No Matter What

PEACE ... "It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of these things and still be calm in your heart." This is an anonymous quote that my daughter came across recently. I share it with you because it speaks to the heart of Christian living.

It relates to what Paul was talking about in Philippians when he said, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Many think that peace and joy can only come in the midst of easy and comfortable circumstances ...the paved road. Perhaps that is the very reason why the church is not on the front lines of ministry where people are in need ...places where there is chaos, noise, difficulty, and hard work.

I hope that 2007 will be the year that you experience the peace and joy of God in the hard places. We need to work passionately for the rights of the unborn, the homeless and teens in crisis. Erwin McManus shares similar concerns in The Barbarian Way. He states, "Many churches have no practical concern for people outside their congregations. The brokenness of a lost and unbelieving world is not enough to inspire the painful changes necessary to make the church relevant to the world in which we live." He goes on to say that, "Every citizen of the kingdom of God is brought into the heat of the conflict between good and evil. Everyone who swears allegiance to Jesus Christ bears responsibility for humanity."
STAY OFF THE PAVED ROAD ...Craig