24
December 2015 • SR
SR
Peace
by Annie Lloyd
L
iving in this world, it is difficult for us to maintain our relationship
with God. We become so distracted by all of our plans, struggles,
worries, doubts, expectations, and all the motions of everyday life,
that we often forget that God is always with us.
In John 14:27, Jesus says:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid.”
God voluntarily gives us peace in this world full of chaos. The
world will never give you peace, because peace is a gift from God.
As God said,
“I do not give to you as the world gives.”
The world gives us pain, struggle, anxiety, uncomfort, death, sadness,
and destruction, while God gives us love, joy, peace, comfort, life,
and freedom. The world will never give us what God has already
given us, nor will it devote itself to making us happy. In fact, the
world will tear you down and wear you out until you feel like you
have nothing left to give.
As we are living in the midst of this world, Jesus says to us:
“Do not
let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid .”
Jesus reminds
us to not let the world consume our hearts and minds. Though
easier said than done, we should not be afraid. He gives us peace.
Philippians 4:67 says:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in
every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.”
Believe it or not, God wants us to be thankful in any kind of
situation. Even in our troubles God wants us to give Him thanks
in prayer. When we do this, the peace of God that goes beyond
all understanding, will protect our hearts and minds from this
troublesome world. All we need to do, in order to obtain this inde-
scribable peace, is to have faith that He will give it to us.
Philippians 4:13 says:
“I can do all things through Christ who gives
me strength.”
Notice how it says
all
things through Christ, not just
some
things through Christ. Remarkably, we can do anything
through Christ. We can heal the sick with one word, we can move
mountains, we can save lives, we can do all things through Christ.
The only barrier to doing these things, is a lack of faith. If we pray
and have confidence in the Lord, then anything is possible. So we
shouldn't let the world trouble us, or discourage us, for God will
give us the peace and strength our hearts need.
THE BEACON
Gabi Osborn
Boulder SDB Church, CO
Resolution Passed at 2015
General Conference Sessions
Affirming Previous SDB
Statements on Marriage
Posted On: November 2, 2015, by John Pethtel
The following resolution was introduced and
passed during the 2015 General Conference
Sessions. Your church is encouraged to contact
your liability insurance provider and to examine
its own documents and policies concerning same-
sex unions.
WHEREAS, God in His Divine wisdom created and
intended marriage to be the covenanted, conjugal
union of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:18–
24; Matthew 19:4–6; Hebrews 13:4); and
WHEREAS, Seventh Day Baptists through action
at their General Conference sessions in 2003 and
2004 strongly affirmed “that the Divinely instituted
union of marriage is solely between a man and a
woman.”; and
WHEREAS, The Supreme Court of the United
States has ruled that states shall be required to
grant legal recognition as “marriages” to same-sex
partnerships; and
WHEREAS, The redefinition of marriage to include
same-sex couples is apt to continue to erode the
religious liberty and rights of conscience of all
who remain faithful to the idea of marriage as the
conjugal union of husband and wife; and
WHEREAS, The Bible affirms the value of all
human beings as “created in His image” and calls
us to love our neighbors, including those who dis-
agree with us about the definition of marriage;
now, therefore,
LET IT BE RESOLVED, That the delegates to the
Seventh Day Baptist General Conference session
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, July 26-August 1, 2015,
continue to “strongly affirm that the Divinely
instituted union of marriage is solely between a
man and a woman.”
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, That the religious
liberty of individual citizens or institutions should
not be infringed as a result of believing or living
according to the Biblical definition of marriage;
LET IT BE FINALLY RESOLVED, That Seventh Day
Baptists love our neighbors and extend respect in
Christ’s name to all people, including those who
may disagree with us about the definition of
marriage.
