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The Gift of Peace

The Gift of Peace

November 27, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,  give I unto you.  Let not your heart be  troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 (KJV).

 When Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, He was on His way to the cross.  Within just a few hours He would be brutalized and tortured.  The unspeakable pain and anguish He would experience  would be  magnified  billions of times over by the reality of  my sin and your sin being  placed upon Him by God the Father!   He would be judged as if He Himself had actually committed the sin (2 Cor. 5:21).  But  He was totally and completely innocent!  What is amazing is that in the face of all of that Jesus had perfect peace.  And He promised  His followers that He would give them that same peace!  What Jesus promised to those disciples, He still promises unto us.  His gift of peace is a remarkable and marvelous gift. 

We live in a world that is devoid of peace.  Not only is there armed conflict taking place around the world, but the greatest  conflict is within the human heart.  Families are broken and falling apart. In the desire for peace people seek to numb the pain and emptiness of their lives with  drugs, alcohol and the relentless pursuit of material things.  But the relief is only momentary.  It does not last.

The peace that Jesus offers is three fold.  First and foremost it is peace with God.  Jesus paid for our sin that we might be free from the impending judgment of a Holy God upon our sin (John 3:36).  The wrath of God was fully satisfied on the cross (Isaiah 53:11) and that finished work forever sealed  and guaranteed  by His Mighty Resurrection (Rev. 1:18).

Secondly, it is peace the peace of God within ourselves.  The empty void within our lives is filled by His Person and His Presence within us.  It is in Him that we find our purpose, the meaning of life and indescribable joy!  (Col. 3:15).

And finally it is peace with one another (Eph. 4:1-3).   When we experience  Peace with  God we also discover the Peace of God.  It is only then  we can experience peace with one another.  The gift of God’s peace sets us free  from having to prove to others that we have meaning,  value and  worth.  We are fully and completely valued, accepted and loved by the most important Being in the entire universe, the Lord Jesus Himself!  It cannot possibly get any better than that!  Why would anyone settle for anything less?

James W. Black

Being Thankful

Being Thankful

November 13, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” (Psalm 105:1 KJV). 

As we witness the continuing decline of our great nation and the corruption  of  our once reliable and dependable institutions it is easy to become angry,  discouraged and skeptical.  It is easy to get caught up in the negative and to  forget to be thankful for that that we still have.   In spite of all the evil that is happening we still have much for which to be thankful.   

We can be thankful that in spite of the fact that our freedoms are under assault, we still have more freedom than 90% of the rest of the world.  We can be thankful that we live in America instead if Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe  or North Korea.    We can be thankful that in spite of inflation, most of us can still feed our families.  We can be thankful that there is an abundance of jobs for those who want to work. 

We can be thankful that we can still speak our mind without fear of government repression.  Business and various elements of society  may seek to cancel us or attack us, but we can still speak the truth in love whether it is accepted or not.  We can be thankful that we still have the freedom to assemble to worship God without fear of persecution.   We can be thankful that it is not illegal to own a Bible or to read it. 
We can be thankful that it is not illegal to share our faith. 

We can be thankful that the majority of us own an automobile.  We can drive to where we need to go.  We can be thankful that the majority of us have a roof over our head.
We can be thankful for the faithfulness of God.  And most importantly we can be thankful for our great salvation.  One of the hallmarks of God’s people is thankfulness.  May we above all people live before an unbelieving world with a grateful heart!  We have much for which to be thankful! 

James W. Black