Pastor Les Dennis, Fall River Baptist Church, Nova Scotia

John 14:27 (HCSB) Jesus’ Gift of Peace – Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful. You have heard Me tell you, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you.

Sense of Restlessness

As we enter the fourth week of having no church services and, for many of our congregation no reason to leave the house except for unavoidable trips for supplies, we may be feeling a sense of restlessness from being cooped up in our homes.

Handling Confinement

As a believer we can handle whatever the Lord allows to come our way, even being confined to quarters. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God will not allow us to face something we cannot handle, including the temptation to give into discontentment and restlessness. He tells us that our temptations are common to mankind. Much of the world is facing similar confinement right now. God does not promise to do away with our difficulties, but He does promise to make a way for us to deal with them. He may not remove the temptation but He does provide a way of escape by enabling us to handle it. The Lord Will Bring Good out of It.

As believers we should remember that God will bring good out of our confinement. We may not know what good will come from it, but by faith we know good will come. We know that the Lord will bring good out of it because He made that promise in Romans 8:28. Knowing that good will come from our current situation can help ease the feelings of discontentment and restlessness.

Using Our Time Wisely

According to Matthew 6:33-34, we should seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first. This will help alleviate worry about external threats that are outside our door. Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us to make the most of our situation. Our confinement can be an opportunity spend extra time with the Lord each day, which improves our peace of mind. Additional time in the Word and in prayer gives the Holy Spirit opportunity to grow the fruit of the Spirit in us, which includes peace. Jesus said in John 16:33 that in Him we can have peace. There will always be suffering in this world, but we can have peace in tribulation because He has conquered the world.

We can use our confinement to show our love toward other people. We can do this by a simple contact with someone we know who may be having an especially difficult time right now. Communication says “I care about you” and is appreciated by most people. Some of you are showing love for others in various ways such as cooking meals, getting supplies or in other creative ways.

Conclusion

Whatever we do with our time in confinement, we need to seek the Lord’s will in it. We need to trust the Lord rather than our own understanding or ability to figure it all out; we need to acknowledge the way the Lord has worked in our lives in the past and then we just need to use our heads to make decisions as to what to do. If we do this we can be confident that the Lord will direct our path (Proverbs 3:5-6) toward doing His will, whether we are aware of it or not. This can reduce our sense of discontentment and restlessness and replace it with peace of mind. Restlessness or peace is our choice.

© Les Dennis, 2020 — Permission is given to copy this article, if it is copied in its entirety and distributed without charge.

Robert Louis Stevenson was a 19th century novelist who wrote Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One night, as a boy, Stevenson watched darkness envelope the city, his nurse urged him to sit down, because he could not see anything outside. Robert replied, “I can see something wonderful. A man is coming down the street making holes in the darkness.” He was referring to a lamplighter whose job was to light street lights in his day. Wise Solomon wrote, “the way of the wicked is like deep darkness. True, but how wonderful to also learn that Jesus later wrote, “I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” When we enter into a personal relationship with Christ, He makes holes in our darkness.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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The advice column contained a letter from a woman describing her serious moral indiscretions during her college days, which involved incriminating pictures of her. She was worried that with today’s technology, the pictures could be anywhere. The letter ended with a warning to others, to think before they do something that could follow them all their lives. Sad, but true. The good news is that when we admit our wrong doing, and confess it to the Lord, while there may be unpleasant implications that result, there is forgiveness. David, who had his own discretions, cried out to God, “I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover my iniquity …and you forgave…” If you are troubled by past or present indiscretions, turn to the Lord. He will forgive. No matter what we have done, God loves us so much, He will forgive.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Our world is torn by wars, natural disasters, conflict and epidemics. Perhaps partly because of this, millions are in a mad pursuit of pleasure, continuously promoted on television, at bars, and night clubs. The common philosophy for many is “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” King Solomon, believed in that philosophy and his opportunities were limitless, since he had huge resources, an enormous harem and unrestrained appetites. But he found that pleasure did not satisfy him, only God could do that. Finally, Solomon cried out “all is vanity.” He recognized that the sensible course was to “fear God and keep His commandments…for God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing.” To refuse God’s way of true satisfaction in this life means we will face Him one day as our Judge.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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On September 11, 2001, an airplane crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York City. That tragedy, known as 9/11 took the lives of almost 3,000 people. Since that terrible event, the families of the deceased have been showered with love and condolences. They have received comfort from the sincere sympathy of politicians and other leaders. Perhaps you have just had a tragedy in your life- bad medical news, said good-by to someone dear to you, or you lost your job. In addition to the support from your loved ones, the Bible, God’s inspired Word tells us that our Heavenly Father is “the God of all comfort.” And Peter wrote, “casting all your care on Him (Christ) because He cares for you.” If you are hurting today, I urge you to reach out to the Lord Jesus. He said, “come unto me all you who labour and are heavy burdened.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Many sincere people believe that the reason for what is happening in the Ukraine, Syria, the Middle East, and other world trouble areas is a lack of education. But James Burnham, in his book “The Suicide of the West” claims that such thinking overlooks certain facts of history entirely. He points out that Germany, long one of the great cultured nations of the world, produced a Hitler, and that Nazi leader Goebbles earned a Ph.D. Burnham contends that education does not eliminate greed passion and lust for power. Education is vital, but is clearly not, by itself, the answer to the mess this world is in. When godly fear leads to Christ and transformed lives, the world can be changed, one person at a time. Paul explained “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…behold all things have become new.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Dr. John R. Brobeck, for many years professor of Physiology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, says that many scientists now admit the miracles described in the Bible may have happened. He said they are no longer able to honestly say that something is impossible, only improbable. Brobeck stated the one factor that could account for Bible miracles is a sourced unknown to the scientific system, identified in the Bible as “the power of God. “ It has been described as “that ability…whereby God can bring to pass whatever He pleases.” Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..” Whether scientists believe it or not, the Bible, God’s inspired Word is still trustworthy and able to transform lives.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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It has been called “the sports moment of the century” It happened on September 28th 1972 when hockey player Paul Henderson scored for Team Canada against the powerhouse Team Russia. One would think this kind of achievement would have brought real fulfillment and happiness to Henderson, but it did not. He said later, “It was only after I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ and started living for Him that I found inner peace and tranquility…Being a Christian is vibrant, exciting and gives purpose and meaning to life.” The Bible promises this to all who sincerely acknowledge their fallen spiritual condition and invite Christ into their lives. Paul the Apostle was inspired to describe this transformation with the words “…being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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“The Book of Life, a 2014 computer animated film, presents a story line that sweeps us into a fantastic presentation of three worlds, the land of the remembered, the land of the forgotten and the land of the living. The film probably gets its title from the Bible, which makes several references to “the book of life”. For example, one passage in the Book of Revelation, speaking of the city of God, Heaven, says, “Nothing impure will enter it nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the “Lamb’s Book of life.” We are told that “all have sinned”, and Jesus gave His life in our place. So when we ask Him for forgiveness and believe in Him, we become “children of God” and our names are then written in the “Book of Life.” I hope you’ll think about that today

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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“The most important factor in life is whether one takes life for granted or with gratitude.” Those are the words of one of the most original thinkers of the early twentieth century- G.K. Chesterton, a novelist, poet, critic and essayist. These are words of wisdom from a wise thoughtful man. We have so many things for which to be grateful. Our health, the beauty all around us, provision for our needs, friends, families, and more. But while we are giving thanks, let’s not forget our dear Heavenly Father, Who has given us the best gift of all- His Son, Jesus. John emphasized this in His gospel, writing, “…God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” And Paul encouraged people of his day with the words, “thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Indeed, gratitude is the best attitude.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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