Seek Peace
So, here I sit, in the glorious morning light of the Adeline Christian Camp sun.
It is 6:45AM, a pile of our young people are at a picnic table to my left studying the scriptures together out of John 4. They are questioning each other about the words of Jesus. In the cafeteria, there are scattered individuals quietly meditating on what the Spirit of God is speaking to their heart while sipping coffee. Pastor Ryan is brushing his teeth in the grass behind his camper like a good outdoorsman. I am in a camp chair with the grass between my toes. There are others still resting because our day yesterday was filled with laughing, a plethora of different ball-sports, worship, proclamation of the word, one-on-one ministry, s’mores, hair braiding, a campfire circle reminiscent of the first century church. There is a near permanent grin on my bearded, shepherd’s face, mostly inspired by the humble thought that my good Father choose this life for me with you.
Dear Beloved Church, I love you.
It is much easier under these conditions for the love, joy, and unity of the believers to freely flow, admittedly. In the self-inflicted “busyness” of our way of life and the relative isolated, or insulated, version of society projecting itself upon us, it should not be surprising to any of us that there is an unplanned orchard of unwanted fruit. It manifests in different forms, but it is all equally rotten. Anger, stress, offence, divisiveness, inadequacy, bitterness, shame, and many others are piling up in the hidden back yard of our lives where a garden of the fruit of the Spirit should be fragrantly bursting as a cornucopia positioned on a divine banquet table.
The Apostle Peter made a unique statement in First Peter three and verse 11 that is a direct quote from Psalms 34:14.
“Also let him turn away from evil, and let him do good. Let him seek peace and let him pursue it.”
Seek peace.
Pursue it.
It is being alluded to here that peace tends to run away. I was playing, “cops and robbers,” with the kids last night. It is just a glorified type of hide-and-go-seek. I was a cop, with a flash light, pursuing those pesky robbers who had only one job… avoid me. I learned a little secret (pssst: don’t tell the young’ens)… if I stayed still with my light off, the eventuality of the compelling nature of their excited, youthful energy would bring them past me. Naturally. Then, the pursuit was much easier and more acceptable to my “mature” (less energetic) legs.
Seek peace… and pursue it.
With all the many pursuits of the American life, why has this infinitely priceless reward been so neglected? The world has tried to counterfeit the Kingdom life and way from the very beginning. God created the beauty of His heavenly way for us all to share in together and placed man in the center of it. The enemy of abundant life disguised death through plastic versions of wicked fruit. Love, the God-kind of love, has been defiled into Hollywood’s sex scenes. Joy has been twisted to drug or alcohol induced “partying” with momentary laughter that quickly turns to regret. Faithfulness has been insulted as “old-fashioned” and replaced with a self-centered philosophy of, “if it feels good to you, do it.” But peace… there is no substitute for peace… no counterfeit… no plastic version… no movie special effects can replicate it.
“There is no peace for the wicked,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 48:22 and 57:21
No peace. Not less, but none.
Many people have found that they have lost the internal energy for the pursuit. Sadly, a majority of our defiled society just accept a faux life, devoid of this precious fruit, and medicate themselves into a numbness that suppresses their heart’s cry. Child of God, this is no way to live.
It is imperative that we slow down (or stop) the maddening pace of the “rat race” and be discipled into the lost art of rest. This is a grace-empowered aspect of our Kingdom culture, Beloved family. One of my favorite parts of Family Camp is that many folks get a taste of what that is and then they determine to pursue it with greater resolve.
Psalm 34:8 (AMP)
O taste and see that the LORD [our God] is good; How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him.
As the senior elder here in Beloved, and as the one charged with the vision for our culture, I believe this pursuit should be highly prioritized for me firstly, but all of us firstly as well. Jesus is our peace. He is the Prince that rules in and from peace. Pursuing His heart, His Word, His ways, His wisdom, His voice is how this Kingdom chase works.
Seek Jesus.
Pursue Jesus.
Taste and see that His peace is so deliciously good.
Hebrews 13:20-21
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Can I get an amen?!
I love you greatly,
Steve
