Peace!

Have you ever met someone who seems to have it all together. I mean every time the chips are down, life looks like it is throwing all it can at them, they are still composed. They lose something big and yet they still look peaceful, like it never happened. They have every reason to throw a week long pity party, yet they just keep on keeping on. I have, witnessed this in a man that I grew up truly admiring. Rev. Armando Silverio was a man who was respected by many, many people. I saw him lose his health, I saw him seemingly have zero wealth. I saw so many things in him that most would run from. I saw his wife get the news that he would not live through the night, this actually happened about 5 times that I know of over a 3-4 year span. He was always energetic, always uplifting but there was one word I would use to describe him, peacefull. Not as in he was in someone who never resorts to violence, or someone who stands up against violence, but some one who is full of peace. That is why I spelled it wrong back there, he was full of peace. The kind of peace that God gives passes all understanding.
Isaiah 26:3 says, You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.
So here we can see the source of Rev. Silverio's peace was in the fact that his mind was always steadfact. He lived, breathed, slept thinking of ways to better serve God with his life. He was constantly in the word, talking about the word, or using the word to strengthen the lives of others. You could stop by his house on a Friday night at 9pm and get a full sermon just by asking him an in depth question. The man was definitely steadfast, and focused on God and His word. The verse says, "perfect peace", this is the same as peace that passes all understanding. We're talking about peace, and everyone can understand peace. It is the opposite of violence, it is the times in life where there is no noise, no distractions(which I will admit only come in my house at 6am, no other time will you find this. But, God is talking about a peace that we cannot even understand. I time in your life, where you are so focused on God and on serving Him, on life and living it, that you forget about anything that matters and can rob you of your peace. THat is the key, focusing on God and His creation and letting everything else fall into place. I will admit with money so tight, and so many people falling into foreclosure and bankruptcy this verse is a must in today's society. I struggle from time to time and then I go out and sit in teh chair on the front porch and just read the word, close my eyes and return my focus to God. Then bills, payments, lack of funds and all the things that clutter my mind just seem to blow away in the wind, and I know that God is giving me a small glimpse of the power of His alpowerful peace!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!