Peace 14
In this blog series, I have attempted
to shine a light on that precious blessing known as peace. I have defined and
described it, spoken of what accompanies it, discussed what prevents it, and
given you eight specific means of obtaining it. With today’s post, I offer you
the ninth and last scriptural method of obtaining God’s peace, peace of mind
and heart and spirit. It is this: love God’s Word. Great peace have they
which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them (Psalm 119.165).
Loving God’s Word is mentioned several
times in this psalm. O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day
(Psalm 119.97). I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love (Psalm 119.113). I
hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love (Psalm 119.163). Plainly, this
is a point of emphasis both in this psalm and with the Lord. Do you love the
Bible? Do you love your Bible?
It is relatively easy to quickly
answer in the affirmative and move on. “Yes, Pastor Brennan, I do love God’s
Word. Now, when will the peace arrive? Today or tomorrow?” It is quite a different thing, however, to
evidence that love for God’s Word. Do you have any evidence to back up your
assertion that you love it? Is there any proof?
Do not tell me you love it if you do
not know it. A. W. Tozer used an unforgettable phrase as the title of his most
well known book, “The Knowledge of the Holy.” The extent to which I love God is
seen at least in this, the extent to which I know Him. Surely, I cannot claim
to love a God I do not know much about. The same is true with God’s Word. I
dare not claim I love it if I know little about it.
Do you know the books of the Bible? Do
you know the basic gist of each one? Do you know the great stories of
Scripture? Do you know the main characters in the Old and New Testaments? Do
you know the events of the life of Jesus Christ? Do you know where in the Word
you might find the doctrines you hold as precious?
Do not tell me you love the Bible if
you do not study it. Jesus called us to search the Scriptures (John 5.39). Paul
commended the Berean Christians because they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily (Acts 17.11). Paul
instructs us to study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy
2.15).
Do you merely listen to teaching and
preaching, or does that listening drive you to study the content of it? Do you
accept what your pastor says simply because he says it? Do you ever look up the
references he cites later? Do you ever write down a question that comes to mind
in order to search for the answer later? Would you recognize if he got off on
some unscriptural tangent?
Do you study what it has to say about
your own needs? Yesterday, I sat with a child of God who is attempting to
return to Him. We spoke at some length of their desire for God to work on their
life. Do you have such a desire? Have you taken up the Word of God in order to
find in it what you need to rebuild or grow your life?
What do you do when you come across a
word in the Bible you do not understand? Ignore the fact, or study it out? What
about doctrines you do not understand? Ever study out one of those? What about
a deep dive into some Bible character, tracing God’s hand at work in the arc of
his or her life from beginning to end?
Do not tell me you love the Word of
God if you do not read it. Mandy and I exchange hundreds of texts a month. If I
ignored them all, how could I maintain with a straight face that I love her?
Why, it would be impossible. Read it at a scheduled time. Read it in an orderly
manner. Read it when you are moved to, when your soul is hungry. Read it aloud
with your family. Read it at work on break. Read it at school during lunch.
Listen to it on CD or via a streaming app. Put it up as decoration all over
your house.
Do not tell me you love God’s Word if
you do know think about it. God instructed Joshua, This book of the law
shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein
(Joshua 1.8). Meditate on it by schedule. Meditate on when the Lord brings
it to your mind. Meditate on it on purpose, to chew over what you read earlier.
Meditate on how it applies to your life. Meditate on what it reveals to you
about God.
Do not tell me you love the Scripture
if you do not speak about it. George Herbert said, “Love and a cough cannot be
hid.” If you really love someone or something, it overflows all over your life
like an unwatched pot of water boiling on the stove. People know you love the
Michigan Wolverines. They know you love coffee. They know you love camping.
They know you love Thai food. Yet somehow, you assert that you love the Word of
God but no one in your life is aware of the fact?
Do not tell me you love the Word if
you do not sing it. Just this morning I read through Colossians and came
again across the wonderful passage about singing God’s Word. Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to
the Lord (Colossians 3.16). We have a culture driven by music. Our
celebrities are music celebrities. There is music playing in every store,
during every commercial, and on most radio stations. Music tracks fill our
databases. Our lives are best reflected by our self-chosen soundtrack. How much
of that music is composed of what you claim to love, the Word of God?
Do not tell me you love God’s Word if
you do not memorize it. In this very psalm we are called to such precious work.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart (Psalm 119.11). Can you quote by
memory the verses for the plan of salvation? Do you know what it is like to lay
awake at night on your bed, and softly whisper the words of Psalm 23 to
quell your heart’s fear and worry? When subjects come up in discussion around
you do Bible phrases and passages come often to mind?
See? It is relatively easy to say you
love God’s Word; it is rather more difficult to prove it with our lives.
The word “great” is a terribly
over-used adjective. Yet God never over-uses any word, including this one. In
fact, he only defines peace as “great peace” one time in the entire Scripture
record. What a priceless possession great peace must be. For such a thing, a
man might give all the possessions of his house, yet it only comes one way.
There is only one avenue in the entire record of Scripture to obtain great
peace. We must love God’s Word.
“I do, Pastor Brennan, I do.”
If you know me personally, you know I
have a great love for each of my children. I do not claim that; I live it. I
know them. I study them, trying to figure out what makes them tick, why they do
what they do, why they want what they want. I think of them often. I speak of
them often. I have memorized numerous details about their life. I have even
made up unique songs for each one of them. Why? Because I love them.
So it ought to be with the Word of God
in my life. And when it is, peace comes. Not just ordinary, everyday, run of
the mill peace. But great peace.
Amen and thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat words Bro. Brennan, powerful and convicting thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful series and then you have to mention TTUN!
ReplyDeletelol Mark Pierce
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