Scripture

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

~John 14:27, NLT

Quote

You can’t give what you don’t have. If your cup is empty, there is nothing to pour out.

~Gary Smalley

I am reading Dr. Graham’s PEACE FOR EACH DAY. It is a daily devotion and I look forward to each entry. I have such deep respect for this man and his ministry. I have had the privilege of visiting his library in Charlotte, NC twice, and it is a trip that I recommend for everyone, especially pastors. When you tour the library, be sure you follow the instructions, and don’t get in a hurry. Dr. Grahams says, “Jesus is the author of peace. Jesus is the source of peace. Jesus gives us His peace and He Himself is our peace. Jesus speaks peace. He will rule in peace and in peace, He will crush Satan and evil.” For what it is worth; I agree with everything he said.

Jesus can give peace because He Himself is the source or fountain of peace. The world can give you a lot of things, but the world cannot give you peace. They can’t give it, because they don’t have it to give. This world is bankrupt when it comes to peace. This world may give you some hope, but it will be short lived. They can offer you ‘things’ or what I call ‘stuff’ but it will not satisfy. In the end, it will bring you emptiness and deep disappointment. I had a guy pass me the other day with a new four-wheel drive truck big enough to pull a house. He was pulling a 24 foot trailer that was loaded with toys; a huge side-by-side and I can’t remember what else. That rig cost more than I am worth. Well that is his business you say: he can spend his money anyway he chooses. First of all, it is not his money. The farmer in Luke 12 thought the same way. It is the preacher in me I suppose, but I wondered as he passed, “Is he laying up any treasure in heaven, the world to come?” How long are we going to be here {earth}? How long will we be in eternity? You do the math. If you were going to the beach or camping for a week, would you move all your assets and transfer all your account to the place where you are vacating. YOU ARE VACATING FOLKS: YOU ARE JUST CAMPING OUT. We are here for a very short time and then gone!

The world can give you stuff and bad ideas, but it cannot give you what you really need which peace with God and hope for heaven. It only comes through Jesus Christ, not more stuff.

Extra

Folks, it has been awhile since I have seen a rain like yesterday. Matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time it has rained constantly all day long. There is bound to be some flooding. They are predicting some storms for this evening, but every time I cancel a meeting for storms, they don’t happen. So I plan to meet. If Josh cancels the youth later in the day, we will cancel the Pizza Supper but we are going to wait and see.

Perry’s knee replacement was a big success and Mickey’s is going on now {Lord willing}. The Brewer Boys play at Wallace State in the morning at 10:30. Go Patriots!

I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.