Peace, joy, faith, and purpose:
1. We talk about how God disciplines us through hard times (e.g. Hebrews 12:4-13) so that we may be strengthened in righteousness and peace. For example, David is strengthened through his hardships and grows in faith (Psalm 13). But what about when David is comfortable? Read 2 Samuel 11. Now that David was at ease he began to stray from the Lord’s ways (e.g. he stayed at home instead of going off to war and also fell into covetousness, trickery, murder, etc.). There are many other examples of biblical characters and nations falling away from God during times of ease and comfort (e.g. 1 Kings 11:1-6 or 2 Kings 23:36-37).
2. However, others in the bible were able to be righteous during times of plenty. Consider Job (read Job 1:1-11). Job had great faith during times of both plenty and trouble. What sorts of things did Job do that were pleasing to the Lord? Consider Proverbs 10:4-5 and Ecclesiastes 3. What do they talk about? How do we know what season of life we are in? How do we gather up knowledge to interpret the times and know God’s will for us? Read Matthew 7:7-12, Proverbs 16:1 and 9, Numbers 15:32-36,Mark 2:27. Why does God take the Sabbath so seriously? What happens when we are busy with our own plans?
3. What are some ways to grow in peacetime? Start with Psalm 1:1-3. What does it talk about? How does it relate to our lives? How do we become a person who meditates on the law of the Lord by day and by night? What does it mean to pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)? How do we learn to do this? How do peace and joy and prayer and praise come together? See also Phillipians 4:4-9. Are the exhortations in the 1 Thessalonians and Philippians passages corporate or personal; how do the personal and the corporate inter-relate? Do we shy away from being joyful or pretend to be less joyful than we are (e.g. to fit in with complaining about work)? How does Romans 12:15-16 fit in?
4. What is the point of joy and peace and faith? Philippians 2:12-13; God works through us and His will for us is good. So these are good things in and of themselves. What about some concrete examples of Jesus’ will for us? Take, for example, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). We each, as a member of the church have a responsibility toward that goal (e.g. 1 Corinthians 12:28-29). How do Ephesians 4:11-16 and Philippians 4:4-7 relate to what we have been speaking about with joy, peace, faith, and God’s purpose for us?
Feel free to reply-all with comments and discussion!
Faith, hope, and love,
Peter
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