Comfort in the spin cycle

With all of the uncertainty going on around us in our current world that seems to be changing what we got used to as normal continues to keep shifting, The media, social and network continue to fuel uncertainty, fear, discontent and division. The campaigning for solutions and unity has yet to make the scene. For those of us who know Jesus, know better. What we physically see, We know God’s eyes see perfection and His plan for us is filled with promises that He will bring to pass if we put all of our trust, faith and hope in Him. I remember a story that my dad had told at the beginning of a Sunday morning sermon years ago that was kind of funny yet thought provoking that has stuck with me all of these years. A little boy stopped by the super market and asked the cashier where he could find a box of Tide… he said it was for washing his cat. The lady was quick to tell him that he shouldn’t wash his cat with Tide but she couldn’t change his mind. Later the boy came back to the store and told the cashier his cat had died. The lady said, ‘Well son, I warned you not to wash your cat with Tide detergent.” “Naw,” the boy said, “He didn’t die from the Tide, it was the spin cycle that got him.” I now have a better understanding of this illustrative, clean and colorful story, Perhaps the “spin cycle” describes life? There are times in my life when I find my circumstance and my peace is based simply on my own ignorance. But when I am awakened to the realities of life, I remember that true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. Am I doing my thing or His thing ? When Jesus speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks will always be spirit, and they are life. The bible says in John 6:63 that It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Jesus tells the people in the room further, But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed and believed not, and who should betray him. We are not any different than the disciples and people that were in that very room today, we may think that is long ago and not applicable today, and if you think that, you are deceived and have yet to receive what Jesus spoke. Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “…My peace I give to you…” a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment. I see a lot of people severely troubled right now around me at work and throughout my daily activities. Unknowingly it seems they are afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter their life. They have left no stone of their faith unturned, yet still not found any well or place of peace, joy, or comfort. They wake up and endure another day hoping the things on the outside will change without anything on their inside being changed or removed. When our life seems completely barren to us we must look up and receive the quiet contentment of Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that we are right with God, because we are exhibiting the freedom to turn our thoughts and mind to Him. If we are not right with God, we can never turn our mind anywhere but on ourselves. We must know and remember that by allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from us either causes us to become troubled or gives us a false sense of security. With regard to the problems that are pressing in on us right now, are we looking unto Jesus and receiving peace from Him right now?. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is Hebrews: 12:2- 3 that says, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. If we look to Jesus, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through us. But if we only try to worry our way out of the problem, we destroy His effectiveness in us and prolong the problem. In fact we then deserve whatever we get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him for His word, His free gift, foretold, prepaid and promised. When we as people look and trust in Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. We must turn everything over and lay everything out before Him, and when we are faced with difficulty, depression, death, and sadness, all we have to do is to look to Jesus and listen to Him say, Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. In closing it is comforting to know the definition of the word “comfort” it means, to give strength and hope, to ease the grief or trouble, to console. The Bible tells me in red, meaning Jesus said it in John 14; 26, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Then in John 16: 7 , also in red, meaning Jesus said, Nevertheless I tell you the truth, It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. The comfort the Bible is talking about is the Comforter, Jesus. The last thing Jesus said while He was on Earth was that He must go to the Father, so the Comforter can come. The Comforter is the Holy Ghost. I did a search in the Bible of the word “comforter” and found something I had not discovered before. The word comforter was mentioned a total of eight times, uncapitalized in the Old Testament and each of the verses mentioned “no comforters” had come or as Job stated in Job 16:2 I have heard many such things, miserable comforters are ye all. But the New Testament mentioning four times all capitalized, meaning and making the Comforter a person as Jesus intended. John 14: 16 tells me, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. All it took for me one day a few years ago was to pray this simple prayer. Jesus you told me, You prayed to the Father for me, to receive the Comforter and that He would abide with Jon Mark forever, teach me all things , bring things to my remembrance, give me peace, vision to see and say things as the Holy Ghost reveals them to me. I believe, receive and thank you for this precious gift. I can testify that the Holy Ghost is real, alive and available to all who will simply pray this prayer and seek the will of God. I still have problems, issues and make mistakes, but handle those things in a complete and different fashion. In other words the “spin cycle” has stopped, unlike the cat mentioned earlier in the illustration story who started me thinking and thanking God for washing my sins and old life away, giving me a new heart, salvation and filling me with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. Make it a great day for yourself and someone else, as we live to love, share and look to Jesus in all things.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

John 14: 26- 27

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.