, he talked about the plan of God, what Jesus has done for us, and how we need to live a life that pleases God.  Paul was careful to tell the people the "whole counsel of God," so that people would be well-developed, mature believers.  We too need to be sure that we are not just focusing on our favorite topic or taking things out of their context, but we need to have a good understanding of all that God has said, to fulfill the will of God in our lives, and also to help others.

Temporary Relief Or A Permanent Solution?

"They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, 'Peace, peace!' When there is no peace."
Jeremiah 6:14 (NKJV)

Unfortunately, more than one of my teeth has needed some dental work.  And, unfortunately, more than once this dental work required several trips to the dentist.  For example, when I had a crown put on a tooth, the dentist first put on a temporary crown until the permanent crown could be made.  The temporary crown was not permanent, it was not meant to last forever.  But what if I never went back to the dentist for the permanent crown?  Then I would have had a problem, because the temporary crown would eventually wear out and I would still have a problem with the tooth.

The word temporary refers to something that will only last for a limited period of time, so a temporary solution is not a permanent one.  Sometimes, for various reasons, someone will get temporary relief for a problem they have without really solving the problem.  And in the same way, there are some Christians who are only getting temporary solutions to their problems, and they are not really making any permanent changes to solve their problem.  God has answers for us that are not just temporary, but He will give us solutions to our situations that will be permanent, life-long answers. 

In Jeremiah 6:14, we read about people who claimed to be prophets and have God's answer to a problem, but what they said did not help the situation, it was not God's answer.  Some Christians look for a new teaching, some special minister, or a big meeting to help them, but they only get temporary relief from their problem.  Through His Word, and by the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will give us real, permanent solutions to our problem.  God wants to give us more than temporary relief in an uncomfortable situation, He has life changing solutions to help us in our time of need.