Blessings and the Ship of Faith

Dear Readers! God’s Peace!

Before I start on this week’s article, I did want to share with you a little from my heart on this greeting of God’s Peace! I know that many of you in foreign countries that read these articles may not fully understand why I use this. Well, for one thing, it has been a tradition in the ALCA for many years. It is much more than a custom to me though. I say it because, from the heart, I would want that each one have the Peace of God in their heart. If they do not have it, I hope they would soon be able to repent and believe the Gospel so that they can have the Peace that passeth all understanding for their own heart.

If they are already Christians, then I want to assure them again that this peace is a precious and very valuable thing to have. Oh that nothing would come into their lives that would take the Peace of God away. To me, this greeting is a shortened version of what we see in the New Testament so often when the writers greet us with Grace, Mercy and Peace at the beginning of each book. God’s Peace is blessing. It is a sharing of the heart, a desire to share his love, peace, and mercy with all that I meet. After all, who would we not want to have the Peace of God? I am sure that you and I agree, we would want everyone to have this, just as our Lord also desires this. He desires this much more fully and perfectly than us of course.

Here are some things that I pray that I never let this greeting become in my heart. I do not want to use it to show that I am from a certain church. I do not want to use it as a judgment tool as to whether or not I believe one to be in faith. In other words, I do not want to say it to only believers, and skip over those that I judge not to be. I am not a judge. I also do not want to say it out of obligation, or out of tradition only. I want to use this greeting as a blessing! So with that, again I say God’s Peace!

Yesterday, my wife and my son made a journey to a city 2 hours away to pick up a dear brother, Pastor Dennis Hilman. He is visiting America for a couple weeks. After we picked him up, we went to dinner, after which we went for a walk along the shore of the largest fresh water lake in the world. What a beautiful evening it was. God is so good that He gives us His beautiful Creation to enjoy!

As we were walking along, we saw a very large ship leaving the harbor. Some thoughts came to mind. First of all, the ship had to go into the safe harbor to load up for the journey. The ship was safe and secure from the large waves of the sea. This to me is a small picture of how Christians are safe in the arms of Jesus. There can be huge waves in the sea, but we are safely in port! Under His Wings! What a blessing to be under the care and protection of our great protector, the One that set the bounds to the sea! Enjoy your safe harbor, all that are the redeemed of the Lord!

When the large ship was going out to sea, I also thought of the rudder, or helm which is the steering of the ship. We read in James 3:4-10 (KJV)

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

I pray that each one of us would take notice of this scripture and control our tongue, so that our ship of faith would not stray and become shipwrecked!

Until next week, continue to dwell in the safe harbors of our Lord Jesus Christ! John