Peace Seymour Weekly Messages

Compared to the strength of the spiritual powers of evil in this world, we are weak. We are vulnerable to the temptations and oppression of the devil and his demons. We are powerless against sin in this world. We are captive to these things, let alone the earthly powers of this world that can harm us. We cannot protect or save ourselves. But Jesus is more powerful than all these things in this world. Jesus is stronger than that which we believe to be strong and powerful in this world. He saves us from our captivity to the darkness of this world, and he has power over Satan and all evil in this world. While we are at the mercy of the devil and evil in this world, Jesus is stronger, he is on our side, and his promises are bigger than the darkness of this world.

In our Western world, we often seek to maintain our innocence. We try to keep our hands clean. We stay out of trouble so that we can remain innocent. Yet, we all do things that we regret. We all have made mistakes. We are all guilty of sin. Even though we are and still live as sinners, we know we have forgiveness in Jesus. Our sin has been washed away in our baptism. The record of sin against us has been nailed to the cross, where it has been put to death, so that we may live freely without sin! In Jesus and his work on the cross, we have been forgiven of our sin, that we may live freely, without the guilt of our trespasses.

The last stage of life is one that we fail to look forward to, and that we often dread. We devalue the elderly and old in our world today, rather than valuing their worth, wisdom, and wellbeing. This is stage where we look back on our lives, reflect, have regrets, and begin to become isolated from the people and things that we love. Rather than enjoying this time and finding fulfillment in it, we fear, dread, and despise it. The reflection stage of life is one that we don't have to dread, but one we can embrace. In this stage, there is still opportunity to serve, wisdom to give, and work to do. There's a lot to look forward to as well. We know what the destination is. It's life with Jesus. We can leave a legacy of faith and a good witness for those who come after us, by embracing this stage, trusting in his promises. As we approach the destination on the road, we do so well, cherishing what we have, serving those we love, and looking forward to life with Jesus.

Life doesn't always go how we plan. Often, the worst possible things seem to happen at the worst possible times. Sometimes, we wake up and we question everything that we've done and that we've worked towards. We ask, "How did I get here? Is this really what I want? What if I had done this or that?" We hit a crisis, a crossroads, and we don't know what to do next. Regardless of whatever crisis you may face, Jesus remains the same. God's word and truth remain the same. If you build upon and rely on him, you can trust in his plan and his purpose for your life. If you build on your plans, goals, desires, etc., you'll eventually reach some kind of crisis, and things will crumble. But if we find our foundation upon the rock of Jesus and his promises, he will support us through anything. In our moments and seasons of crisis, we remember Jesus has brought us this far, he's with us every step of the way, his promises will crumble.

You have to reach the next level. You want to move up the ladder. You need to get that raise for your family to achieve their goals. You're behind on your life plan and you need to move up, or find a place you can move up. That new house with the pool is calling your name. If you can resonate with that, you're in the achieving stage of your life, and you are striving for the next best thing to reach your goals. Yet, often we can lose sight of the life God intends for us. In the middle of your striving, remember what God says about you. That he calls you to himself. That you matter, even if you don't hit your quota. Even if you're not where you want to be, God is using you for his purposes, which are greater than your goals. You can rest in God, because in Jesus, you have all that you could ever need. In the midst of your striving, God calls you to keep your goals in perspective, to remember who you are serving, and to rest in Jesus.

Life as a young family is hard. You may have to struggle just to make it to the next mile. You're life is turned upside down. You're torn in every direction, every which way. You don't know what you're doing or what your next step is, and it feels like everything is on the line! This is the stage of life, you have to grind through. At the same time, this stage of life is a gift. It's a gift from God, and you should savor every precious second. When it feels like a grind, when it seems like you're not achieving or doing enough or that you're not good enough for your spouse, your children, your parents, or whoever, remember that you serve a good and gracious God, who sees your simple acts of service, and uses it for his glory. God calls you to a life of service, who sees your simple acts of service, and uses them to do his work in your life.

The young life is about adventure. You strike out on your own. You experience everything you can. You become independent. You get the most out of life. Yet you can also stray from your roots. You can get into trouble. You make mistakes. You can even get hurt. You can also stray away from your faith, and who God has made you to be. No matter where you go or what you do, remember your roots. Go with God's blessing by living how he has called you to as you go out on your adventure. God isn't a wet blanket, he's your loving Father, who wants to protect and care for you, by allowing you to follow his design for your life. Go, remembering who God has made you to be. Go out on the open road of life with a sense of adventure, living as God has called you to, remembering who he has made you to be.

Normally bad news is just that. It's bad news. All too often in this world, we get just bad news. Things didn't go how we want. Something tragic happened. Life didn't pan out how we wanted it to. The job went to someone else. We lost the person that we loved the most. Bad news is all around us. Bad news happens often, and yet even though it is rare, good news happens too. Easter Sunday is all about the good news of Jesus! On Easter Sunday, we can rejoice that Jesus has come alive! The worst news int he world has turned into good news! Jesus' love overcomes more than just our heartache and pain, it overcomes death itself! Jesus lives, and we know we too will live, because he has loved us! Jesus' love, overcomes our grief, overcomes death, and sends us out to share his love with others.

Love is hard to find in this world. Love of a man for his friend. Love in families. Love in relationships that withstands anything. True love is hard to come by. Rather, we often as sinful people, end up loving and serving ourselves or loving things that we place above others. Jesus calls us to love and serve and care for others. We pray by the power of the Holy Spirit, we would love a fraction of the way he has loved us. Jesus loved us to the end. He loved his disciples as he dined with them, washed their feet, and even prepared to be betrayed by one of them. He loved his mother as he was dragged to the cross. He loved even those who put him to the cross. Through all of this, he showed his love for you. A love that was willing to completely give up everything, for you and I. Jesus loved to the end, by gifting us his promises, serving us, and dying for us on the cross.

It's easy to be drawn towards the glorious and attractive things in this world. It's easy to look at spectacles, brilliant displays, and amazing things, and turn away from the ordinary, normal, and mundane. The triumphal entry seems triumphant and glorious! Yet, all those who praised him would soon betray Jesus. We are often more concerned about the world, and what is great in the world, rather than what is glorious and great in the eyes of God. Not spectacle, but sincere faith in Jesus. Jesus' true glory is not the glory of the world. It's the glory of humility, weakness, abandonment, and suffering on the cross. We are not to look to the glory of this world, but to the true glory of our meek and humble savior who comes not to take the kingdom, but to be taken to death. The amazing actions he once did, are nothing, compared to the glory of what Jesus was coming and going to do! In this world, we do not follow the things that are glorious to the world, but we follow Jesus, to the cross, where we see his true glory.