A Servant In Peace

A Servant In Peace Will your every desire come to pass? Can you keep your heart from never knowing disappointment? Can you prevent tragedies from occurring in your lifetime? Before your life is over, will you trust in Christ, freely yield your troubles onto Him, and endure all triumphs and trials with faith, joy, hope and love? In our lives there is much we have no control over. We cannot alter yesterday. We cannot foresee the definitive end result of tomorrow. We cannot improve someone else’s sour attitude. But today, by our actions, words and deeds we can endeavor to show our trust in the Lord. Our faith can be so much so, that sorrows, tragedies, peaceful moments and extraordinary accomplishments can all be experienced with the same faith, trust, joy, hope and love. Our inner thoughts will be revealed by our actions, attitudes, words and deeds. We may be able to fool, justify, manipulate, deceive and callously convince one another that what we think, do and speak is right and just. God knows the true you. Well before your life is over, strive to continually trust in the love of Christ, consistently yield your troubles onto Him, and endure all triumphs and trials with growing faith, increasing joy, encouraging hope and love that is contagious. Before God calls you home, pray that you might truthfully pronounce, “Master, I know your Son, I await my calling, I live, a servant in peace.” Luke 2:22-35 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too."