PEACE REVISITED

Aaron Rodgers a few years ago posted his famous R-E-L-A-X statement to Packer fans who were concerned about the team's slow start to that season.  Just relax he said, don't worry.  So as we really get into the Christmas season, can I say to you;  just be at peace. P-E-A-C-E!  Why? Because it's a nice little catch phrase at this time of the year? No, because the Word of God is full of encouragement about being filled with peace. I guess God knew what we would struggle with, right?

It was the message God gave to Mary, to Joseph twice, and to the shepherds. Peace in a world full of turmoil? Really? Who knew? God's people hated their representatives in Washington (that is: rulers in Rome) and wanted them out. With just a change of leadership, they would finally be at peace. Right? Ah, no.

I've always loved the scripture quoted often at Christmas from Isaiah 9:6-7: "For a child is born to us, a son given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and it's peace will never end." (NLT)

So why hasn't it happened yet? Where is the Prince of Peace promised to a troubled world then and now? Oh, it will happen in a literal sense and probably sooner than most think. Even many Christians are weary of thinking of Christ coming again. Don't be friends. It will happen. The Bible guarantees it. But what about now you say. We thought a change in leadership in our government levels would bring about what is really needed in our world. If only all the enemies of the United States were eliminated, then we would have the peace we so desperately need. Right? Wrong!

The truth is you can have the peace that God's Word promises and you can have it right now. If Christmas tells us anything, it tells us that Jesus wants to come into your life even more deeply than He is now. He said, "My peace I give to you, not the peace that this world thinks it can give. Don't let your hearts be troubled; believe and believe deeply! "  (Jerry Bruette Version)

Friends, Up North Wisdom tells us that God wants you, yes you, to be His instrument of peace. Let others see Godly peace in your hearts, lives, families, circumstances and when they wonder how can it be, you tell them the answer for that peace, comfort and joy. To paraphrase a very old Christmas hymn: " God give rest, merry men and women, and let nothing bring you to dismay and discouragement. REMEMBER CHRIST THE SAVIOR was born on Christmas Day. To save us all from satan's power (to bring fear, doubt and unbelief which leads to lack of peace) when we went astray (and didn't believe God's Word). Wow! Those are words of great comfort and joy and are meant to free all those who trust in Him from the power of sin and fear."

I love it, don't you? And remember: yes, you know it is true, don't you: The Best Is Yet To Come! That is what Isaiah 9 is all about. Believe it. And a very merry, happy, joyful and peaceful Christmas season to all!

WORSHIP EVERYTHING - VALUE NOTHING

"That's LA. They worship everything and value nothing." - says Sebastian,  one of the lead characters in the movie La La Land.  And so we wonder what values will affect his and Mia's choices as they chase their dreams.

That quote by Sebastian still sticks in my mind and I wonder if that philosophical statement defines our world. Or the church. Or me.  For the church and you and me,  I hope not. I think every decision a person makes is driven by the values they hold, don't you? So I ask myself: what do I worship today and how does that affect my values?

Jesus said we are to worship God(only) and serve Him(only).  Luke 4:8   What do we see as we look around at our world, both near and far? What's gets worshipped:  possessions? family? jobs? finances? religion? etc. The dictionary says to worship is to honor, exalt, adore, glorify, idolize, follow, and more. I think when God is without question first and foremost in our lives, our worship and our values will be reflected by that.

I worship Jesus so I want to value what He values. For instance, He places value on the little ones. How little? When they have life. In my dentist's office I saw a chart by the National Dentist Association that was called a Chart of HUMAN (my emphasis) Dentition.  It showed when the teeth were first being developed in a baby's gums early in the womb. When I congratulated my dentist on being pro-life, he didn't know what to say. :)  Jesus places value on the elderly. An old man (Simeon) and an old woman (Anna) were among the first to recognize the Lordship of Jesus when he was taken to the temple to be dedicated. (Luke 2)

Read the Word. You will see that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit place value on all life. ALL LIFE! And do not discriminate. When I think about our country and the rest of the world, I see confusion, disarray, anger, discouragement, fear, etc.  So let's all look within ourselves. I don't want it said of me that I worship many things and value few things. Let us not have said of the church that it worships form but has no substance. Let's be people of the Word, but being very careful to divide it rightly. And let's bear the same fruit as Jesus did: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness ands self-control. Wow! Wow! Would that have an impact or what!

So back to La La Land. The ending is interesting. Whose dreams are we seeing: Sebastian's or Mia's? Or is it our dream. I wanted a better resolution at the end of the story but there didn't seem to be one. I wonder why I would hope for one. Up North Wisdom says that for the Christian believer, we know that there is a final resolution for this world and all of creation. All things will be restored, including relationships. God planned it from the foundation of the world. Christ's return is our wonderful, blessed and living hope! So in light of that, God help us to worship rightly and value rightly! And remember:  The Best Is Yet To Come!

TRUST

"Have I strength to go on waiting, or have any end to be looking forward to?" (Job 6:11)

Some of you right now may be thinking, "I just can't make it through another month".  Then put your trust in God and make it through another week. You may say, "I just can't make it through another week." Then put your trust in God and you can make it through another day.
You may say, "I just can't make it through another day." Then put your trust in God and make it through another hour.

Listen friends, God is still in control and he is still on the throne. I have read The Book. I know that what began with God will end with God. I have put my trust in that fact. How about you?

The cure for worry is spelled out very clearly in Philippians 4:4-7:  Verse 6 says, "Do not worry (be anxious) about ANYTHING, but in everything by prayer and coming to Him with thanksgiving, give your requests to God. Then you will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Pray for the leadership of our country, our state and our community. It's really a command to do so in the Bible. Pray for direction in the upcoming elections. And then really, really trust God and be ready always to give an answer of the great hope you have in Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen.

God is in control. I say God is in control. Remind yourselves of that regularly. And remember friends, when you know and have a relationship with Christ -- The Best Is Yet To Come!

ELECTION THOUGHTS

John Bevere is a teacher and preacher that I greatly respect and has been a tremendous influence on how I think and believe about many topics. Authority is one of those. I have read and Jeanne and I have taught on his book, "Under Cover".  John wrote this letter to our church and many others as well. I present it to you for your consideration. I think of the words of Jesus:  "Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."  Certainly at this time in our nation and world more than ever. From John Bevere:

It wasn't until God dealt with my bad attitude toward the outcome of past presidential elections that I began to focus on the authority of the president rather than his conduct. The revelation that nobody gets into power without His knowledge and that those in authority carry His appointment,  forever changed the way I view elections. I believe it can do the same for anyone with a receptive heart.

In the Bible, we see Christians were exhorted to honor kings by looking beyond their behavior and honoring their position of authority (1 Peter 2:17). If the church isn't lifting up our government with honor, can we expect this country and our ministries to experience a great move of God? Whether or not we agree with a candidate's political views, we can choose to honor our leaders and stand behind them in prayer instead of joining in on the disrespectful bashes. If not us, then who?

In my Under Cover Curriculum, I extensively discuss the best way to honor authority in civil, church, family, and social settings. When our hearts are submitted to God's Word and to authority, we will see churches come together and flourish under His promises. I encourage you to maximize your position by vocalizing your vote for this year, but do so in a way that honors all candidates. That way, your heart and the people's hearts that you lead will be in the right place -- regardless of who is elected.

Let's be a light in a dark world, and lead by example.   John Bevere

Up North Wisdom strongly recommends reading the book, Under Cover, and to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as he speaks wisdom to you.  Here is a question for you and me: Are we spending the same amount of time praying for as we are complaining about the candidates. We are commanded to pray for those in authority over us. I fear there is a great lack of obeying that command.

My encouragement is to pray, pray, pray and pray ( as my mother exhorted ) and to vote (please vote) and then engage our world in a Godly and Scripture-directed way.  Let the church be the church!!

And I still believe -- The Best Is Yet To Come!

Where Does My Mind Stay?

Well, Up North Wisdom is up and running again after a lengthy sabbatical. My wife Jeanne, and I entered a new phase of our lives that we prefer to call "refirement" instead of "retirement", a term used by one of her cousins. We love that word. Since Fall, we have adjusted to new rolls in our lives and well as new freedoms. We just returned from spending two months in Arizona and Florida. Both are beautiful in different ways but both offered much warmer temperatures than what the people in the north experienced.  It was good to go and it is good to be back in our own home. And we found that God is moving all across this country. I love being a part of His family, don't you?

Every night of the month of February that we spent in Florida, a verse from the Bible entered my mind and in my mind I repeated it over and over. I didn't even know what the scripture reference was until I looked it up to make sure it was accurate and it was. Isaiah 26:3 which reads like this:  "God will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him because he trusts in Him".

Great verse and great truth. I am going to preach on this on April 19th at Living Hope Church. An advance warning.  :)  Let me just reflect on two words in this post -- perfect peace! Wow! If there was ever a time in our world where those words don't apply in our secular culture it's now. The world looks for political answers to peace and can't find them. And then we have God's Word that promises Perfect Peace. What is that?

Well, we know it's not what we are going to get in our world. Jesus said in the Gospel of John: "Peace I leave with you; MY peace I give to you. Not the peace that the world is looking for and can't find but the kind I give (Perfect Peace). So don't be troubled in your hearts and don't be afraid." How awesome is that! No one can grasp this until they experience it. One more verse from Philippians chapter 4: "Don't worry or be anxious about things. Instead pray with a thankful heart and give all those worries over to Him.  When you do that, God's peace, which is way beyond human understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ." Hmmm, that is so good!

So friends, Up North Wisdom says start looking to the One who alone can bring real peace in the midst of troubling circumstances. Quit thinking that the right politics will bring answers to the problems that our world is dealing with. History has shown they can't.  Focus or refocus on your relationship with Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and ask the Holy Spirit to reignite the fire of passion for God's Word and God's work. Pray instead of criticizing and complaining.  Friends, believe me when I tell you that The Best Is Yet To Come no matter what is happening at the moment if we will keep our minds stayed (focused) on God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the precious and powerful Holy Spirit. It's true.

Oh, one more thing:  Pray for our law enforcement officers. God bless them! They are being attacked in the press as well as by the law breakers in our world. They need our prayer and our support. The next time you see a police officer, thank him or her for serving our community and bless them! They really need our encouragement!

It's good to be back!!

BUSYNESS

"I am so busy. I can hardly keep up with my schedule. I'm exhausted."   Have you heard these words anytime lately? Have you said them or something like them in the last several days? I have had some time to think about "busyness" in the last couple of months since I am not as "busy" as I used to be.

We generally don't think that there is anything wrong with being busy. After all, we tend to think that the opposite of busy is "idle" or "lazy" or to be a little Biblical - slothful. Actually, two dictionary definitions of the opposite of busy that I really like are:  "quiet" and the other is "available".  Ah, now that puts a different spin on it, doesn't it?

In Ephesians chapter 5 and verses 15 and 16, we read:  "Be careful how you live. Don't be unwise but wise, making the best use of (redeeming) your time. Understand whats the Lord wants you to do."

Good verses. What does the Lord want us to do and how does He want us to think about "busyness" ? I like the thinking of Max Lucado on this issue. He says that being busy is not a sin. After all, Jesus was busy. Paul was busy. And we all know, don't we friends, that we will not get much of anything important accomplished without effort and hard work.  And working hard will make us weary. Ok, that in itself is not sin.

But being busy in a mad dash pursuit of things that leave us empty and broken inside does not please God.  Would you agree? Doesn't it seem like sometimes the faster we go in our lives, the emptier we become?  Yet why does it seem like taking time to pause, reflect, meditate and just listen to the important voices in our lives is just so hard? It's not easy to make decisions to bring our life under control and change our priorities so we can focus on first seeking after and building our relationship with our Heavenly Father and letting some of the other things take a backseat.

So I align with Mr. Lucado who believes that in the midst of busyness, the Cross is still there. In the midst of your emptiness, the Cross is still there. The promises of Jesus still stand today. You can claim peace in the midst of a hectic life -- but not without some sacrifice and concentration, but we can do it.

So I am learning once again that God's Word is so true. Pastor Jerry, family and friends and brothers and sisters:  Up North Wisdom says listen and apply the truth from Matthew 6 which tells us that doing what God wants and seeking His Kingdom first will keep us in good relationship with Him as well as with others. And the needs of our lives will be met. I'm learning friends and I hope you are too. Not only will God show you how to live, learn and love better, but He will bring great peace into the middle of the busyness of your life.

"Father God, help us to know when to say no to the world and yes to you. Help us to hear the true and still small voice of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the pressures and busyness of life. We are not very good at it, Father, so we really need You to help us. Thank You for Your love and Grace in our lives."

So now with all that in mind, isn't it so cool to really know that The Best Is Yet To Come?  Blessings!!

Who Do You Trust

Pastor Mark Cox of Central Church in Green Bay posted on Face Book this morning that win, lose, or draw for the candidate of your choice, let's be civil and remember ...We're ALL in this together! Good post, Pastor Mark. Psalm 20:7 says that "some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord God."  An excellent verse. I would give it a modern twist and say, "Some trust in one political party and some trust in a different political party, but Christians trust in the name of the Lord, our God!"

Listen, there are a lot of things this old world needs but angry Christians are not one of them. It always amazes me to hear Christians say ugly things about certain politicians like this one or that one is their personal enemy. It's almost enough to make me........well a little angry. :)  Friend, I know who my enemy really is and so do you. And it's not a certain politician who holds a specific office.

I've often heard and said that if Christians are obedient to God's Word, they WILL pray for those in public office and not sin by being an angry voice that continually says negative and ugly things about certain politicians that they don't like. God's Word, not mine. Check out the writings of Paul.  Prayer is a great calmer and a great antidote for an angry spirit. We are not going to influence the world towards Christ by acting in opposition to what He told us.

Living Hope Church's founding pastor, Jim Erickson, said often that a defining verse in God's Word is " A soft answer turns away anger".  So how am I doing on that one?  How are you? How is the world going to know we are Christians if we don't act like one?  The Book of James is the great mirror for all of us. To say we are religious (Christians) and yet to say things and do things that are contrary to the Word is to fool ourselves. When we aren't demonstrating (living out) our faith by what we do (like reaching out to help the poor, ministering to those in need, having control of our tongues, talking less, listening more and not becoming angry, etc. etc. etc. -- then we are just another loud angry voice that joins all the others.

Some defining verses for me are found in Proverbs 3.   "Pastor Jerry, and all Christians,  Trust In The Lord With ALL Your Heart and Don't Depend On Your Own Understanding. Give Him First Place In Your Life and Everything Will Turn Out As God Directs."  JBV Version (Jerry Bruette Version) :)

Let me end with this from Max Lucado:  "I believe that many of us go through life sucking on pacifiers. Oh we don't see them because they're in our bank. Or they're parked in our garage. Or we live in them. Don't put your hope into things that change -- relationships, money, talents, beauty and health. (And into certain politicians - my add). Set your sights on one thing that can never change; trust in your Heavenly Father."   AMEN!  And Up North Wisdom adds one more thing for those of you who choose to trust God in all circumstances -- The Best Is Yet To Come!