CHOOSING PEACE

-

 AUGUST 10, 2022




PSALM 85:8

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people …

JOHN 14:27

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.

Psalm 29:11

“The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.”


It seems that our culture says that peace can only come when you’ve worked your fingers to the bone and have finally attained all you want. You can only have peace when you have enough money, friends, the right job, or the right spouse. You can only have peace if friends, family, and employers like you. Whatever the culture offers us as peace is temporary. The world can’t offer us peace because it has nothing in which to place its hope, trust, and security. Kingdoms come and go. Leaders move in and out of power. What societies value changes consistently.

Our only constant is Jesus. He has been, is, and forever will be the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of all. All authority has been given to him. He governs the change of seasons. And he longs to offer total and sustained peace to all who place their hope and trust in him. God’s way is to draw us into himself and offer us peace during our various  circumstances. He doesn’t want you to wait until everything gets worked out before you can have peace and rest he’s offering you these gifts right now.

Romans 8:6 says, “To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” It’s by the Spirit alone that we will find life and peace. I guess bluntly it is saying "stop looking for your fulfillment in the things of the world. Stop asking the world to offer you what it never had to begin with." Look toward your heavenly Father for the peace that surpasses all understanding. May you be filled with rest and peace today as you spend time in prayer seeking the face of God.

REFLECTION

1. When have you experienced the Lord’s peace in your life? Take a moment to write down a few experiences that come to mind and thank God for giving you His peace.

2. In what ways might you be seeking the world’s peace instead of God’s peace right now? Ask God to help you turn from temporary peace and take hold of His lasting peace.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FUN with GOD

-
Image
  June 13, 2024 PSALM 30:11-12 “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” I have learned that God loves to exceed our expectations and break open our boxes. For example today let us think about our Father in Heaven as a God who is "Fun". I was talking with a friend recently and we were talking about the varied perceptions of God that many people have. Sadly, the notion of God most common is that God is not loving toward all he has made, but a God waiting to exact some form of retribution for our actions that he might deem "sin". You know "God is out to get you" kind of thinking. My friend and I felt that this is a terrible misconception and distortion of the Bible's picture of God. I am convinced that the Bible contains evidence that God desires to reveal to us the immense joy of havi
Read more

BE ENCOURAGED

-
Image
  JULY 3, 2024 Psalm 8  Lord , our Lord,      how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory      in the heavens. 2  Through the praise of children and infants      you have established a stronghold against your enemies,      to silence the foe and the avenger. 3  When I consider your heavens,      the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,      which you have set in place, 4  what is mankind that you are mindful of them,      human beings that you care for them? 5  You have made them a little lower than the angels      and crowned them with glory and honor. 6  You made them rulers over the works of your hands;      you put everything under their feet: 7  all flocks and herds,      and the animals of the wild, 8  the birds in the sky,      and the fish in the sea,      all that swim the paths of the seas. 9  Lord , our Lord,      how majestic is your name in all the earth! In this Psalm, David expresses wonder at how God displays His power through the most
Read more

METEORIC LOVE

-
Image
  JULY 5, 2024 I'm amazed at the human capacity for love. I will use myself as the case study. I have been blessed to have a beautiful and wonderful woman to love as my wife. When our first daughter was born, I was amazed to find that my heart expanded to a different channel of love. Some of you I am guessing know what I am talking about. My soul opened in a new way. When I thought I had expended all my love, along came children 2, 3, and 4. I would always wonder if I had the capacity to love more than I already did, could my heart expand more? Guess what my capacity for love kept growing. And now as a grandfather of 4, that love expands and expands with each one. I have said to my daughter about my Grandkids, “just when you think you have topped out your love for them,” which is quite substantial, "you spend an afternoon with them and your love for them grows again." There seems to be some new reservoir of love that opens and is released. Have you experienced that in you
Read more