EquipU Online Library

“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16a)

“Stop it!” Erin shouted. Her older brother Collin was running around the room with her favorite doll in his hands, held high above her head so she could not reach it.

“Not until you give me back my remote-controlled car!” Collin yelled back.

“I was just looking at it,” Erin said defensively. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“Yes!” shouted Collin. “I never gave you permission to mess with it. I don’t want you to break it. Give it back NOW!”

Have you ever been in an argument like that before? It may have been with a brother, sister, parent, or friend. Because you both wanted your own way, the disagreement and hard feelings went on and on until someone finally gave in.

God has another plan for you. In Romans 12:18, He commands you to “live peaceably with all men.” That is hard to do sometimes! Your siblings and friends do not always want to be peaceful. Sometimes they purposefully do things to annoy you or to start fights with you. But you must remember to turn to God – the Creator of true peace. Peace was God’s idea in the first place, and He brought peace to the world through His Son. Jesus, “the Prince of Peace,” said that He gives peace to all those who choose to follow after Him (John 14:27). If you are a peacemaker, then you will help people see what your heavenly Father is like.

God’s peace is perfect because He created peace.

My Response:
» Am I keeping peace with others?
» Am I looking to the Creator of Peace for the strength to do that?

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ….God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them….Be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

Have you ever heard of Onesimus (oh-NESS-ih-muss)? The apostle Paul wrote a letter for the sake of Onesimus, and that letter was inspired by God to be a part of the New Testament. If you find the book of “Philemon” in your Bible, you can read the whole story, but here it is in a nutshell:

Onesimus was not a powerful king or a famous preacher. In fact, Onesimus’s only claim to fame was that he was an unprofitable servant. He had left his master, Philemon (fai-LEE-munn). Bible scholars think Onesimus had run away or had been sent to prison by Philemon for doing wrong.

But God saved Onesimus during his time away from his master. Onesimus met Paul, and through Paul, Onesimus met Jesus Christ. In his letter to Philemon, Paul describes Onesimus as his own spiritual son, and he asks Philemon to take Onesimus back into his household as a servant again – and not only as a servant, but as a profitable, useful servant. And not only as a profitable, useful servant, but as a much-loved brother and a fellow-laborer in the faith.

Imagine yourself in Onesimus’s situation. The only thing you are known for is being an UN-profitable servant. You have wronged your master, and you haven’t done what you were supposed to do. You have been an unrighteous servant, and no one owes you anything – especially not your master.

Now imagine you read what Paul has written your master: “If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account. I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it.”

The apostle Paul wrote that letter in behalf of Onesimus. He offered to shoulder the blame for anything Onesimus had done wrong. He told Philemon to put Onesimus’s wrongdoings on his account. Paul told Philemon to take Onesimus in as though Philemon were taking in a respected friend and brother like Paul.

How do you think that Paul’s letter made Onesimus feel? He probably felt very special, but it was not because of anything he deserved or earned for himself. If his master let him come home and treated him like a brother, Onesimus would have to realize that it was Paul who patched things up. He would know that Paul was the one helping him to fix that relationship, helping him to get things right with his master.

In the verses at the beginning of the devotional, the word “reconcile” carries that idea of “patching things up” between two people. “While we were yet sinners,” the Bible says, Jesus Christ, Who is God the Son, came to die for us and save us. God Himself came to Earth to reconcile us to Himself. The word “imputed” means that God put our sins on Christ’s account and put Christ’s righteousness on our accounts. Since He was God on Earth, living a perfect human life, Jesus Christ was able to shoulder the blame for all our sins. Through Jesus Christ’s character and sacrifice, God is able to forgive us and adopt us into His family.

If Jesus Christ has reconciled you to God, how should that make you feel? He was able to take the responsibility for you, even though you do not deserve any grace or mercy. All of us, if left to ourselves, are unrighteous servants. We are runaways and rebels, just like Onesimus was. To have Jesus Christ on our side, with His perfect righteousness, going to God on our behalf – that should make us feel special. We ought to be glad that He has made it possible for us to be right with God, for things to be “patched up” between us.

Onesimus is not the star of his reconciliation story, and neither are we the stars of our stories. God is the righteous One Who made it all possible.

Our righteousness and spiritual reconciliation comes from God Himself.

My Response:
» On my own, can I be a profitable servant?
» How is God’s righteousness “imputed” to me?
» How should I respond when I think about things being “patched up” between me and God?

“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” (Exodus 15:1-3)

When Moses and the children of Israel sang this song of praise, they had just been rescued by a miracle. The Egyptian military had followed them when they left Egypt, and the Israelites knew they were in trouble. The LORD opened up the Red Sea for them so that they could cross it on dry land. Once all of His people were safe on the other side, the LORD let the water come crashing down on top of the Egyptian soldiers who were chasing them.

These Egyptian soldiers did not understand or care Who God was, and it cost them their lives. They did not understand or care that God protects His glory, and God protects His people. If they had believed the truth about God, they never would have chased His people down in the first place.

When you see it all capitalized in the Bible, the name “LORD” means “Jehovah” (juh-HO-vuh). It is a name full of meaning, and it is what God answered Moses when Moses asked what to call Him. It means “I AM.” In other words: God was, is, and always will be Who He says He was, is, and always will be. It is not for humans to change Him or to think of Him in other ways, or as less than He is. He is the King of the universe. He is not just a human being. He is all-powerful, everywhere at once, and all-knowing. Nobody alive compares to God. If people really understood and believed Who God is, they would not be surprised to read the Israelites’ song. They would not be surprised to learn that the LORD is a “man of war.”

The LORD is a warrior. He is willing and able to fight for the glory of His name and to fight for the good of His people. He is mighty. He is unstoppable. He is unbeatable. Clearly, the Egyptian soldiers did not know Whom they were up against. Or if they knew it, they did not really believe it.

That God is a warrior does not mean that He is only a warrior. Defending His name and defending His people are noble reasons for Him to fight. There are other sides to God. Many verses teach about God’s compassion, His love, His wisdom, His longsuffering, His generosity. Being a “man of war” is only a part of Who God says He was, is, and always will be.

The Israelites’ praise song reminds us that our God is strong and sovereign, unable to be conquered. It reminds us that our God is willing and able to show rebellious enemies Who is really in control. It reminds us that God is bigger than any problem or enemy we could ever face. He will take care of us and He will see to it that His name is magnified as it should be.

The LORD is willing and able to conquer the enemies of His glory and His people.

My Response:
» Do I act like an Egyptian sometimes, forgetting or refusing to believe that God was, is, and always will be Who He says He was, is, and always will be?
» Am I trusting and obeying the sovereign and all-powerful God of the Bible?

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:23-24)

The crowds that had gathered around Jesus were shocked and probably a little frightened. A man had brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus. As soon as the boy met Jesus, he fell to the ground, rolling and foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the father how long this problem had been going on. The father replied that the boy had had the demon since he was a child. Sometimes the demon threw the boy into fire or water as though trying to destroy him. If you can do anything, please have compassion on us, and help us, the father pleaded.

Jesus’ eyes saw right into the man’s heart as He said, All things are possible to him who believes.

The father knew that he had unbelief in his heart. He said to Jesus very honestly, Lord, I believe; help me overcome my unbelief.

Jesus rebuked the demon and told it to come out of the boy – and with an awful cry, it did! For a moment, everyone thought the boy was dead. Then Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up. He was healed – free from the horrible demon that had tortured him all his life.

Is there anything in God’s Word that you have trouble believing? God says He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But maybe you have prayed for an unsaved grandparent or friend for years. Nothing seems to be happening. God says He will complete the good work He began in you when you were saved (Philippians 1:6). But maybe it seems like you will never be able to conquer the sin of losing your temper. Or maybe you long to be free from fear – fear of the dark, fear of a certain person, fear of being home alone, or fear of giving oral book reports at school.

Maybe it seems God is not keeping His promise, and that He will never help you change. You can trust God’s Word. If you doubt it, even a little, confess your unbelief to God. Just like the father in Mark 9, tell Jesus, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. God can and will turn your doubts into faith.

God helps you believe His Word when you have a heart of unbelief.

My Response:
» Have I asked God to forgive me for my unbelief and help me believe His Word?

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Camille was riding in the car with her daddy. Since it was a beautiful summer day, the windows were partially down. All of a sudden a big bee came in through an open window. Camille immediately began to panic because she was very allergic to bee stings – she could die if the bee stung her!

Camille’s father knew what he needed to do. He watched the bee carefully. As the bee flew up near the windshield it landed on the dashboard for a brief second. With reflexes like lightning, Camille’s father cupped his hand right on top of that bee! And then he kept his hand there. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Until…ZING! “Ouch!” the father shouted as he lifted up his hand and let the bee go.

“Daddy, daddy!” screamed Camille. “The bee will sting me! Help!”

“No, honey,” replied her father. “He can’t sting you any longer. The bee only had one sting – and guess where it is?”

“Where?” asked Camille.

With that, her father reached out his hand with his palm up and allowed his daughter to inspect it. There, in the middle of his hand was a small stinger. Although the bee was still buzzing around, it could no longer sting Camille because that kind of bee had only one sting to give. Camille’s father took away the sting of the bee and rescued his little girl.

Camille was both happy and sad all at once. Can you guess why? She was happy because she realized that the bee was now powerless to hurt her. She was sad because she realized that her father had taken the painful sting for her.

“Do you know what the bee has done?” Camille’s dad asked.

“What?” asked Camille.

“The bee has stung himself to death!” Camille looked confused. Her father carefully explained to her that that kind of bee will die soon after it uses its stinger.

Just like the bee stung itself to death, so death itself has “stung itself to death” at the cross. That’s hard to understand, but it simply means we do not have to fear what happens after we die. We do not have to fear that death has power over us. Jesus has power over sin and death, and He proved it on the cross!

Jesus has taken away the sting of death by taking sin and death upon Himself, and then single-handedly beating them both. He proved His victory over them by rising from the grave! Christ is more powerful than sin and death. Because of Christ’s victory over death, we can be assured that if we have faith in Christ, we will also rise from the grave someday and share in eternal life with Him.

Because of Christ, death has no lasting power over the Christian.

My Response:
» How is what Camille’s father did for her much like what Christ did for us?
» How did Camille respond to her father’s sacrifice? How have I responded to Christ’s sacrifice for me?