Oswald Chambers: Peace - Life in the SpiritSample

Immediately the Spirit of God comes in we begin to realize what it means—everything that is not of God has to be cleaned out. People are surprised and say, “I asked for the Holy Spirit and expected that He would bring me joy and peace, but I have had a terrible time ever since.” That is the sign He has come, He is turning out the “money-changers,” that is, the things that make the temple into a trafficking place for self-realization.

Be diplomatic. Be wise. Compromise in a shrewd way and you will get everything under your own control. That is the kind of thing the peace of the world is based on. We call it “diplomacy.” Jesus maintained His faith in God’s methods in spite of the temptations which were so wise from every standpoint except the standpoint of the Spirit of God.

Reflection Questions: What disruption does Jesus cause in my life? What is He determined to clean out and throw out? What confidence do I place in diplomacy?

Quotations taken from Servant as His Lord, © Discovery House Publishers