Peace - Evermore

PEACE: Possibly the chapter that, for me, brings the whole book together. Defenitely no inner peace without God and certainly no inner peace if you are at war with God. Again the fact that we can choose which way we go is a prime condition here. Go your own way and your life is a constant series of battles with God. Go His way and whilst it is still not necessarily an easy ride we become stronger in Him.

"Peace will never come from clutching many things but only from letting go of all but one thing - Jesus.". James is right on the button with that line.

I need to let go of many things in my life and I need to stop flirting with temptation - only then will I begin to truly know the peace of God in my life.

EVERMORE: I know that this book has not exactly been a good read for me but this chapter, in my opinion, stands above all the others as the poorest! Yes, I know that we are the Bride of Christ but the Sleeping Beauty analogy seems to point to the possibility that James ran out of inspiration!
But the quote from Ephesians 3:17-19 rescues the chapter for me. In this earthly life we will never fully understand the love of Christ but when we experience the love of Christ and we are filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God then this fallen world needs to watch out!

I've enjoyed the 'challenge' of trying to keep up my reading and whilst I have not really kept up with the schedule I have made it to the end. I am not a great reader of Christian books and before this one I cannot recall the last one that I read all the way through!

So thank you for encouraging me - must try harder next time - and I look forward to our next read.

Peace/Evermore

So I'm a day late and a dollar short. Or maybe several days late and ten dollars short. ;) I didn't get a chance to post from work, then I left my book there over the weekend. So here I go for the final round.

Peace I liked this chapter. When I first began it I thought this - peace is not necessarily the absence of war. There have been many times in history where there's been no wars, but I would say that the inner souls of men, without Christ, were still raging. Just like the author talked about on page 193. That was really good stuff. As the Bible tells us, before God regenerates the hearts of sinful men, we are enemies of Him; we are children of wrath. I guess it doesn't get any more un-peaceful than that. Thankfully, He provided a remedy for that in Jesus. The peace that passes all understanding is one that the world cannot understand, therefore cannot practice it.

Romans 5:1 says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who have been saved by God possess peace with God.

Evermore For a guy who wrote some pretty good chapters throughout his book, well this one fell short for me. Quite anticlimatic. And the analogy of what I guess is Sleeping Beauty ?? escapes me. I do agree, though, that 'it ain't over.' It's only just beginning, and it will last for eternity! Praise God!

Come, Lord Jesus.

!!!

I 've just spent the last 45 minutes writing on 'Joy & scars' and I do not know what happened but my post has disappeared! When I posted it and viewed it the sentences were all over the place and I tried to edit and repost and it just went off into goodness knows where! Oh boy.

It is Sunday morning - 7.30 UK time and I am going to wake Kriss up with a cup of tea.

I am joyful that it is Sunday once again and the 'scars' of my life will not take that joy away!

Have a great Sunday.

Evermore

I was so disappointed in this last chapter. However, I was glad to see that the author ended with Ephesians 3:17-19, which is one of my favorite Bible verses. The whole "ending" for us, which in reality is our "beginning," as we join our Lord and Savior, is so awesome that I was just plain disappointed that the author told a fairy tale. One that didn't even come close to what the Bible has to say. The only redeeming factor for me is he did include one of my favorite Bible passages, Ephesians 3:17-19.

I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. ~Ephesians 3:17-19

Being rooted (like a plant) and established (like a building)are participles in the perfect tense, indicting a past action with continuing results. The purpose then is that they may have inherent strength, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. To me, these measurements most likely describe nothe thoroughness of comprehension but the immensity of the thing to be comprehended.

This passage has a rich significance for me because it was this passage that led a young woman into the family of God. She told our son that "this" is what she desired, what she wanted and she knelt with our son and they prayed together as she became a daughter of the King!

So, overall, there were some good chapters, but many of them I thought James did a diservice on when he could have brought out so much more truth. I'm glad I read it but I hope our next one next year is a different kind, much more grounded in His Word, and not based so much on feelings, which can be deceptive.

I've enjoyed it, everyone! Especially getting to know some "newcomers" to our group.

Evermore

I would really be disappointed in the end of this book if it was only the story of the Prince and Princess but then the author swings wide and makes his way back to my most favored and cherished passage in all of the Bible – Ephesians 3:17-19.

I still remember reading this for the very first time after I was saved and thinking my heart had been stirred by it - just like the heart of the Princess was stirred by the arrival of her Prince. That passage alone awakened me fully to what had happened to me and made me realize once and for all that my life was never ever going to be the same again. How could it be? To be loved like this? To be thought of in this way? To be cherished and blessed and held in His gaze like He was seeing me for the very first time?

[Is “change” even a big enough word???]

The final poem of the book is called “union” and, although it is not one of my personal favorites, it does sum up the point of all this – to fix our gaze on God and to become, slowly but surely, so much like Christ that one cannot tell where He starts and where we end. My goal in life is to arrive at the gates of heaven needing only one last piece of the puzzle to be put into place so that I am everything God ever imagined me to be. I used to think success was measured by what you did or who you knew. Now I know it is gauged by how well you love and how intimately you allow Christ to transcend into your life, your body, and your very soul.

How wide? How long? How high? How deep?

[I simply cannot wait to find out!]

Bring it on, God…bring it on.

Evermore

I have read so much about the "bride of Christ" and I wonder...are we ready? At first glance it appears we are...we LOOK ready...but as I have gone deeper and deeper in the places God has sent me...I don't think we are ready. I suppose that makes sense and coincides with the truth that the bride continues to wait...and needs to prepare.

I actually thought this chapter was a bit anticlimactic and more 'charming' than closing...and then as I read the final paragraphs it dawned on me...he did it on purpose. The story is unfinished. OUR story is unfinished.

As I read the one sentence that really STOOD out to me I actually misread, but the misreading is what spoke so here it is...

"You're more beautiful than I'd ever imagined..."

I read:

You're more than I'd ever imagined.

Which actually got me thinking about my own realization that God and Jesus are more than I'll ever imagine. That "more" is what is placed in me and what I want to strive for and thrive in!

I of course loved the poem at the end...I love the 'union' at the very end.

Thanks Jules for selecting this book and for sticking with us through the whole thing. This was a wonderful experience and I will reread this book with great memories and new insight into the whole thing.

With Gratitude and prayers,
Kim

Evermore

I wasn't expecting the story of Sleeping Beauty for the last chapter. I think it's interesting to compare the church to a sleeping beauty. But it's clear that what we have now is just a shadow of what will be. It's so easy to think that 'this' is all there is. But like James says: "The adventure isn't over; it's only beginning."

And then he quotes one of my absolute favorite scriptures - Eph 3:17-19. May this be the prayer for all of you who have been on this journey through "Story".

Peace

I have to admit that I was excited about this chapter before I even read it. Then when I began reading it I was disappointed in the direction it was going, but the more I read then the more I grew to like certain aspects.

One of the first things I disagreed with, biblically speaking, is where James states, "As long as there are greedy, grabby, power-hungry, mean, stupid people on this planet, peace between nations isn't going to happen." There will be peace on this earth, before the new heaven and earth come down, during the millennium when Christ will reign for a 1000 years.

Then the author moved on to talking about how Jesus offers us something different: "a fresh relationship with God and the chance to receive true peace in our hearts---a peace that begins now and stretches toward forever." "Now, we are getting somewhere," I thought. The author is beginning to get to the real meat or heart of the matter.

I loved how he stated,

"I didn't think I was at war with God. I didn't used to think I was at war with anybody. But when I met Jesus and heard Him say, "Follow me," I realized every time I didn't follow Him, I was fighting God. Every time I chose to go my way instead of His or to think of myself first instead of others or to flirt with temptation---or basically to act as I had been acting my whole life---I was battling the Almighty."

(The capitalization of Him and Almighty is mine, not the author's.) He went on about how that can shake you up and how he was/is still reeling from that discovery. I loved how James' pictures this because it is a very accurate description, I think. For me it describes exactly what happened to me when I became a Christian and what still happens to me when I intentionally choose somthing against God. In fact, I wish we could just print out most of this chapter for any unbeliever to read who might be stumbling upon our blog to read.

James is so right when he states the "peace which Jesus offers isn't the absence of conflict; it's the adventure of knowing God's presence moment by moment forever. It's a deeper peace than the world can offer---peace with God." I cannot begin to explain how I am experiencing this peace on a moment by moment existence right now. In fact, I sat down earlier to write on my personal blog and couldn't even put it into words. It is too profound for me.

James goes on to talk about how easy it is to get tangled up in the nets of everyday living. We are so busy stuffing things into our life, and therefore, into our heart to recognize our need. I love how the author puts it,

"Yet the irony of life is that a full and cluttered heart is more empty than an empty heart aware of its emptiness. Peace will never come from clutching many things but only from letting go of all but one thing---Jesus."

Amen, amen, amen!! And, as I have let go throughout the years, and even these last two months with my mom, He has managed to fill my heart to overflowing with His peace, His love, His contentment. That peace has allowed me to trust Him more. Even during this time when I cannot fathom why certain things are happening.

I also liked how the author emphasized that God is NOT the enemy of our hearts. It is we ourselves! And, I'm pleased that he closes this chapter with an invitation to all who do not know Christ. Forgive me, but I really want to copy this because James says it great:

"Don't look for Jesus in the pages of history; He's dwelling beside you in this present moment. Don't search for Him in the cemeteries of religion; He's as close as your next breath and as near as your heartbeat. He offers a peace beyond understanding, a fresh start, a new relationship with God that lasts forever.

Jesus' words to Martha are just as true today as they were twenty-one centuries ago. And His question is just as important: "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in Me and will never perish. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26, emphasis added).

Beleif will open the door to the miraculous in your life.
Life has won.
Death has lost.
The curse is over, and the wedding is about to begin."

This was a great chapter for me. One I could identify with. Only one more chapter to go.

Peace

This chapter really rocked me. As unbelievers, we are at war with God. Does that really ever occur to most unbelievers? If someone had put it to me like that before I got saved I would never have agreed that that was the case. I wasn’t doing anything directly against God – I was a good person and living a good life, right? I think in this world we live in the gray part of life so often that it never occurs to us that some things really ARE black or white; one or the other. We’re not FOR God – but to say we’re against Him? Naaaa…couldn’t be.

So, James line, “Realizing how deeply rooted your war with God is can shake you up” really hit home with me. The more I learned about God over the past two years the more I realized I WAS at war against Him and the author is right – that’s a hard thing to admit and own up to.

He then writes, “But it takes humility to admit that your life has been at war with God and that you need to reestablish your relationship with Him once again. That’s why so few find the narrow way or walk the footpath toward life. Because it’s hard to be that honest with God. It hurts. It’s humiliating. It’s a lot easier to cling to our old lives and self-centered priorities.”

It does hurt. It is humiliating. It has to be. There is no room for pride and arrogance when you want to walk with God; He simply doesn’t like the smell of them.

Then, another page over, I found this waiting for me:

“Here is the message of Easter: The war is over. Stop battling God. Stop wounding yourself. He’s not the enemy. He’s the one offering the terms of peace.”

OH SHEESH! Would somebody please explain this to all the unsaved people in the world? Looking back, I distinctly remember battling God at times…I really thought at several junctures in my life that He WAS the enemy. All along it was really me doing damage to myself (or standing in line and letting others to do their damage to me.) The whole time, God was flying the white flag overhead telling me I could stop beating on myself and come be with Him but noooooo…I had to keep fighting and fighting and fighting.

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. – John 14:27

When Jesus spoke, He certainly spoke truth. It ISN’T the same peace that we find in the world. It is, instead, deeper, more profound, longer lasting, more satisfying and more complete than any peace you ever knew existed before He came along to shake up your life.

I still get rattled by things that happen in my life and I still find myself beating myself up (or letting others beat on me.) But, given enough time and enough prayer, that peace He speaks of in John 14 settles back down around me, wrapping me tightly in a lifelong loving hug from my Heavenly Father, and I once again find comfort in the words, "Peace be with you."

Peace

I think this world has a distorted view of peace. Is it really about warm, fuzzy feelings towards each other overlooking truth and morality? Is it a diplomatic band-aid on seething anger and outbursts of hostility and violence? The peace of Jesus cannot be separated from the truth of Jesus. And evil will not disappear when we join hands with it in the effort to keep the peace.

Jesus fought a battle with evil and conquered death. As James says, He offers a peace in our relationship with God with the hope that one day evil will be completely conquered for once and for all. That peace will not have been about compromise...but it will be about restored relationships and a harmony with God and our fellow man that we cannot even begin to imagine.

"Truth always draws a line in the sand...we're not on the side of truth until
we're on the side of Jesus."

Peace

"Why isn't there peace on earth?"

A question that resonates daily with me...a person who finds it SO hard to reconcile killing people to resolve conflict. I thank GOD for our military, yet I wince and cry within that it takes an organized multi-billion dollar defense to live in freedom.

Peace seems so usurped by man/woman.

I loved James' paragraph about "fighting God". Specifically when it dawns on him and us...

"Realizing how deeply rooted your war with God is can shake you up. I'm still reeling from that discovery."

I would also resonate that our definition of peace is all messed up. While I see that we will never create heaven on earth...shouldn't we at least try? Shouldn't we TRY to make sense of God's peace and live it. We will also never truly live in His love...but we try to daily!

I think James made some powerful and poignant statements in this chapter...and I'm still soaking it all in. And again his poem at the end touched me deeply. I definitely need to be made an 'ember again' in my rebirth!

Scars

Jesus wasn't ashamed of His
scars. He didn't apologize for them

Scars, both physical and emotional, are reminders. As long as we're not ensnared by them, scars can be a good thing. The imprints of our scars contribute to who we are.

The scars on Jesus' hands remind us of His loving sacrifice.

Dawn - Wonder

DAWN
The thing I really liked about this chapter was the point made about the fact that there are differences in the narratives of the Gospel writers. And like eyewitnesses in any situation each one of them highlights something different. And for once I enjoyed James' humour when he gives an almost Monty Python type script of how the disciples could have got together to decide on their story. But this story is real and the people involved in it are real and Christ really did rise from the dead! No one stole the body; if Jesus was really dead and the body was hidden and disposed of - as some writers suggest - by His followers, what did it do for them? They were persecuted; stoned to death and imprisoned. So if they knew He was 'dead' it would have been easier to admit that and stop the persecution and go back to their normal lives! But they knew He was alive and that first Sunday was the beginning of their new life in Christ!

WONDER
Not to sure about the style of humour in this chapter - but I guess that's just me.

But I agree with James when he states that he is tired of hearing about life changing conferences and books and DVDs. I need to choose to allow Jesus to change my life - that is the only life changing I need - the transforming power of a God who loves me and wants me to have the best possible life that I can have whilst still on this earth!

And I just love the way James finishes this chapter: "Nothing was as it seemed, but actually, everything was getting back to how it was supposed to be all along.". Now that is wonderful!