Posted Dec 06, 2022 |
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“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” ~John 16:33 AMP.
I decided to go with the Amplified Version of this text because it does a great job of enhancing certain words. The NLT is usually my go-to version, but this just states it very clearly. In the Passion Translation, it says “In this unbelieving world,” identifying where the chaos comes from. Those who are unbelieving or far from God are far from the truth. Just before that phrase, it tells us where peace is located or how to create order: by being in Him.
“Abide in Me and I will abide in you,” states John in his gospel. He is quoting Jesus who wants people to know that He is where you will be connected to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He is where we find order, freedom, provision, support, and comfort. If a person is lacking structure or needing refreshment, only God can fulfill that. The Bible says, “to the full and running over.”
My cup runneth over!
Funny side note. My spellcheck does not like the word runneth, even though it is an Old English word that is used in the KJV. It is currently underlined in red to indicate that I am uneducated or, in this instance, using a word that is completely outdated for today’s vocabulary.
Chaos is everywhere. We live in a world that believes right is wrong and wrong is right. Rules are bent and often broken to justify a person’s feelings. There is no respect for our fellow person. Manners, common sense, and etiquette are not being taught, addressed, or encouraged. We can go to a local store and no longer have customer service. Instead, we have to search for items that are rotated in the store on a weekly basis, from one end of the store to the next. There is no longer a cashier to check out our groceries for us. Once we leave the store, someone asks to check our receipt and cart items. We are treated like common thieves instead of by the-customer-is-always-right motto.
Where did decency go?
Every era has their opinion on this and I was born in the 70’s. I believe it was the product of the 70’s. There was too much change with the “peace and love not war” movement. I could go off on a major tangent about how the world went downhill after that but, instead, I will say the best reason is the lack of God in peoples’ lives.
Our country was founded on Christian beliefs. Even the Girl Scouts were founded on Christian beliefs (and the current organization would make the founder probably throw in the towel). Even though it was established by a Christian belief system, it wasn’t perfect because people are not perfect. They knew that and continued to try to seek out God’s wisdom. When politics decided to rule-out God, it gave up on humanity.
People can be doing good things for others and still not be good. We can do the “right” things and still not be right. Only when we look to God for guidance and answers to how to live our lives will we be be good and in order.
Three Steps to Creating Order:
–Pray. Before anyone has to make a decision or face a tough situation, pray. Pray for peace, understanding, and a clear vision for moving forward. If you do not receive peace then that is most likely God telling you to reconsider or do not do that.
–Read. Search out verses in the Bible that answer your questions or help you with your emotions. When you are feeling sad, look up Scripture on joy and happiness. When I was struggling as a parent because of my kids wanting to live according to what the world says, I looked up verses on parenting and put those into action.
–Fellowship. Gather with Christian friends or attend church functions. This will be your community to lean on when things get tough. When you are needing a babysitter but do not like the influence your aunt could have on your children, call a church member. Church family, at times, can feel better than blood family because they tend to believe the same things you do and want to respect how your household is run.
His family matters.
The more you can help grow His kingdom, the less chaotic the world will feel. It will not change if we do not become the change. The world sees things as Satan does because he was given authority over the world by Adam. He rules the world with discord, lies, destruction, and false teachings. Flip it upside down.
I tell people all the time, if you want to get in line with the will of God, do the exact opposite of what the world would want you to do. Sometimes the world wants you to do “right” things but it isn’t the “right” thing for you to do because maybe someone else was called to that.
The closer you get to God the more that will become clear and there will be order again in your day to day. Place God first in everything you do and He will direct your steps to keep you safe from the disorder.
