Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
On nights when sleep alludes me I remind myself of the faith of Abraham and Sarah. It brings me peace to remember that faith above all pleases God. In my imperfection I remind myself that God thought of me and you when Jesus came to this earth to give up His perfect life in our place. God loves the world and all the people in it, His creation, shouldn’t we do the same? Carla
Philippians 4:8-9
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (NKJV)
Noble describes that which is of honorable character. Pure is closely associated with the Greek word for holy and thus means “sacred” or “immaculate.” Paul commands the Philippians “to deliberate,” “to evaluate,” “to compute over and over” what is good and pure. In this way, Christians can renew their minds so that they will not conform to the evil habits of this world (Romans 12:2). The NKJV Study Bible.
The Greek word used here for peace, eirēnē, conveys a range of meanings, including well-being, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, safety from harm, and deliverance from enemies. Paul envisions God’s peace as a soldier who protects the hearts and minds of believers from anxiety, fear, and doubt. Faithlife Study Bible
Philippians 3:17
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
1 Thessalonians 4:1
Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;
Romans 14:18
For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
1 Corinthians 4:16
Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
Some days, we wake up in a world that is not a friend of grace. At least, it doesn’t feel so.
And I take to heart my friend’s reminder, that we find sanity and sanctuary when we stop and distinguish between big world and small world. Yes. With big world, news is in your face and stoked with anger. No wonder we feel as if our control is demoted. And we ask, how can I make a difference in a broken world?
Well that’s just it, we make a difference in the small world.
The small world is the place where we stand. Today. Where we care and give a damn. And hug and give and try and love and fall down, and get up and repent, and cry and embrace, and challenge and reconcile, and heal.
Makes me smile. Yes. Making a difference in the small world with compassion free of ulterior motive, and straight from the heart. The path we walk (the choices we make), is not arbitrary, or because we mentally assent to a certain creed. It is guided by and fueled by an identity that is grounded in and spills from sufficiency, and not scarcity. Sufficiency is that place where Grace is received and given freely.
Sufficiency where we remember Jesus’ words to each of us, “You are the light of the world.” He didn’t ask us to make the light. Just shine it. When I live from scarcity, I’ve lost my mooring. I’m driven by “not enough.” I clutch, and I blame.
When I live from sufficiency, I am not compensating for what is missing, the world does not make me hate, I trust my heart, and any assumed scarcity (of kindness and compassion) does not get to say how the story ends.
But how? And where do we begin in a broken world?
There is a well-known story concerning a Rabbi who came across the prophet Elijah, and asked him: “Tell me—when will the Messiah come?”
Elijah replied, “Go and ask him yourself.”
“Where is he?” asked the Rabbi.
“He’s sitting at the gates of the city,” said Elijah.
“But how will I know which one is he?”
The Prophet replied, “He is sitting among the poor, covered with wounds. The others unbind all their wounds at the same time and bind them up again, but he unbinds only one at a time and binds them up again, saying to himself, ‘Perhaps I shall be needed; if so, I must always be ready so as not to delay for a moment.’” Sabbath Moments
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