Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch.13 CEB, Ch. 14 HCSB

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Thoughts

Today I edited Pastor Mel Bennett’s 17th episode of In the Word With Mel Bennett, one of the podcasts here at Lifespring! Media. Near the end of his message, he read the lyrics to the old hymn, Wonderful Peace. The chorus of the song is: 

Peace, peace! wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above,
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,
In fathomless billows of love.

WONDERFUL PEACE, W.D. CORNELL

In chapter 13, Paul talked about what love is…its characteristics, the way it manifests itself. Peace is not mentioned, but when you read those things that Paul lists, you know that where there is love, there is peace. Let me quickly read vv 4-7 again, and see if you can imagine these things in the absence of peace: 4Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, 5it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, 6it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. 7Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.

Beloved, we don’t see much peace in the world today, do we? We are living in turbulent times. What we do see a lot of is hate, I’m sorry to say. 

If we want peace, if we want love, we are not going to get it by arguing or confronting. We need to pray for changed hearts. How are hearts changed? Only by the Spirit of God. But He uses people to bring His message to people, planting seeds so that the Holy Spirit can cause them to grow and bear fruit. Paul said in Romans 10:17 “So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing (comes) through the Word of God.” 

And this is where the gift of prophecy comes in. Prophecy is telling God’s message. Not everyone can have the gift of prophecy, but each of us can tell what God has done in our own life. Each of us can tell who Jesus is, and what He has done for us. Each of us can be a bearer of the Good News. 

Hearts are changed one at a time. I was saved as a teenager. I can point to a church service I was in when I publicly declared my faith, but I had really made the decision much earlier. It was from dozens and dozens of conversations with my friend Del Brixey, who invited me to that church. From listening to our pastor’s messages. From attending a Christian kindergarten. From seeing faith in Christ lived out in so many people, and on and on. My faith was built a little at a time from hearing the Word of God in many different ways.  

Beloved, we should be praying each and every day, asking God to show us how we can love our neighbor. How we can share the message of hope, love and Good News. Because until we do that, hearts will not be changed. The world needs God now, more than ever.