Peacemakers pt. 2

A peacemaker does not always have the solution that will solve every situation, but they are prepared to meet you with compassion that takes the edge off of the circumstance you are in. They are not pretentious, saying things just to be saying them, but protective. Your heart is a treasure to them, so rather than piercing it with the poison of hurtful, spiteful, damaging words, they season their words with grace.

They speak truth in love. 

They trust the Lord..........a lot.........and believe that He can say and reveal what they cannot.

If you know a peacemaker, you know that they know how to love unconditionally, embracing those around them with their intuitive nature.

It is easier to be a peacemaker if you know the One who is called Peace! And if you hang out with His friends you will enjoy the fruit of peace as they influence you with His sweet nature.

I grew up in a very dysfunctional home. I never knew when the last straw would be broken and all you know what would break loose. It was terrifying, but I had never known anything different.......I had never really experienced the joy of living in peaceful versus volatile surroundings.

Scotty and I had been married about a month and we were getting ready for church one Sunday morning. I began to cry rather loudly for him to hurry and come! He ran to me, ready to take on the bear that must have come in the window. He soon realized that there wasn't a bear,  only tears........I was overwhelmed. I felt peace, real peace for the first time in my life. My heart could rest in my home, unafraid that there would be disaster if someone said or did the wrong thing. I could breathe.....really breathe, because I lived with a peacemaker.

"Blessed.....enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous [that is with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions].....are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!"

Peace~

Cheri 

Peacemakers

Peace is like a newborn that is sleeping, a sunrise breaking through the night, a rest that settles after a bout with strife.  Peace. It is knowing that a promise spoken will be kept by the promising one. It is rest, trust, believing that you are loved, knowing that the one who loves you is faithful. 

Peace cannot be bought or sold, only given, made, and maintained. 

Matthew 5:9~

"Blessed....enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous [that is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions] are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!"

Making peace when there is strife. Helping to settle the air instead of stirring the pot. Bringing hope instead of despair. It is they who make peace. They willingly and conscientiously make an effort to help in the matter at hand. To bring life to it, help to it, settle it. 

Sometimes it is leading them to Jesus. 

Ephesians 2:14~ "For He Himself is our peace....."

Sometimes it is reconciling the hurting. 

Sometimes it is silencing the accusing.

Sometimes it is reminding of promises.

Mending the broken.

Lifting the needy.

Surrendering a will.

Believing and walking in faith..........

.......to be continued.....

Love ya,

Cheri

 

Mr. Mercy

Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mercy.

I call him "Mercy on two feet!" 

I have been blessed to have the acquaintance of this man and over the years

I have gotten to know him very well. I would love to introduce you!

The Lord loves mercy! In the Holy of Holies, the Lord dwelt between the cherubim on a seat of mercy. So in the holiest place on earth, mercy was present. God rested on it. Mercy is a place where God finds rest! 

Matthew 5:7~

"Blessed........happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous [that is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions].......are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!"

I love mercy! I love Mr. Mercy. I love him so much that I married him. The Lord knew that I would need lots and lots of mercy so he put a merciful man in my life that I fell head over heals in love with. Sometimes his abundance of mercy drives me crazy! Not when he is merciful with me, not ever! But sometimes the length he will go and the pain he will endure for others, well for someone like me, it can be very annoying and disturbing!

But the Lord LOVES mercy! He is generous with mercy, being faithful to give us new mercy everyday! And He finds rest on a heart that is full of mercy.

I made a decision a long time ago that it would be better to err on the side of mercy rather than justice. So I have been taking lessons from Mr. Mercy and have been learning to walk in this amazing gift. You probably wouldn't call me Mrs. Mercy, yet, but the Lord and I are working on it. 

I recently visited the new Billy Graham library in Charlotte, NC (a must see) and saw the grave of Ruth Graham. On her tombstone are inscribed these words, "Construction project finished, thank you for your patience."

Well, I am still under construction, but there has been progress. Mr. Mercy has been praying for me for years!!!!!  I so desire a heart that is full of mercy because I want a heart where the Lord can rest. I don't want a heart that He is constantly having to wrestle with, but a heart where He settles and calls home. A heart that has a throne ready for Him, a throne called "Mercy". Because of His mercy and because of my desire I believe He is hastening the process and has already found His place to abide in me.

Now that is mercy!

Lord Jesus, thank you for mercy! You give mercy generously and abundantly! It pleases You to give it. Let me have a heart like Yours that is generous with this beautiful gift of mercy. Let my heart be a seat of mercy for You, so that I will overflow with mercy. Help me to realize the vast amount of mercy that You have poured out on my life so that I might be ready and willing to extend mercy to those You bring into my life who need this demonstration of love. Find Your rest in my heart today. I love you! Amen!

Because of His mercy!

Cheri

Being Filled

Dark curls framed the little cherub's face as she slept on the beggar's lap on the side of a very busy, filthy street in Bangalore, India. Her little white dress was dirty and torn and yet I am sure she had the wings of an angel attached to her. The beggar seemed to hold his breath afraid that he might jolt her from the sleep that hid her coffee brown eyes and had captured her hungry little body away for just a bit of time. He carefully cradled her, looking down at her, protecting her from so many dangers that surrounded them. She was his treasure. His eyes exposed his tenderness for her. 

I was with a group that was spending a day of shopping in Bangalore. We had ministered every day for nearly two weeks, so now we were taking a respite in this great city. 

Beggars fill the city of Bangalore. They are as frequent and as thick as the dirt in the air. Every turn you make, you will find yourself in the face of one. Usually they have a baby in tow. A baby is good for business. The boss gets richer with an infant or toddler aged child in the picture. The beggar and the baby do not often belong together but are joined just for business purposes. Babies are just props that are good for production. They can be purchased for little of nothing and they bring in the money. Who can resist the hungry eyes of a baby?

She stirs now.  He moves her to the sidewalk and nestles in front of a business. They have been chased from this storefront many times before. There is nowhere else to go. He must protect her. The sun is hot. Here they will find shade. She is all of eighteen month or so. No one has counted her days since birth. No one cares. 

 

We see them and head straight to them. Immediately they both cup their hands and touch their lips with their fingers. This means they are hungry. They beg for mercy. Many will give money to them. We give small coins. We have a box of cookies that we have purchased from a nearby bakery. We open the plastic container and hand it to the little girl. She eats, and eats, and eats until every cookie is gone. She does not share, he does not mind. Then she licks the container. . She will not rest until every last morsel fills her.

The beggar, a little boy, all of seven or eight, lets her eat her fill. He is so grateful that her stomach will have rest from the wrenching pain of hunger. We give them water. They drink their fill. We find something for him to eat as well.

We cannot be here tomorrow, so we pray that the Lord will send help to these desperate children. We leave them behind, our hearts breaking, wanting to bring them home with us.

Hunger.

Hunger is painful. Thirst is as well. 

They will drive you to get what you need. 

You will enjoy what you get!

Matthew 5:6~

"Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous [that is, in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) for they shall be completely satisfied!"

I have also seen spiritual hunger.

I have friends that I met in Sri Lanka that are so hungry to see the Lord move in their nation that they rise in the wee hours of morning (one or two o'clock) to pray and worship together. They pray for revival to come to their land and they are seeing miracles.

Another friend that lives much closer to home, sets her alarm for 3 a.m. so that she can spend one full hour with the Lord, worshiping, listening, waiting, upon Him. She sits ready with pen and paper handy so that when He speaks she is prepared. She explained that there are so many daily distractions that steal from her quiet, listening moments with the Lord. She has yet to get a call in the middle of the night during this set aside time with her God. He is faithful to meet her there!

The little beggar and his cherub were starving and in pain with physical hunger. My friends are hungry for God and are as desperate as those children to be filled so they look for ways to feast in His presence. And He provides. The Lord sets a marvelous table presenting  a feast prepared for kings! Delicacies created just for you to enjoy!

The time that they spend with Him does not make them more righteous, they just enjoy His righteousness more. They are "completely satisfied!" just like the little girl who licked the cookie box clean. They enjoy every minute of it.

Knowing these kind of people stirs a hunger in me. I see more of Jesus in them and it makes me want more of Him in me. It causes pain. A restlessness. A longing to be filled.

There is a promise in verse 6, if you hunger, you will be filled.......not you could be, or you might be.........no! You will be filled!

I saw three baby birds one day in a nest on our front porch. One little bird never shut his mouth, he sat perched with it wide open hoping that his momma was going to come and put something juicy in it. The other two babies were whimpering and chirping but not ready when the momma came with her catch. The one that had their mouth open got the feast! The two little whimpering birds learned from the one who was ready and the next time the momma flew to her nest, all three of them were ready with open mouths. All three were filled!

So today I wait, hoping for a mouthful! I am hungry! How about you?

Waiting to be filled!

Cheri

ps. Ephesians 5:18~

"Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit."

In the original Greek this verse says: "be being filled". We must continue to be filled with His Spirit.

Prayer Request

Dear Friends~

I would like to ask you to pray for our family today and through the coming week. There has been a death. My cousin's youngest boy, Brant (18), was killed in a vehicle accident last night. Brant's mother was killed in a vehicle accident nearly 10 years ago. This is a devastating blow to my cousin Rande and the whole family. Rande and his family are Christians. Please, please pray for all of us!

Thank you,

Cheri

Melanie

Have you ever watched the movie "Gone With the Wind"?

Am I the only heathen here? 

The character Melanie in the movie beautifully illustrates meekness.

It would appear that Scarlett O'Hara is the strong one.

Melanie might appear weak in every way while Scarlett presses on to get what she wants.

Melanie has a sweet disposition. She always looks out for the other guy. She never seems to notice the weaknesses or blatant failures or abuses of others. Her love for others always covers a multitude of sins. She is always in control of her spirit. 

The Complete Word Study of the New Testament defines meekness this way:

"the meek ones are willing to see themselves as they really are."

The meek ones lean so heavily on God for strength that soon their humility is their strength. They know that apart from the Lord they are absolutely wretched, so they rely wholly upon Him to bring about right actions. 

I often act more like Scarlett. 

I am selfish and I want my way. 

I am more concerned with my own desires than those of others.

Greed and self interest motivate me to work very hard to get what I want.

However, Melanie is the beautiful cameo that I would love to portray in life.

She is gentle, kind, in control of her spirit. Her passions do not rule her. She loves genuinely and deeply. She considers others more important than herself. She is beautiful. She portrays a beautiful strength that can only come from the holiness and beauty of God.

Jesus walked in meekness on this earth. Meekness not weakness.

Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible defines meekness this way:

"it consists not on a persons outward behavior only; nor yet in his relations to his fellow-men; as little in his mere disposition. Rather it is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God. It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting.........it is closely linked to the word for humility."

And:

"It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself; but the Lord was "meek" because he had the infinite resources of God at His command. Described negatively, meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is equanimity of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all."

So, after reading that, this "Scarlett" must find a place on her face. I will not be satisfied until I can rise up in His likeness of meekness.

Matthew 5:5 (five is the number of grace : ) )

"Blessed.....happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous [that is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions].......are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth!"

Blessings,

Cheri

Living Blessed

For the next few days I will be examining the Beatitudes. It will be a journey. I hope you will join me. Expect adventure. 

Matthew 5:4~

"Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted."

I have been chewing on this verse for days. Blessing and mourning seems like an oxymoron to me.

Let's look at the Amplified:

"Blessed and enviably happy, [with a happiness produced by experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

The Complete Word Study New Testament defines mourning this way:

"They that mourn.....are those who sorrow for their sins and the sins of others."

So if sin breaks your heart then you are blessed. Your sin, my sin, other's sins.......does it break your heart? Then the Lord will bless you!

Imagine how Jesus feels when we sin. He must think, "I died to free them from that trap of death and yet they continue to walk in it." 

Sin is a heart-breaker. When we are broken because we have sinned, there will be healing. It is a promise. Comfort will come. Sorrow will leave. We will feel the favor of God on our lives. Our happiness will be enviable. 

A man after God's own heart cried out: 

"My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent] such, O God, You will not despise." (Psalm 51)

One time I was walking in the Rocky Mountains with a dear friend. I found a rock in the shape of a heart. There was a broken line right across the middle of it. I was going through such a cleansing fire at the time. I told my friend that the rock I found was like my heart. Her reply was that the Lord did not want to break our hearts through pain and suffering; He would rather do it some other way, but He will use what will work. He wants us to walk in blessing. He will do what it takes to get us to a place where we can be blessed.

Are you in the midst of a cleansing fire? Surrender. He will comfort you. 

Do you know others that are drowning in their sins? Does it break your heart? Have you wept for them? Have you shared the suffering of the Lord's heart for them? He will comfort you!

Sin always causes God sorrow. It always grieves Him. He never laughs at it. He never enjoys it. He is always hurt by it. His Son gave everything so that we wouldn't have to die in our sins. How do we respond to it?

Our response determines our outcome.........blessed or not? Comforted or not? We decide.

Loving and merciful God, thank you for taking away our sins. Thank you for burying them in the deepest sea and forgetting where You put them. Thank you for setting us free! Thank you for the joy of our deliverance. Continue to deliver us from evil. And for those that we love that are choosing a life of bondage, we grieve with You! Deliver them, O Lord, and bring them into a life where there is light on their path and hope in their hearts. We will rejoice when we see them in the light of Your glory! Open their eyes now and let them see Your great salvation!

Because You live there is hope! Amen!

Because He lives!

Cheri