peace – Like An Anchor

Isaiah Study: The Contrast Between Righteousness and Wickedness

30 July, 202230 July, 2022Marissa

If you’ve been following this blog for the past month and a half, you know we’ve been studying Isaiah 40-66. After six weeks, you might think we’re starting to run out of material, but that’s not the case. I feel like we’re only about halfway through mining the rich treasure trove of the last 27 chapters of Isaiah. This section of the book is an extended dialog where God speaks about redemption and reconciliation, but that isn’t the only thing He talks about.

In the first post for this study, I made a list of key themes that I want to study more extensively in this section of scripture. The list included (among other things) a sharp contrast between prosperity for the righteous and no prosperity for the wicked. This is also connected to another theme that runs through this section of scripture: the importance of obedience. Since God’s nature and character are unchanging (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8), we can conclude that He cares just as much about this topic today as He did thousands of years ago when He talked with Isaiah. Therefore, reading these words and figuring out what message He had for His people then can also help us learn what He wants to say to us today.

Outcomes for the Righteous and Wicked

In Isaiah 40-66, there are several passages showing a sharp contrast between two groups of people. On the one hand, you have the righteous people who listen to God, treat Him with respect, and follow His commandments. On the other hand you have the people who disregard God’s words, spurn Him and profane His ways, and disobey His commands. God discusses the outcomes of these two groups in clear-cut language.

This is what the Lord, your Protector, says,
the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.
If only you had obeyed my commandments,
prosperity would have flowed to you like a river,
deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea.” …
“There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 48:17-18, 22, NET

I’m sure this message put Isaiah’s readers in mind of the blessings and cursing section of Deuteronomy. Near the end of that book, Moses reminded the people of Israel about the blessings God promised for faithfulness to His covenant and the curses that would come upon them if they disobeyed (Deut. 28-30). Isaiah’s original readers were in the position Moses talked about when he said, “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses I have set before you, you will reflect upon them in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you” (Deut. 30:1, NET). Now, the people of Isaiah’s day had an opportunity to turn back to God, receive deliverance, and inherit the prosperity that comes with obeying God’s commands.

The curses that God lays out in Deuteronomy and the statement in Isaiah that “There will be no prosperity for the wicked” are straightforward facts. It’s not a threat so much as it is a revelation about how the world designed by God works. If you do things that align with God’s righteous character, your life will turn out better than if you live wickedly. Sometimes, this rule is difficult for us to see evidence of. It often looks like people who disobey God have all the good things while righteous people are beset by trails.

We’re not the first people to wonder why there seems to be so much evidence contradicting this rule of “prosperity for the righteous/no prosperity for the wicked.” David, Asaph, and Jeremiah all said they saw evildoers prospering, and they wrested with how those observations might relate to God’s promises. All three concluded that the answer is found by looking at the end result of people’s lives (Pss. 37; 73; Jer. 12). No mater how prosperous the wicked seem, they often lead bitter and violent lives and–unless they repent and change (Ezek. 18)–they will be cut off from God in the end.

Similarly, David, Asaph, Jeremiah, and many other people throughout history wondered why righteous people struggle when God said they will prosper. Here again, we need to consider the end result. Even when following God, there will still be ups and downs in your life. Things might even seem downright terrible (just look what happened to some of the people in the faith chapter), but ultimately God works all things out for good in the lives of those He calls into His family (Rom. 8:28). Even during the midst of trials, the righteous can have peace that transcends outward circumstances. Interestingly, the word translated “prosperity” in Isaiah 48 is shalom, which is more typically translated “peace” and also means “wholeness.” The righteous get a sense of “wholeness” that comes from being in relationship with God. The wicked, having rejected God, do not.

Image of a woman studying her Bible overlaid with text from Psalm 37:1-4, NET version: "“Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed. Do not envy evildoers. For they will quickly dry up like grass,
and wither away like plants. Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity. Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers.” — Image by MarrCreative from Lightstock

The Importance of Obedience

God wants us to follow Him with genuine hearts–hearts on which the New Covenant is written. This covenant is not engraved on stone tablets like the kind Moses carried down from Mount Sinai, but on “tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:1-3; Heb. 8:7-10). Our hearts. And when our hearts are following God, that results in obedience from the inside-out. We’ll walk in His ways because we’re being transformed by His spirit. Just as in Isaiah’s day, God is looking for obedience that shows our hearts are in the right place.

This is what the Lord says,
“Promote justice! Do what is right!
For I am ready to deliver you;
I am ready to vindicate you openly.
The people who do this will be blessed,
the people who commit themselves to obedience,
who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,
who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.”
Isaiah 56:1-2, NET

As we discussed in the post about Sabbath-keeping in Isaiah 40-66, we find an abundance of joy and blessings when we walk in covenant with God and do the things He commands. There’s a special relationship between God and the people who sincerely follow Him. Even though He loves everyone with a selfless, beneficent desire for their good, His familial/friendship love is reserved for those who commit to living in relationship with Him.

For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity,
whose name is Holy, says:
“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.” …
“I create the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
says Yahweh; “and I will heal them.”
But the wicked are like the troubled sea;
for it can’t rest and its waters cast up mire and mud.
“There is no peace,” says my God,
“for the wicked.”
Isaiah 57:15, 19-21, WEB

As in the verses we looked at earlier, God reveals a sharp contrast between the wicked and righteous. One prospers, one does not. One is full of peace, the other has none. Having peace/wholeness and experiencing blessings is a natural state for those who walk in relationship with God. Even if their circumstances aren’t great right now, they know things will work out for good in the end and their relationship with God can give them a supernatural peace.

In contrast, the wicked don’t enjoy the peace and prosperity that comes with being in relationship with God. They’re not necessarily stuck in that state, though. God is always eager for people to reconcile with Him and if they do, God promises, “None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him” (Ezek. 18:22, WEB). There’s always the opportunity for us to move from one category to the other (Ezek. 18; 33).

Image of a man studying his Bible overlaid with text from Ezekiel 33:12-16, NET version: “The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him if he rebels. As for the wicked, his wickedness will not make him stumble if he turns from it. ... Suppose I say to the wicked, ‘You must certainly die,’ but he turns from his sin and does what is just and right. ... None of the sins he has committed will be counted against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.” — Image by Anggie from Lightstock

Hoping and Praying for Good Outcomes

The sharp contrast between long-term outcomes for the righteous and wicked might seem harsh. But as I mentioned before, what God lays out here and in other passages throughout the Bible is simply a revelation about how His world works. He designed and created the universe, and He has the “inside scoop” on how to live in a way that results in a good outcome. We can either listen to Him or reject His counsel. Either way, we’ll reap the consequences (good or bad) that He tells us about beforehand.

“But you who forsake Yahweh,
    who forget my holy mountain,
    who prepare a table for Fortune,
    and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny;
I will destine you to the sword,
    and you will all bow down to the slaughter;
because when I called, you didn’t answer.
    When I spoke, you didn’t listen;
but you did that which was evil in my eyes,
    and chose that in which I didn’t delight.”
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says,
    “Behold, my servants will eat,
    but you will be hungry;
behold, my servants will drink,
    but you will be thirsty.
Behold, my servants will rejoice,
    but you will be disappointed;
Behold, my servants will sing for joy of heart,
    but you will cry for sorrow of heart,
    and will wail for anguish of spirit.”
Isaiah 65:11-14, WEB

Image of a man praying with the blog's title text and the words " In Isaiah 40-66, God draws a sharp contrast between the outcomes for those who live righteous and wicked lives. One enjoys peace and prosperity, the other does not unless they repent and change." — Image by Shaun Menary from Lightstock

These aren’t the sort of feel-good, reassuring verses that we like to spend our time reading. If it just said, “My servants will eat, drink, rejoice, and sing for joy of heart,” then we might spend a lot more time reading Isaiah 65. But it also contains information about what will happen to those who forsake God, ignore His voice, and do things He calls evil. And those verses give us pause, as they should.

When we read these hard verses, it’s an opportunity to take a look at ourselves. If we see ourselves in any of those descriptions, then we can repent and recommit to following God with our whole hearts. He is always eager to hear sincere repentance and grant forgiveness. He also offers us help through His own indwelling Spirit, His words written in our hearts, and His energetic working inside us to accomplish salvation (John 14:16-7, 26; Phil. 2:12-13). We’re not left alone on this journey. Jesus and the Father work in us, and apply their righteousness to us (Jer. 23:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24).

These verses might also make us think about others and grieve because we don’t want these terrible things to happen to anyone. That is also a godly response. God “desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4, WEB). He is “not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, WEB). When we wish that people wouldn’t need to go through such terrible things, it’s a desire God shares. And even though we can’t make people come to God–He’s the one who opens eyes and draws hearts to Him (John 6:44; 14:6)–we can share our hope with people around us and pray for others to come to know God (1 Peter 3:15-16; 1 Tim 2:1-4).

We can also take comfort from scriptures like these in Isaiah. When we’re walking with God, we are among those blessed by His favor. These good, comforting, and encouraging words are for us. He teaches us how to succeed. He sends deliverance over us like ocean waves. He vindicates us, revives us, heals us, and gives us peace. He fills us with joy. There is a “day of vengeance of our God” proclaimed in this section of Isaiah, but it is also “the year of Yahweh’s favor,” filled with comfort, provision, and joy for the Lord’s people who faithfully follow Him (Is. 61).

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Featured image by Inbetween from Lightstock

Song Recommendation: This Is The Year (Isaiah 61) by Deborah Kline-Iantorno & Vince Iantorno

Click here to learn more about these books or to order a copy.

Cultivating Lives of Peace and Joy

26 March, 202225 March, 2022Marissa

Joy is a topic that intrigues me. It’s not the same thing as happiness, which is much more situation-dependent. Joy is an enduring quality that people can have even when things are going bad and there’s no apparent reason for happiness. It’s also something that feels elusive. Some people seem to radiate joy, but for many of us it’s harder to grasp.

I don’t think of myself as someone who’s typically or consistently full of joy, but I suspect that having it is related to inner peace. It’s hard to have joy when you’re anxious and worried about things, but shalom–the peace that comes with knowing God has made you whole; nothing missing and nothing broken–is an antidote for that anxiety.

Of course all the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) are related to one another so closely that Paul calls them just one “fruit.” We need to keep that in mind when we’re separating out joy and peace for closer study. They don’t stand on their own, but we can focus today’s discussion on them and try to learn more about how we can have both peace and joy in our lives.

Click here to download a 30-day scripture writing program to support your study of Joy.

Joy Following Peace

I suspect that you can start feeling peace without feeling joy, but it’s pretty hard to have joy without peace. Maybe that’s just my perspective, but I see peace as the opposite of frantic worry. If your mind is scattered, latching on to all the things that you have to worry about, it’s very difficult to shift over to joy without first finding some peace.

Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:6-9, NET

That sounds to me like a good foundation for joy. Training our minds to shift off of anxious thoughts and onto whatever is true, respectable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy makes it possible for us to have the perspective that joy requires. The God of peace can bring things about in our minds that surpass all understanding. He makes it so we can have peace even if there is trouble around, and joy even if there are things happening that could make us unhappy. Joy comes when we follow God’s example of peace and peacemaking.

Image of two people's hands clasped, with text from Proverbs 12:20, WEB version: "Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace." — Image by Jantanee from Lightstock

Peace Comes as We Learn to Trust God

There aren’t a whole lot of Bible verses directly linking peace and joy. This one we’re about to look at in Hebrews doesn’t directly say that joy comes along with peace. Instead, it points out that things which don’t seem joyful at the time later produce peace and righteousness.

Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.
Hebrews 12:11-13, NET

This verse indicates joy doesn’t typically come before peace. Peace comes after we get experience going through trails with God’s help. Experiencing His faithfulness through those trials lays the foundation for a joy-filled life. The author of Hebrews also says righteousness is developed right alongside peace. That link with righteousness is particularly interesting in light of what Paul says here in Romans:

For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.
Romans 15:17-18, NET

Joy, peace, and righteousness exist together in maturing Christians who press on faithfully toward the kingdom of God. As we learn to take refuge in God, find our peace in Him, and see Him faithfully aid us over and over again, we also realize how many reasons we have for joy (Neh. 8:10; Ps. 5:11; 16:11; 71:22-23; Is. 12:2-4; 61:10-11). Joy develops as we go through a refining process (Luke 6:22-23; Col. 1:10-11; Jam. 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-9; 4:12-13). As we cultivate greater peace and joy in our lives, that lays the foundation for a perspective that can say even if everything else in my life is going badly, “yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (Hab. 3:17-18, WEB).

Image of a father and son singing together with text from Zephaniah 3:16-17, WEB version: In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid, Zion. Don’t let your hands be weak.” Yahweh, your God, is among you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. — Image by Dawnyell Reese from Pixabay

Peace and Joy for Today and Forever

I live in a country where the founding documents say people here have the right to “the pursuit of happiness.” Far better than that is the promise in the “founding documents” of the Lord’s Heavenly Country where I now claim citizenship. God says joy is part of what we get when He gives us His spirit. He promises us joyful lives. There might be moments when we feel joy is elusive and need to pray alongside David, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12, WEB). But the overall trajectory of our lives is heading toward peace and joy that we can experience now, and which will be fully realized when Jesus returns.

Image of a woman with her hands raised, with the blog's title text and the words "We can relax into God's promises, knowing He gives us joy and peace, and also be intentional about cultivating peace and joy in our lives." — Image by bluebeyphoto from Lightstock

For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,
    and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth,
    and makes it grow and bud,
    and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
so is my word that goes out of my mouth:
    it will not return to me void,
    but it will accomplish that which I please,
    and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.
For you shall go out with joy,
    and be led out with peace.
The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing;
    and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:10-12, WEB

We can relax into God’s promises, knowing He’s there working to give us joy and peace. We can also be intentional about cultivating peace and joy in our lives. For example, in Paul’s closing remarks for Romans, he prays God would fill his readers with “all joy and peace,” then in 2 Corinthians he instructs his readers to “rejoice” and “live in peace” (Rom. 15:13; 2 Cor. 13:11). As with so many of God’s gifts, we can ask Him to give them and also do our part to make the most of these blessings.

If you look back on the verses we’ve read and referenced today, you might notice that joy and peace are connected to righteousness and salvation (Ps. 51:12; Is. 12:2-4; Rom. 14:17-18, for example). These words show up again and again in scriptures talking about joy and/or peace. That’s no coincidence. Salvation is the biggest reason we have for joy. Knowing that God loves us, forgave us, and redeemed us to welcome us into covenant with Him is a reason for joy that isn’t affected by anything happening outside us. Our relationship with God is the main reason we can have real joy. It’s also something that produces righteousness in us because the closer we stick to God, the more and more we become like Him. As we focus on cultivating peace and joy in our lives, we do well to remind ourselves of the precious gift of salvation and to pursue righteousness (Matt. 6:33; 2 Tim. 2:22). As we put God’s kingdom first, seek His righteousness, and embrace His peace, our lives will fill up more and more with joy that no one can take away from us.

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Featured image by Jess Foami from Pixabay

Song Recommendation: “Old Church Choir” by Zach Williams

Hearts of Shalom: Nothing Missing, Nothing Broken

22 May, 202125 June, 2021Marissa

I had a completely different post planned for today, but then I started looking more closely at 2 Chronicles 16:9 on Wednesday (it’s Day 19 of the Double-Minded scripture writing list that I brought up in last week’s post) and I just had to keep studying it. Here’s that verse in a few different translations to start us out:

“For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (WEB)
“Certainly the Lord watches the whole earth carefully and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him.” (NET)
“For the eyes of Adonai move here and there throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those who are wholehearted toward him.” (CJB)
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (NIV)
2 Chronicles 16:9

I think it’s fascinating to realize God is actively looking to be strong in and on behalf of certain people. The description of those people is what I want to focus on today. Even though I’ve looked up the Hebrew words used here before I hadn’t really thought that deeply about what they mean, and I’ve found studying deeper into this topic of “perfect” hearts both fascinating and encouraging.

A short Hebrew study

As you can see, the description of the people who catch God’s eye is translated in several different ways–“them whose heart is perfect,” “those who are devoted to him,” “those who are wholehearted toward him,” and “fully committed to him” (and there are even more in other translations). In Hebrew, the word “heart” is leb or lebab, and it is “the richest biblical term for the totality of man’s inner or immaterial nature” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, entry 1071a). While leb can just mean the muscle that pumps blood through your body, in a context like this it means your inner person, mind, emotions, will, understanding, and soul (BDB lexicon, H3824). It’s because this word encompasses so much of our minds, wills, and natures that I think “whole-hearted” is the opposite of “double-minded.”

Though “heart” is a fascinating study, it’s the “wholeness” part that caught my eye this time. The word that’s behind the translators’ decision to use words like “whole,” “perfect,” “devoted,” and “committed” is shalem (H8003). If that looks a lot like shalom (the Hebrew word for peace, H7965), it should. They are both part of the same word family derived from the root sh-l-m (TWOT, 2401). Shalom is used most often (over 250 times); shalem is an adjective form used 26 times.

Of all those times that shalom is used in the Bible, it only means “absense of strife” about 50-60 times (TWOT, 2401a). Far more often, it means something that a single English word like “peace” is woefully inadequate to express. Trying to fix this problem, the King James Version used about 30 different words in the Old Testament to translate shalom.

The root meaning of the verb shālem better expresses the true concept of shālôm. Completeness, wholeness, harmony, fulfillment, are closer to the meaning. Implicit in shālôm is the idea of unimpaired relationships with others and fulfilment in one’s undertakings.
TWOT by Laird R. Hariss, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, entry 2401

My favorite short version of a definition for shalom is one I’ve heard used by a Messianic rabbi. Shalom is wholeness–nothing missing, nothing broken. That’s the kind of heart that God creates in us (filling in the missing things and healing the brokenness) and which He is looking for as His eyes roam the earth.

Hearts of shalom

All the times when shalem is paired with “heart” are found in discussions of Israel’s kings. As you read through the books of Kings and Chronicles (and one verse in Isaiah), you’ll see phrases like “his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 15:3, WEB) or sometimes “the heart of Asa was perfect all his days” (2 Chron. 15:17, WEB). Once, when talking about Amaziah, there’s even the curious phrase, “He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, but not with a perfect heart” (2 Chr. 25:2, WEB). Apparently, you can “do what’s right” without actually being wholehearted (which makes sense when we think of the hypocrisy that the Jesus called-out the Pharisees on because they “say and don’t do“).

I find all this fascinating. First, I’m puzzled why a shalem heart is only used in very specific contexts. It’s used by a king talking to the next king (1 Chr. 28:9), the people in relation to a king (1 Chr. 12:38), a king instructing the people (1 Kings 8:55, 61; 2 Chr. 19:9), those keeping records about kings, or a prophet speaking to a king, which is where we started this post. Even David, the man after God’s own heart who was held up as the exemplar of what it meant to be a king with a perfect heart, doesn’t pair shalem or shalom with leb in his psalms (at least not in the same verse, see Psalm 4:4, 8 and 37:4, 11, 31, 37).

Still, though the use of this phrase is limited to one particular section of the Bible, we can see the benefits of having a whole, perfect, and complete heart. There’s great value in cultivating a relationship with God where nothing’s missing or broken. He wants that from kings serving Him, and Revelation tells us that God intends for us to become kings and priests (or in some translations a kingdom of priests; Rev. 1:6; 5:10). We might not be ruling monarchs of ancient Israel, but God still wants us to have hearts like David’s.

Characteristics of David’s heart

Though David doesn’t link hearts and peace directly, he does write extensively about the heart’s relationship with God. Since we know he had a shalem heart, reading his writing on hearts can help us develop hearts like this as well. According to the psalms, a heart like David’s is …

Pure, blameless, and washed clean by God. Psalm 15:2; 24:4; 51:10; 101:2
Undivided, steadfast on God. Psalm 57:7; 86:11; 108:1
Searched, both by the self and by God. Psalm 4:4; 139:23
Seeking God. Psalm 27:8; 69:32
Joyful about being righteous, upright, and following God. Psalm 13:5; 19:8; 32:11; 40:10
Praising and thanking God. Psalm 64:10; 138:1
Courageous. Psalm 27:14; 31:24
Not arrogant. Psalm 131:1
Broken and contrite when corrected. Psalm 51:17
Wants to be acceptable in God’s eyes. Psalm 19:14

That’s quite a list. And this wasn’t even a super in-depth study (I ran out of time to study this topic any more before today’s post)–just a search on MySword Bible app for psalms attributed to David that mention “heart.” Still, it gives us a fantastic starting point for developing hearts that are whole, perfect, and complete in their relation to God. I also find it really encouraging that it’s David who’s held up as an example for us to follow. God doesn’t need to start with perfect people in order for us to have whole hearts with “nothing missing, nothing broken.” David was far from perfect–he even killed the husband of the woman he committed adultery with–and yet God still loved Him and kept working with him after David repented and asked for a clean heart.

If God didn’t give up on David, then I know He’s not going to give up on me. And He’s not going to give up on you. We just need to make sure we don’t give up on ourselves either and keep coming back to God, cultivating a heart that’s wholly focused on Him. Then, God will make sure to give us hearts full of shalom.

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

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Featured image by Prixel Creative from Lightstock

Guarding What God Has Put in Your Heart

16 January, 202115 January, 2021Marissa

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard messages on the importance of guarding our hearts. God wants relationships with people who are pure in heart and who are whole-heartedly devoted to Him. In order to be like that, we need to be careful what we let into our hearts. Guarding our hearts, we’re often told, is about not letting bad things in.

Though that aspect of guarding our hearts is of vital importance, there’s also another side to this. To quote a daily devotional I’ve been reading, “We are to keep things in –things like the Spirit of Jesus, the humility and gentleness, the servanthood and sacrifice, the worship and thankfulness” (Chris Tiegreen, 365 Pocket Devotions, p.23). We need to be careful that we’re not so focused on keeping bad things out that we forget to keep the good things in.

Keep Truth In Your Heart

When Samuel was sent to anoint David, Yahweh told him, “God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7, NET). What’s in our hearts is what matters most to God. We don’t want to let in things that would corrupt our hearts, but we’re also not evaluated based on what we’ve kept out. God looks at what we keep in.

My child, pay attention to my words;
listen attentively to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your sight,
guard them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and healing to one’s entire body.
Guard your heart with all vigilance,
for from it are the sources of life.
Proverbs 4:20-23, NET

This is the one Bible passage that clearly instructs us to guard our hearts. It starts out by telling us to put wise words inside us and then “keep them in the center of your heart” (v. 21, WEB). It’s about guarding the good things in our hearts because what’s inside us determines what comes out of our lives, for good or evil.

He said, “What comes out of a person defiles him. For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. All these evils come from within and defile a person.”
Mark 7:20-23, NET

If what’s inside our hearts is bad, the fruit our lives produce will be bad also, no matter how much we polish up the outside. We can, however, with God’s help, replace the bad things with good things. Change has to happen in our hearts as we internalize the words of God, and then we need to guard those good things that He gives us.

We often say that "guard your heart" means keeping bad things out, but it also means keeping good things in. — Image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay

Attach Your Hearts to Good Things

Putting His law inside people’s hearts is one of the central aspects of God’s new covenant. When He prophesied the new covenant, He said, “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people” (Jer. 31:33, NET). That’s what’s happening as part of the covenant Jesus instituted with His sacrifice (Heb. 8:7-13; 10:14-18). In order to have good things come from our lives we need to have good things in our hearts, and that comes from entering this covenant with God. We also need to diligently guard what God is teaching and giving us.

“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21, NET

Part of guarding our hearts involves being careful about what “treasure” we attach ourselves to. If the things that we care about most and pour our energy into are worldly, that’s where our hearts will be. But if we put our efforts, time, and affection into good and godly things, then that is what our hearts and souls will treasure.

Entrust God With Your Heart

There is one other verse that uses the phrase “guard your hearts.” This time, though, it’s not an instruction for us. It’s something God does for us when we trust Him with our hearts and minds.

Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7, NET

Guarding What God Has Put in Your Heart | LikeAnAnchor.com — Image by AnnaER from Pixabay

We talked about this type of peace at length just a couple weeks ago in a post called “Finding Peace On Earth Today.” The peace that God offers is a sort of peace that’s not dependent on external circumstances. Rather, it is a product of a heart that is committed to fully trusting God. True, lasting, godly peace comes when we trust God to take care of the things that threaten to take away our peace. When we pray in every situation, God shares His peace with us and it works to guard our hearts.

The task of guarding our hearts–keeping good things in and stopping bad things from taking over–is a life-long process. It’s something that God expects us to be actively involved in, and it’s something that He’s committed to helping us with.

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Finding Peace On Earth Today

2 January, 202112 January, 2021Marissa

Today’s world is not a peaceful place. Wars, rumors of wars, rioting, brutality, oppression, and unrest plague the whole earth. Fears fill our minds, confusing and contradictory information comes at us from every side, and there’s always a new reason in the news for anger, anxiety, or grief. If we ever needed proof that there’s no peace on earth, this past year supplied it.

In the midst of all this, the Bible describes peace as something God gives to His people and which He expects us to have. Finding peace while here on this earth may seem an impossible task, but God specializes in doing the impossible (Luke 1:37; 18:27). The peace God offers is not dependent on external circumstances. It comes from what He is doing inside us and it’s a special type of peace that is only available through God.

Putting Peace in our Minds

The peace God offers us cannot be destroyed by what’s going on in the world. Also, thankfully, it is a type of peace that we can have even during times of trouble and strife–the sort of times when we most need peace.

Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7, NET

Paul doesn’t tell us that God will take away any reason we might have for anxiety. Rather, he says not to worry about any of the situations that could cause anxiety. Instead, we take those situations to God in prayer and with thanksgiving. We can do this with confidence in the promise that God’s peace–a peace so incredible we can’t understand it, yet which we still get to participate in–will guard our hearts and minds. God doesn’t just take away anxiety and give us peace, though, without any action on our part. We have a role to play as well. In addition to praying for God’s peace, Paul also tells us to replace our anxious thoughts with something else.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9, NET

We have the power to change how we think and even how we feel. We are not at the mercy of our outside circumstances or even our own emotions. That’s true of all human beings. Everyone of us can change and improve the way we think and process emotion. And when we have God’s spirit, we have additional aid in finding real peace. God created us and He knows how to balance and heal our minds, hearts, and souls.

Finding Peace On Earth Today | LikeAnAnchor.com — Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

Pursuing Righteousness and Peace

I recently heard a sermon where the speaker talked about the deep connection between righteousness and peace. He started by quoting Psalm 85:10, “Righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (WEB). It’s part of the verse I used as the title of my post about INFJ Christians, but I hadn’t realized how often these two concepts are linked. It seems you can’t have the type of peace God offers without also seeking to imitate His righteousness.

I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go. Oh that you had listened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isaiah 48:17-18,. WEB

Righteousness and peace must be pursued together (2 Tim. 2:22). The type of peace God offers is only found in relationship with Him, and we can’t have a close relationship with God if we insist on living unrighteous lives. We need to follow His steps, heed His words, and embrace both His righteousness and His peace.

For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people. So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.
Romans 14:17-19, NET

Bearing the Fruit of Peace

Many (perhaps most) of us saw 2020 as a year of severe trails. One of the ways the Bible talks about trials is as discipline–a tool God uses to disciple us into being like Him. Interestingly, this process is not only connected to learning to be righteous as God is righteous. It’s also connected to peace.

Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11, NET

Times of trial are often when peace seems most elusive, but when we go through our trials with God at our side they can actually lead to peace. Several Bible verses tell us to have joy in trials (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-4), and I think recognizing how much we can learn from them is one key to having that sort of joyful perspective. Challenges help to refine us, and eventually produce good fruits in our lives.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace.
James 3:17-18, NET

We spent a couple of months earlier this year talking about all these attributes of Godly wisdom, including peace. In that post, we talked about Proverbs and how that book shows us that peace is something which happens when you live with wisdom. It’s one of the fruits that comes from aligning with God’s righteousness.

There is a way to have peace inside us even while living in a world where there is no peace. None of us knows what the year 2021 holds in store. It could be better than 2020, it could be more of the same, or it could even be worse. The outside circumstances cannot take away our peace, though, when that peace is grounded in our relationship with God.

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When Other People Don’t Think Like You, Focus on Thinking Like God

7 November, 202011 November, 2020Marissa

I’ve long been fascinated by Philippians 3 (even wrote a whole post about it). Here, Paul talks about the things he had before conversion–religious status, a good background, the best education, zeal for his faith–and then says all his “human credentials” count for nothing. Indeed, he regards “them as dung!” It is so much more valuable to know Christ “and be found in him,” not because Paul is righteous by following the law but because he has “the righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness.” And then with all that as background, he talks about how he keeps striving to live a godly life and will keep doing so until the end of his life in the hope of attaining “to the resurrection of the dead” (Phil. 3:5-12, NET).

This discussion is framed by Paul addressing a contentious issue in the church. He warns the Philippians to “beware of the dogs” (false teachers, see NET footnote), “beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh” (those who wrongly teach physical circumcision is still necessary” and those who “rely on human credentials” (Phil. 3:1-4, NET). That is why Paul brings up his own credentials. He’s not attacking these other teachers and saying their credentials mean nothing because Paul doesn’t have any and wants to make himself look better. Rather, he has the credentials and he still says they’re worthless because “human credentials can produce nothing that is pleasing to God” (NET footnote on v. 15). It is with this foundation that Paul then says what I want to focus on today.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained.
Phil. 3:13-16, NET

So often, when we disagree with someone in the church we instinctively want to defend our point of view. But what Paul indicates is that our first response should be to ask God to reveal His mind.

The Mind of Christ

One of the central goals of our Christian walk is to learn to think like God does. He fills us with His spirit to transform us and make us part of His family. We have received the Spirit “from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12, NET)

The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Cor. 2:14-16, quoting Isa. 40:13, NET

We must “arm ourselves with the same mind” Christ had so that we can live “for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:1-2, WEB). Part of the “will of God” involves living in harmony with our brethren. That only happens when all of us are trying to think like Christ.

Now the God of perseverance and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.
Rom. 15:5-7, WEB

When Other People Don't Think Like You, Focus on Thinking Like God | LikeAnAnchor.com — Photo credit: Jantanee via Lightstock

Like Minded in Him

When scripture says that Christians are to be like minded, it does not mean we reach whatever mutual consensus we want. Our like-mindedness comes from all of us putting on the mind of Christ. That “we have the mind of Christ” verse I quoted earlier is preceded in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians by this:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose
1 Cor. 1:10, NET

Paul goes on to talk about how ridiculous it is to divide the church over which teacher to follow (1 Cor. 1:9-17), the fact that there is no room for human boasting before God (1 Cor. 1:18-31), that our faith is based in God’s wisdom, and that through His spirit we get to put on Jesus’ mind (1 Cor. 2:1-16). It has quite a few parallels with Philippians 3, where Paul talks about the uselessness of human credentials and then urges continued faithfulness, which includes living in peace with your brethren.

It’s a familiar refrain in Paul’s letters. “Live in harmony with one another” (Rom. 12:15). “Be of the same mind … being united in spirit” (Phil. 2:2). “Agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11). The more like God we become, the fewer disagreements we ought to have with others who are also becoming more like God.

Continue Aligning Yourself With God

The principle we’re discussing is simple in theory: put on Christ’s mind and you’ll all be united. In practice, we’re all at different levels of growth. None of us have fully put on the mindset and attitudes of Jesus yet, and we don’t always agree on what putting on His mind looks like. Returning to Philippians 3,

Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained.
Phil. 3:15-16, NET

Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you. Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let’s walk by the same rule. Let’s be of the same mind.
Phil. 3:15-16, WEB

When we disagree, we can ask God to reveal His mindset and align us with truth. When seeking this sort of like-mindedness, always ask for God’s perspective so you can understand what He wants you to see–not to help you understand human teachings or teachers. Our goal for spiritual growth is to be like our Father. Unity with other believers happens as a result of that goal, not as the central goal itself.

Paul also admonishes us to “live up to” or “walk by” the standard we’ve already attained. This goes along with verses like the one in James that says if you know to do good and don’t do it that is sin to you (James 4:17) and passages in Romans that indicate we’re judged based on how well we do God’s will rather than how well we understand the law (Rom. 2:10-16). Though we might not always agree with other Christians on the best way to follow God, we need to live in peace with others as much as possible, follow God as faithfully as we understand how, and always be seeking to align our thinking and mode of living more closely with Him.

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