Monthly planner 2020
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, L ORD, make me dwell in safety. PSALM 4:8
Peace in the Here and Now
Some say that violence must be met with greater violence. Others say, “Live and let live.” Still others say, “Love is the answer.” Yet it seems that those with power too often wield it for their own benefit. When the strong rule the weak, does meaningful peace have a chance?
Our problem is that turmoil resides inside each of us. Our hearts churn with fear and apprehension. Peace seems impossible. Author and speaker Bill Crowder writes about our elusive quest for peace by looking at a frame from the life of Jesus. Even as He faced His own death, Jesus comforted others. “Peace I leave with you,” He said. “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (JOHN 14:27 NASB).
John 16:33 affirms that the hope we have for eternity found in John 14 is connected to the peace that enables us to endure the
trials and challenges of life here. Paul affirms this present peace in two of his letters and tells us how that peace comes to us in the anxieties we face. In Philippians 4:6–7, the apostle points out that this peace is, in part, the byproduct of the privilege of prayer:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Prayer allows us to access our greatest resource—the God of the universe—who is more than sufficient for any of the trials we wrestle with. This underlines what Jesus told His disciples in John 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” It is our relationship with the Father through His Son that gives us that very access (JOHN 14:6), so that His promise of peace is not only for the next life—it is very much for the present life.
Additionally, Paul told the churches at Galatia that peace was also the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christ-follower: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol; against such things there is no law” (GALATIANS 5:22–23).
As we walk in the Spirit (GALATIANS 5:16), He works in our lives to bear the fruit that represents the heart of Jesus. As a result, we not only have the promise of an eternal home where we will know peace forever, we also
have the privilege of prayer and the presence of the Spirit to provide us with the daily peace that can carry us through the dark, difficult days when life seems to go spinning out of control.
How can we be sure? The Prince of Peace has gone to the cross and defeated the grave to make it so. In the words of Vivian Kretz’s classic hymn:
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.
When the shadows come and darkness falls, He giveth inward peace.
O He is the only perfect resting place, He giveth perfect peace!
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.
BILL CROWDER
What Do the Experts Say?
READ: John 5:31–40
These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. JOHN 5:39–40
Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby writes of the “uncanny ability of experts to get things hopelessly, cataclysmically wrong.” A quick glance at recent history shows he’s right. The great inventor Thomas Edison, for instance, once declared that talking movies would never replace silent films. And in 1928, Henry Ford declared, “People are becoming too intelligent ever to have another war.” Countless other predictions by “experts” have missed the mark badly. Genius obviously has its limits.
Only one Person is completely reliable, and He had strong words for some so-called experts. The religious leaders of Jesus’s day claimed to have the truth. These scholars and theologians thought they knew what the promised Messiah would be like when He arrived.
Knowing the future is uncertain; knowing the One who holds the future is a sure thing.
Jesus cautioned them, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.” Then He pointed out how they were missing the heart of the matter. “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” ( JOHN 5:39–40)
As another new year gets underway, we’ll hear predictions ranging from the terrifying to the wildly optimistic. Many of them will be stated with a great deal of confidence and authority. Don’t be alarmed. Our confidence remains in the One at the very heart of the Scriptures. He has a firm grip on us and on our future. TIM GUSTAFSON
Knowing the future is uncertain; knowing the One who holds the future is a sure thing.
Gen. 1–3; Mt. 1
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 29 30 31 1
Gen. 7–9; Mt. 3
Gen. 4–6; Mt. 2
Gen. 10–12; Mt. 4
Gen. 20–22; Mt. 6:19-34
Gen. 23–24; Mt. 7
Gen. 25–26; Mt. 8:1-17
Gen. 27–28; Mt. 8:18-34
Gen. 36–38; Mt. 10:21-42
Gen. 39–40; Mt. 11
Gen. 41–42; Mt. 12:1-23
Gen. 43–45; Mt. 12:24-50
Ex. 4–6; Mt. 14:22-36
Ex. 7–8; Mt. 15:1-20
Ex. 9–11; Mt. 15:21-39
Ex. 12–13; Mt. 16
Ex. 21–22; Mt. 19
Ex. 23–24; Mt. 20:1-16
Ex. 25–26; Mt. 20:17-34
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