Connecting – Part 3
This newest series of messages on Internet Pastor is called “Connecting”.
We are continuing today in our series called “Connecting” and we are looking at how important it is to be connected to God and to others. Last week we talked about God as our father as we looked at the first part of the Lords prayer, “Our Father, who art in heaven”. This week we are going to talk about “peace” as we look at the second part of the Lords prayer….
Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Let’s start by talking about the Kingdom of God. What is it? The Kingdom of God is not a place, the Kingdom of God is His right or authority to rule and reign. The Kingdom of God exists anywhere Jesus is king. In this part of the Lord’s prayer we are in effect asking for His rule in our lives, not doing things my way but doing things His way. And it is in doing things His way that we begin to find “peace” in the midst of the chaos that is all around us.
Romans 14:17 (NCV)
17 In the kingdom of God, eating and drinking are not important. The important things are living right with God, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
This verse tells us that the Kingdom of God is spiritual– living right with God, and it’s relational – living a life of joy and peace. In other words it’s all about connecting. Connecting to God and connecting to each other. It’s spiritual and it’s relational.
As we pray this part of the prayer, what is our part of the process.
1. Letting go
Every day you get up in the morning and you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life – you or God.
Psalms 46:10 (GW)
10 Let go {of your concerns}! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.
God says, “I’m in control so you need to let go and know that I am God.” Most of you know this verse as “Be still and know that I am God.” The word “be still” that phrase in the Hebrew literally means let go, calm down, relax, lighten up. That’s what it literally means. It means to let go.
2. Learning to be content
In this life you have to be ready to change what you can and to accept what you can’t change. This is about contentment. We struggle so hard sometimes to try and control uncontrollable situations, and all it does is cause us stress and worry.
There is only one thing that works in the situations that you can’t change. Acceptance. Learning to be content.
Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
For me, one of the most powerful things about this verse, is that it was written by Paul while he was in prison. He learned to be content even in the most difficult of situations.
3. Not my will
I don’t know if you’ve noticed it but I’ve sure noticed it that my plans get changed a lot. I make all these great plans and then they just get changed.
Most of my plans end up getting changed because of my problems. Problems are a part of life. Rather than struggling to try and get my will, my plan accomplished, I often have to realize that my plan might not be God’s plan. My will and God’s will are often quite different.
So you have to lay down your plans because problems aren’t always going to cooperate with your plans.
When we are walking through the difficult seasons of life, like an upside economy, we really need to be connected to God and to others.
This is not the year to be a Lone Ranger. (Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto). This is the year to get connected. Get connected to a group, get connected to this church, get connected to God, get connected to a group of men or women around you. This is the time to be in community.
One of the things that we can learn when things are hard economically, is to be unselfish. Learning to be unselfish is one of the biggest lessons that we have to learn in this life. Being unselfish frees us up from so much worry and baggage. It really helps us to get our priorities straight and realize what is important in life…God, and the people in our lives.
Luke 16:9 (NIV)
9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
He says the number one use of money is to use it in relationships. Help other people, make friends. And of course the best friends are the ones you make for eternity.
4. Trust God with the future
To really know peace we have to decide that we are going to live one day at a time and we are going to trust God with the future. We need to decide that no matter what happens during this recession we are going to live for God and we are going to leave whatever happens up to Him. The results of my life are going to be up to God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
What does that mean? “He’ll make straight your paths.” It means this: He’s going to keep you on the right track. That’s what it means when God says I’ll make straight your paths. He says if I choose to trust in the Lord and I don’t listen to what I think is best but I listen to what God thinks is best, and I acknowledge him in every area of my life – my career, my family, every area of my life and I say “This is your area, Lord.” He says he will make straight your paths. He will keep you on the right path. You’re not going to go off in the ditch. I will keep you in the right direction. I will keep you from heading in the wrong way.
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