In this devotional meditation, M.t. Clark shares a personal experience of visiting Green Lakes State Park in Syracuse after work, using the concept of “green areas” – state or national parks identified on Google Maps – as a practical way to encounter God’s creation and cultivate gratitude. He encourages listeners to seek out such places, whether alone or with company, as a discipline of thankfulness and a reflection of Christian discipleship. Clark then shifts to theological reflection, contrasting the fleeting, circumstance‑dependent peace the world offers with the eternal, Christ‑centered peace described in John 10:10 and John 14:27, emphasizing that true peace comes from accepting God’s provision regardless of circumstances. He applies Psalm 34:12‑13 to daily life, urging believers to speak truth and avoid evil speech, linking honesty to spiritual health and the promise of a long, prosperous life. The talk references A.W. Pink’s The Sovereignty of God, noting the conclusion of chapter 5 on sovereignty and reprobation, and directs listeners to related blog posts and resources on mt4christ.org. Clark also promotes various community resources – podcasts, Bible studies, and weekly teachings – as means to deepen daily spiritual practice. The meditation concludes with a heartfelt prayer asking for God’s peace, guidance, and blessings on listeners.
Chapters
To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of the sun setting directly over the asphalt pathway of the stretch of New York 290 known as Green Lakes Road comes to us from yours truly as I decided to pull over and capture this scene while I was headed back to my hotel after paying a visit to Green Lakes State Park yesterday afternoon. During my temporary work assignment here in Syracuse, I haven't had the time or the inclination to go anywhere other than my reporting location on Thompson Road and the Hampton Inn Suites where I am staying. But yesterday the sun actually came out, and I knew that if I just went back to the hotel after work yesterday, I would have blown an opportunity to see something of God's creation out here near Syracuse. I'm not familiar with the area, and I didn't feel like venturing too far from where I was staying because sunset comes quick in February, and I didn't feel like driving around in the dark on my return voyage back from wherever I decided to go. Um, but I decided to head out anyway. Um, a good rule of thumb for seeing the beauty of God's creation while on the road is to zero in on the state or national parks in the area. These areas that men have had the wisdom to leave relatively untouched are easily found on Google Maps as green shaded areas. I guess I always knew this, but I really put the wisdom of going to the green areas, uh, to the test when I took my new bride to Tampa on our honeymoon last year. Tammy Lynn had never set foot in Florida, and I was totally unfamiliar with the Tampa area. So when she looked to me to plan our honeymoon adventure, I utilized Google Maps and each day would plot a course to hit various green areas in a different direction outside of Tampa with each new day. It proved to be a good strategy. Because not only did my wife and I systematically explore a good deal of the territory around Tampa, we had a wonderful time in each other's company and the beauty of God's creation while doing it. While some locations were better than others, I would say that you can't go too wrong by going to the green areas if you want to enjoy some peace and beauty. So during work yesterday, I did a search for state parks on Google Maps and quickly decided that Green Lakes State Parks would be the green area I would visit in the late afternoon. Before you start exploring those green areas near you, let me give you some advice. Temper your expectations and appreciate what you find, no matter what it is. Some green areas are better than others, and if you go there off-season, they may not be in their full glory. The idea behind these trips to see something is not to be dazzled by some awesome sight. The idea about going to the green areas is appreciation and thanking God for providing the places we will see and the life he gave us to experience it all. These trips are a practice of gratitude, thanksgiving, and entering into the presence of God as we recognize the beauty of his handiwork and the gift of our senses and the freedom of movement that we— he has given to us. To experience it. If we take these trips by ourselves, they are a practice in solitude. If we go with company, we get the added bonus of appreciating one another and the fact we get to share the experience with one another. So we really aren't going to be shown something as in, "This better be good." We make these journeys to the unknown green areas out there to appreciate whatever we find and to thank God when we find it. So it's Thursday, and I don't know if you have time for an impromptu trip to one of the green areas near you today, but let me encourage you to adopt this mindset, the mindset of a disciple of Jesus Christ, no matter where your, your day takes you. The path of Christian discipleship is one of learning and communion with God. We choose to follow his lead and to thank him for whatever we receive, knowing that the momentary circumstances of life, whether good or bad, are all under his control, and we don't have to look or work for something worthwhile. Because we have already found it by finding Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Christ said in, in, said in John 10:10 that he came to give us life and life more abundantly. Um, or as the NLT puts it, to give us a rich and satisfying life. I particularly like that phrasing because the richness of an experience is dependent on our attention and appreciation of it, and our satisfaction of an experience is grounded in acceptance and contentment. We are to be appreciative, accept— accepting and content with what God has given us, and we— and when we do that, we find peace. Christ came to give us peace. He said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." The peace Christ brings surpasses any circumstantial peace that we may find in one of those green areas out there. The peace we find in our lives in Christ doesn't come from good conditions. It comes from the realization that our condition is good regardless of the circumstances we encounter. That's what Christ meant when he said, "Not as the world do I give to you." We can create peaceful circumstances or go to peaceful places, but if we set those things up or go there without God, the peace will come— the peace will become sadness as we realize that we can't keep the good times rolling, that the sun sets, the darkness comes, and and the party comes to an end. No, the peace we have in Christ is eternal, and time doesn't take it away from us. Unlike the world's peace that crumbles under the weight of time, as we go through time, we come closer to the ultimate peace that we will have when we enter God's eternal kingdom. So even though we may age on this planet, things really are getting better all the time. As we come closer and closer to that day when we will meet our Savior face to face. So rest in the peace that goes beyond all understanding by having the childlike faith of wonder that accepts what we are given day to day, because we know that a loving Father has given it to us and is with us to protect us and guide us every step of the way. So keep walking and talking with God, and thank Him for all you have in all that you will receive as you draw closer to him with each passing day. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the New Living Translation Bible, Promise Book for Men. This morning's meditation verses are Psalm 34:12-13, and they say, does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Today's Bible verses encourage us to not speak evil or to tell lies if we want a life that is long and prosperous. The Psalmist gives good practical advice here because even though we can't guarantee a long life—that's up to God—or a lifestyle of the rich and famous, it is more likely that we won't meet any, uh, an untimely demise or go begging for bread if we make a habit of not speaking evil or telling lies. Honesty and people speaking positively is such a rare thing in this world that people tend to appreciate it when they find it. So if we are consistent in telling the truth and speaking good and encouraging words, others will appreciate our character and may even decide to bless us. As I have stated before on this— on the blog, the first lesson I encourage people who wish to be authentic in their Christian faith to learn is to always tell the truth. As Christians surrender to do the will of God, the first thing we should do is stop lying. Satan is the father of lies, and our speech should not be similar to his. So speak the truth and choose not to speak what is evil but what is good. These are the ways of our Master, Jesus Christ. And whether we succeed in this world or not, and whether we walk this earth for a long time or not, We should know that the Psalmist speaks the truth because if we are in Christ, we will have a long life, as in eternally, and we will prosper as the adopted children of the Lord of all creation. As always, I invite all to go to M.t. Clark.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink's The Sovereignty of God, and we're finally there. We're concluding the chapter, the chap— chapter 5 on the Sovereignty of God and Reprobation, um, where Pink draws upon the Large Westminster Catechism, uh, the teachings of John Bunyan and others, uh, to finish off, um, his thoughts on the doctrine of reprobation. So if you want to see what the— how chapter 5 concludes, um, go to mt4christ.org and you'll find that resource at the end of today's blog post. As always, we encourage a lifestyle of Christian discipleship by accepting what we have, doing what is good, speaking what is good, being appreciative, and trying to follow the will of the Lord with the way we live our lives. We We don't worship the Father just one day a week at church. We worship Him daily by developing a spiritual, uh, daily spiritual practice where we draw close to Him in prayer, Bible study, and we seek His presence and wisdom throughout the day as we live our lives, looking for the good things He would have us do and trying to do them. It's not about doing them, however. We're already accepted. You know, it's— we don't have to earn it, but we get to participate, uh, in the life that he's given us. And, uh, sometimes we don't want to just sit in a hotel room. We want to go out and see what God has created, to appreciate the life he's given us. And that's really what, what this life is. This life in Christ is one of joy, and we, we receive the joy when we remember the joy of our salvation. That joy shouldn't run out no matter what life hands us. The fact that we are eternally saved and protected by the Lord, you know, that's— that should give you hope that doesn't run out. So if we forget that, we got to remember that, you know. So if you don't know about how to be free in Christ, you don't know who you are in Christ, Well, we encourage you to check out the teachings that we did on our podcast and our YouTube channel for Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ. They're all based on the word of God and the teachings of Dr. Neil Anderson, and their intent is to make us right with God. They all basically point— and they reveal the, the reality of this world. On the spiritual level and how that— that those— these spiritual forces affect our lives on earth. And how when we come into communion with the Lord and follow Him and walk in the Spirit, we discover the fruit of the Spirit: peace, love, joy, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and patience and self-control. They come when we follow the Lord. And so if we're not following the Lord, we don't believe We can find these things when we turn to him, ask him for help, and follow the way he leads. A good part of that is understanding what the word of God says. So we encourage Bible study, and we encourage it on the podcast by providing a Bible study, uh, every week that Arthur Sincotti provides for us. So we, we get together and see what Arthur comes up with, and, uh, we discuss it based on our knowledge of scripture and our experience as Christian disciples. So if you want to check out our Bible study, uh, you would just find those under Bible Study with the Cinkatis, and we have studies going all the way back to 2021 for your listening enjoyment. So we encourage you to do that. It's difficult to find, uh, community in this world and to find encouraging words to tell us to be Christian in everything we do. And it's not just the political stance, it's a way of life. It doesn't have to be complicated. And we encourage people to seek the Lord. That's the number one advice. Seek the Lord and then stop lying, or stop lying. I don't know which one. I said number one was speak the truth, and that's it. But I think the only reason we would do that is because we're seeking the Lord. So thus, seek the Lord and speak the truth and follow where he leads you. Well, it is another day here in Syracuse, and even though I don't have to run out the door, we're gonna, we're gonna move things along by praying for the day. So let's do that. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much. For all that you do and all you've done. Um, but the peace that you give us is the peace that goes beyond the circumstances of our, our world. And, um, we realize our conditions are good even when conditions outside are not. Um, Lord, we thank you so much for the life that you've given us and the way you've transformed things. Since we've decided to follow you. Lord, we pray for the people listening or reading this message, Lord, that they would be blessed and that they would be encouraged to follow you, um, in all the aspects of their lives. Lord, we pray for you to come alongside them and bless them, answer their prayer request, and show them the way that you have for their lives. Lord, we, we As always, we pray for you to go before us today to protect and guide us and to show us the things you want us to see. And Lord, we just, uh, we just want to represent you, so please help us by, by leading us into the good things you would have us do. Well, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
