The Quality of Mercy is Not Strained (Shakespeare, not Me!)

Oh, dearie me. This is pathetic. Six whole months??? Sorry, you all. Let's see- what was the next one we were to look out? Peace. Unfortunately I have nothing amazingly profound to say about peace. So... what about... hmm.... ah, I know.

Years after the death of President Calvin Coolidge, this story came to light. In the early days of his presidency, Coolidge awoke one morning in his hotel room to find a cat burglar going through his pockets. Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep. Coolidge then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered he was a college student who had no money to pay his hotel bill or buy a ticket back to campus. Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet -- which he had also persuaded the dazed young man to give back! -- declared it to be a loan, and advised the young man to leave the way he had come so as to avoid the Secret Service! (Yes, the loan was paid back.)

This story illustrates... let me hear it... MERCY! Regardless of whether this story is TRUE or not, it's a great example of mercy and it illustrates God's mercy to us very nicely. That I will let you reflect on. Again, sorry it took so long to post. :) If you're still keeping tabs on this blog- leave a comment, perhaps? :D

Haley

When You Feel Like Tearing Your Hair Out :/

It's been more than a month since I posted anything! Good grief! Well, I'd better get busy then. What am I talking about? Patience.

The last half-hour in my house has been completely chaotic. Crying, shouting, LOUD barking... mainly it's just noise. And noise. AND NOISE. I'm practically the only non-noisy person in my family (well- besides my parents.) So the constant uproar- such as right now, when my sibilings are all shouting) really gets on my nerves.

What do I need?

Patience.

I read a story once in which an elderly man advised a mother, "Never pray for patience!" When she asked "Why ever not?" He responded, "Because the Lord will give you lots of trials so you can learn patience!"

So, that was my two bits of wisdom. Well, no. I have one more thing to say.

When you feel like tearing your hair out because of the din, PRAY asking to keep your temper.

Well, everything is settling down. Now, at least. They're all playing 'the quiet game.' So I'll go and.... tear my hair out. :)

"It may be difficult to wait on the Lord, but it is worse to wish you had."

I found the quote of the title for this post and I was thinking about how true it is.
We have moved on from the subject of peace to the subject of patience. (Yes, we are going through the fruits of the Spirit for those of you who haven't caught on yet! ;) Anyway, I was thinking about how much it hurts when we don't wait for the Lord's will to be done and we take matters into our own hands. Think about it, Abraham and Sarah decided that Sarah could not have a child. Never mind God's promises. They decided since she was so old, that God's plan just could NOT work without their assistance. So, Abraham had a child through Hagar-- but this child was Ishmael, not Isaac. That is the cause of all the problems in the middle east today! Ishmael's descendants were the Arabs/Muslims (not to assume that all Arabs are Muslims I know there are quite a few who are not) who hated Isaacs descendants-- the Jews-- with burning passion. If Abraham and Sarah could have seen the result of their actions in hindsight, do you think they would still have gone against God's will? As we can see from this story, it hurts when we go against God's will. As Corrie Ten Boom once put it, "Hold everything in your hands lightly…otherwise it hurts when God has to pry your fingers open, to make you let it go…" Hold everything lightly. Shouldn't that include more than just our possessions? Shouldn't that also include our personal preferences, stubborness, and everything else? Shouldn't we sacrifice everything to wait for God since He sacrificed everything for us? He is WORTHY of our everything. He is worthy of more than we can give to Him. He is worthy of all our worship, for Him and Him alone we should be willing to sacrifice all impatience, all sin.... everything. Wait for the LORD's plans. They are always best.

Peace Interview

Here I am interviewing Rachel on the subject of peace.

Me: Rachel, what do you say about peace?

Rachel: Um... okay, talk about giving me short NOTICE!! In fact, really not short notice, no notice at all. Anyway, I would say that when we are right with God and people we are at peace.

Me: Hey, you just stole my thought!

Rachel: It was NOT your thought! LOL. jk. I'll share the credit with you, okay? okay, anyway, Haley just said that she doesn't know a girl that she thought she knew. Lol. That was so random. Anyway, I would say that people generally think of peace as a scenere backdrop on their daily lives. I heard a story of a young girl in Sunday School who was trying to think of the four first Fruits of the Spirit. She said, "Love, Joy, Peace... and, and," another girl shouted, "Peace and quiet!"
Ironically enough, this is how many people view peace. But there is something much more to peace. The Lord assures us in His word that we can have peace through Him, and only through Him. Psalm 23 assures us, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." Even if we're going through a horribly dreadful time, we can still be comforted by this amazing, all-surpassing, all-consuming peace of our Heavenly Father. That's how powerful and awesome He is!! That's all I have to say about peace... is that okay?

Me: That's awesome! Thanks a lot! Here are some quotes I found on peace. What are your opinion of them? Quote #1: "Have peace in your heart, and thousands will be saved around you." -Seraphin of Sarov. What is your opinion on this, Rachel?

Rachel: Well, doing apologetics this year has helped me in responding to quotes. They have different questions based on different quotes. So... many times I'll end up agreeing with some part and disagreeing with another part of a quote. It would have to be that way with this one. First of all, I would agree that having peace in your heart is definitely an important thing for a Christian so that non-believers can see how God's power comforts us in weakness. But, then, I would have to disagree by saying that it takes more than simply having peace in your heart to lead someone to the Lord. There are so many other aspects. First of all, you must be able to have a good testimony in other ways besides simply being filled with peace. Also, in many cases you will need to answer questions that the other may have about your faith. And most importantly, Jesus Christ Himself must plant the seed of salvation that will flourish in the hearts of many.

Me: All right. Thank you very much! In parting, I'll quote another quotation; what do you all think about it? "Peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is the presence of God."

Enemy of Joy

Below I said that Joy is not dependent on outward circumstances. This is true, but sometimes things can begin to ruin your joy. Listen to Paul's command in Philippians 4:4-7: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Worry is a big enemy of joy. How can you be joyful when you are not trusting and obeying God? Yes, worrying is a sin. When you indulge in this dubious "luxury", you are both disobeying and God and not trusting in him. Paul tells us, "DON'T Worry. God is near. Give your requests to the Lord. If you do so, God's peace will guard you."

Joy vs. Happiness

Wow, now Rachel is way ahead of me!!

Okay. Joy. What is it?

I think that probably the book in the Bible most concentrated on JOY is the book of Philippians. "Joy" and "Rejoice" are used over and over and over again.
When you think about this from an unbeliever's perspective, it's pretty confusing. Read this from 2 Corinthians 11:23b-28: "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."
It seems hard to believe that anyone could have gone through all (or, at the time, most of it) sit in prison, and write such a joy filled letter, doesn't it? Read it for yourself. Here are some quotes from Philippians: "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice..." "I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me." "Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!" "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Non-believers shake their heads. How can a man be so happy while sitting in prison, being whipped, being shipwrecked, facing growing pressures, etc????
Answer: He most likely wasn't happy. HAPPY/JOY is the way most think of them. Nothing can be further from the truth. One can be joyful and not appear happy. You could describe them like this: Happiness comes from outside of you. Joy comes from inside of you.
In other words, Joy comes from God. Here are some of Paul's explanations of why he is joyful: "Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus may overflow on account of me." Phil. 1:25-26.
Paul's hope was in the Lord. "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
Paul had "the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in his heart." Although his outward circumstances did not look good, it did not destroy his inward joy in Christ. Most people think of happiness and joy like this: HAPPY/JOY. They are wrong. Instead of HAPPY/JOY, it is HAPPY vs. JOY.

Happiness:
~often needs luxuries and comforts
~is dependant on outward circumstances
~disappears very easily
~cannot last

Joy:
~does not need luxuries and comforts
~is not depenent on outward circumstances
~does not disappear
~will last

Joy: Where can it be found?

"Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:

Not in Unbelief -- Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: "I wish I had never been born."
Not in Pleasure -- Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: "The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone."
Not in Money -- Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."
Not in Position and Fame -- Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: "Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."
Not in Military Glory -- Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, "There are no more worlds to conquer."

Where then is real joy found? -- the answer is simple, in Christ alone."

In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is light, my Strength, my Song...