Today's scripture: Psalm 23:2
When I read these verses, I have an instant mental picture of a meadow with
lush, green grass. I see the breeze rustling the trees and just over a gentle
rise comes the song of a gently flowing stream.
I see myself flat on my back watching cotton candy clouds as they wisp
overhead.
Quiet. Peacefulness.
And then I hear a voice—powerful, yet kind. It’s my gentle Shepherd.
“Rest, My child,” He soothes. “Shed the burdens of this day, and come to me.
Let Me take whatever is causing you pain and share the load” (see Matt. 11:28-30).
So many times I let my daily pain and suffering steal my peace. I forget that
my Lord wants to give me rest. Spiritual rest. Emotional rest. Physical rest.
And I can go to those green pastures. I can walk beside those still waters. I
can experience peace that surpasses my human understanding, if only I let go
(see Phil. 4:6-7).
Today's
scripture: Psalm 4:7-8
I am so very blessed. God has given me so much: a supportive husband, a nice
home, a reliable car, a loving family, a sweet dog, great friends, a job I
love (with the flexibility to do it from home), blessed ministries ... so very
blessed.
He has indeed "put gladness in my heart."
I have great peace about my life even with my daily pain. I feel safe because I
know God is always with me (Hebrews 13:5). I know He has a plan for a hopeful
future (Jeremiah 29:11). I know He loves me unconditionally and everlastingly
(Jeremiah 33:3).
So often, as I wrote Wednesday, it's difficult to live in this very dark world.
Accidents happen. Health is compromised. Relationships sour. So much in this
world can make us feel very un-safe, un-peaceful.
When everything around us seems to be falling apart, when the bad guys seem to
be winning, then the only place to find safety and peace is in the arms of our
Abba Father—our Daddy.
When we crawl on His lap, He will fill our hearts with gladness. He will allow
us to "lie down in peace" (although, for some of us, the sleep part
might be a challenge!).
Truly, it really is He "alone ... [who] makes[s us] dwell in safety."
It's a safety that can only be found in the presence of the Almighty God.
Today’s scripture: Romans 5:2
This year, we’ve looked at verses about hope, peace, faith, and grace … and it
often seems like these words are found together. And this makes sense.
Grace and faith go hand in hand. We have faith in God, and we receive salvation
through His grace.
Knowing that we have been saved through grace brings peace.
Even more, as we reflect upon grace, we find great hope in God’s glory. Hope in
His everlasting presence and abundant love. Hope in eternity with Him.
Oh, we are so very blessed.
Peace and hope through faith and grace.
What a great God we serve!
Today’s
scripture: Romans 5:1-2
If you started reading this devotional in 2017, you know that we began the year
talking about peace, one of my favorite topics.
In the Bible, peace and faith often go hand-in-hand.
When we have faith in God and trust Him to complete His will according to His
love for us, we often find peace despite our circumstances.
It’s almost a mathematical hypothesis: If we have faith in God, then we are
justified. If we are justified by faith, then we have peace.
I’ve said it before—and I’ll say it again—true peace is found only through faith
in God. We stand firm on His grace and unmerited favor and experience His
mercy.
We see His hand at work in all things, and we know He has a perfect plan, one
of peace and not disaster as one version of Jeremiah 29:11 states.
Are you feeling peace-less? Then put your faith in God. Accept His peace
promised through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s
scripture: Isaiah 32:17
When we give our lives to Jesus, those lives don’t immediately become perfect.
We have work to do.
I believe that salvation comes from grace, not of works, and the apostle Paul
supports me on this (Ephesians 2:8-9).
However, we’re to serve God through what we do—our works.
Works are those things we do to serve others and to serve God. It’s using the
gifts He’s given us to glorify Him and help build His kingdom (1 Corinthians 12). It’s giving food to someone who is “destitute” (James 2:15-16). It’s helping
the widow and the orphan (James 1:27).
When we do these things for God’s glory, we can know that we will have peace.
We will have assurance that God will one day say to us: “Well done, good and
faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler
over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord” (Matthew 25:21).
I don’t know about you, but peace on this earth and knowing that God will one
day commend me like a proud parent—these make me want to serve Him more
faithfully, to serve others gladly, and to live a life that brings a smile to
His face.
Do you know the joy of serving God and serving others? Do you want to have the
assurance that God will one day call you His good and faithful servant? Ask Him
to help you now. Ask Him to reveal to you what you might do to serve Him more.
Today’s
scripture: 1 Samuel 1:17
One of the most wonderful things about being a Christian—and there are many—is
that we can come to God with each and every need, big or small. And God
promises to listen.
In 1 Samuel, a woman named Hannah hadn’t been able to have children (oh, can I
relate), and she’d prayed and prayed and prayed for God to give her a child.
She prayed so desperately that one day, a prophet named Eli saw her and thought
that she was drunk. When she bared her heart to him, he assured her that God
would hear her prayer.
She could go in peace, knowing that God would give her that much longed-for
child.
God will answer our prayers.
However, He doesn’t always answer them in the way we would like.
I too prayed and prayed and prayed for God to give me a child. I didn’t have an
Eli to assure me that God listened to my prayer, but I know He did.
He just answered differently because there came a time in my journey when I was
able to pray for that much longed-for child or for peace.
He gave me peace about remaining childless.
And like Hannah, I could go in peace knowing that God had granted my petition.
Is there something that you’ve been praying for, but you haven’t received an
answer? If you’re willing to hear His answer, continue praying. Feel the hope
that He will answer and that you can go in peace.
Today’s
scripture: Ephesians 6:15
The apostle Paul urged the church at Ephesus to “put on the whole armor of God”
(Ephesians 6:11) in order to combat the enemy. He wrote of putting on truth and
righteousness, faith and the word of God.
In the middle of these pieces of “armor,” Paul wrote that we are to “shod [our]
feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”
Shod our feet.
The other pieces of “armor” provide protection: a breastplate, a shield, a
sword. What do shoes have to do with protection?
It’s what those shoes represent: the gospel of peace.
The gospel is the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. It’s the
assurance that when we give our lives to Jesus, we are saved from our sins. We
can look forward to eternity with Jesus.
When we walk in that knowledge, when our feet are shod with that gospel, then
everywhere we go, we are grounded in that truth. It’s the very foundation upon
which we walk.
A soldier wouldn’t get very far if his shoes weren’t sturdy and strong, able to
keep out the elements, able to traverse rough ground.
We too wouldn’t get very far if we weren’t standing on God’s promises of
salvation and of peace.
On what are you walking? Are your feet covered with the peace that comes from
knowing Jesus? Do you walk every day with the assurance of salvation? Ask God
to give you that assurance. Become grounded in Him and His Word.
Today’s
scripture: Proverbs 3:13, 17
Ah, wisdom.
I’d like to think of myself as wise, but unfortunately, I have a history of
making unwise choices. My twenty-year rebellion included many, many decisions
that led me farther and farther from the Lord. And I didn’t have peace. None at
all.
Even after I recommitted my life to the Lord, I still made some unwise choices
because I was still trying to do things on my own, control my own destiny.
Several years ago, however, I finally “wised up” and realized that I really
couldn’t handle things well on my own and that I needed to be willing to give
everything—heart, soul, mind, and strength to the Lord, and in His
wisdom, I could lead that life of “pleasantness” and “peace.”
Now, I’d like to say that I’ve become
wise, but that just wouldn’t be true. My wisdom—if indeed I have any—comes from
the Lord.
When I come to Him and seek His will, then He gives me the ability to make wise
choices.
When I read His word and learn more of what He wants from me, then my ways
really are pleasant.
When I pray to Him and listen to His voice, then my paths really are peace.
Do you want wisdom to make the right choices? True wisdom comes from God. And
true peace can come as a result of making wise, God-directed decisions. Talk to
God and ask Him for wisdom to guide your paths.
Today’s
scripture: Proverbs 12:20
I’m blessed to have some wonderful friends in my life. They’re wonderful women
of faith whom I genuinely love and cherish.
Beyond friendship, I look to many of them as counselors. I know I can go to
them with the good, bad, and ugly, and they’ll counsel me and pray over me.
When I think of these women, I love the thought of them being “counselors of
peace” because they do, indeed, pray for peace in my life.
And in those relationships, I believe each of us finds joy.
I’ve known others, however, that illustrate the first part of that verse.
Haven’t you had people in your life that seem, on the surface, to be seeking
your good? But then you find out that they’ve deceived you? Those people don’t
bring joy to you because they’re not counselors of peace.
When someone really loves you and seeks God’s best for you, she’s truly that
counselor of peace.
Do you have a counselor of peace in your life? Thank God for her—and thank her
for being that to you.
Today’s
scripture: Proverbs 3:1-2
When we decide to follow Christ, we begin a wonderful journey in relationship
with Him. We can delight in knowing that He’s with us, every moment of every
day.
But we’re commanded to do something to keep that relationship strong and
growing: We must know the law of the Lord. We must keep His commandments.
God’s Word, the Bible, contains all of God’s words to us as well as His
commandments, both in the Old and New Testaments.
In order to keep this particular requirement to “not forget My law” and to
“keep My commandments,” we need to spend time in God’s Word.
Note that next part of the verse: for the length of days and long life.
This means that this is a life-long requirement. We can’t just read God’s Word
off and on or in one season of our lives. It’s a life-long endeavor as part of
a life-long relationship.
There’s joy in knowing Jesus. It’s an amazing privilege to have a true
relationship with Him. And getting to know Him more and more deeply through the
study of His Word is another gift from Him to us.
Oh, and there’s that last part of the verse: our days and long life will add
peace to us.
Do you spend time remembering God’s law, His Word? Do you strive to keep His
commandments? If you do, thank Him for His Word and His promise of peace. If
you don’t, ask God now to work in you so that you can draw ever closer to Him.
Today’s
scripture: Psalm 37:37
Blameless? Hardly.
Upright? Uptight, maybe.
I look back on my life, and I’ve hardly been blameless and upright. Most of the
time, I’ve been anything but these things.
I’ve been sinful and rebellious and strong-willed.
I’ve been angry and bitter and unforgiving.
So, if I read this verse right, I shouldn’t be looking forward to a future of
peace. And the opposite of peace is what? Despair? Worry?
Sick-to-the-pit-of-my-stomach anxiety?
Is that what I have to look forward to?
No!
No, I’m not blameless or upright, at least not in and of myself.
When I believed in Jesus and received His gift of salvation, a miracle
occurred: I suddenly became blameless. Jesus died on the cross to wash
away my sin, and I am blameless. He took all my sin on Himself, and God no
longer blames me for anything I’ve done.
And because I know
this, because I know of the price that Jesus paid to save me, to make me blameless,
I choose to live an upright life.
I can look forward to that future of hope because—not by anything I’ve done—I
am blameless and upright.
Do
you still see yourself as facing blame? Do you still see yourself as not worthy
of a future of peace? Remember that if you know Jesus, if you’ve asked Him to
save you, you are blameless and you can live an upright life. Ask God for
assurance of your blamelessness.
Today’s
scripture: Psalm 37:11
What do you picture when you think of the word “meek”?
Are you picturing a kind of geeky, skinny person, maybe even with braces?
Someone with slightly hunched shoulders who won’t look you in the eye?
And when you read a verse like this, do you think, What’s so good about inheriting the earth if I have to be a pushover?
I’d like to propose an argument about this word. I don’t picture that geek
when I think of meek. I picture someone—myself, I hope—who is kneeling at the
foot of the Lord’s throne, seeking His will and His desire for my life.
When I think of meek, I think of someone—again, I truly hope it’s me—who is so
desiring to live for God that all pride and self-promotion is gone.
And when I read a verse like this one, it’s not the part about inheriting the
earth that gets me excited.
It’s that second part: I “shall delight . . . in the abundance of peace.”
The abundance of peace.
It’s not just a little bit of peace.
It’s not just a relatively good-sized portion of peace.
It’s an abundance of peace, more than I could ever need on this earth.
When I think about having that abundance of peace, it doesn’t seem to be such a
bad thing to be meek for God.
Do you struggle with being meek for God? Do you see meek as being equal with
weak? Come to the foot of the throne right now, and ask God to help you to be
meek for Him. And experience an abundance of peace.
Today’s
scripture: Judges 6:24
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I love that the Lord calls Himself by different names throughout the Bible. No
matter what I’m going through, I can call God by a special name. He’s
Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider. He’s Jehovah-rapha, my healer. He’s Jehovah-raah,
my Shepherd.
And He’s Jehovah-Shalom, my Peace.
Gideon had asked for and received three signs from God that He would give
Gideon victory over his enemies. When God brought peace to the land, Gideon
built an altar.
Gideon called that altar, The-Lord-Shalom—God is peace.
Peace has not always been something that I’ve enjoyed. Oftentimes, I’ve felt
anything but peace. In my many-years rebellion from God, I would try to find
peace my own way—relationships, stuff, jobs—but nothing I did brought me peace.
Since I recommitted myself to the Lord over a dozen years ago, there still have
been times when I haven’t felt peace. The storms have still come. The trials
are just as difficult.
The difference? Now I can call on my Jehovah-Shalom. Even when I can’t get any
other words out, I can cry, “Jehovah-Shalom! Be my Peace.”
And my Peace, my Lord, my God brings me the peace my heart desires.
Do you need peace? Even if you can speak no other words, cry out now to your
Lord of Peace. From the deepest part of your heart, cry out, “Jehovah-Shalom!
Be my Peace.”
Today’s
scripture: Matthew 5:9
Some people are just naturally peaceful people. They just seem to take
everything in stride, like water off a duck’s back. Nothing seems to faze them.
That’s not me.
I’m not naturally a peacemaker. I tend to get a little “het up” (a good
Southern term) when things don’t go the way I expect. I get frustrated with the
nuts on the street. I get annoyed when my computer decides to freeze up. I get
miffed when my husband doesn’t pick up after himself (which he does more and
more lately—praise God!).
But in recent years, I’ve been called to be the peacemaker on more than one
occasion. I’ve had to be the mediator in situations that would otherwise be
volatile or hurtful or even destructive.
It’s not always easy because it really does go against my natural self.
However, I now know that being a person of peace can be learned. Well, it can
be learned by asking God to help.
I’m sorry to tell you, but you can’t get away with saying, “I’m just not that
way.”
God can help you.
Be a peacemaker, so that you can be called a son or daughter of God.
Do you find it hard to be a peacemaker? Would you rather just knock heads
together? God calls us to be makers of peace. If this is a struggle for you,
ask Him now to help you. Be a maker of peace to those around you.
Today’s
scripture: James 3:18
Read this verse again: Now the fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
We know that we serve a holy God and that we need to be righteous as well.
When we confess our sins to Him, we are holy in His eyes.
Now look at the last part of this verse again: peace is sown by those who make
peace.
This says something pretty incredible: We can be sowers of peace. We can not
only choose to be peaceful ourselves, but we can also sow peace in the lives of
others.
Think about this.
You’re a parent; you can sow peace in the lives of your children and help them
to live lives of peace themselves.
You’re a worker; you can sow peace in the lives or your coworkers and help them
to complete their tasks in peace.
You’re a friend; you can sow peace in the lives of your dearest companions and
help them to find peace in the storm.
You can do that. By being righteous, by seeking God’s peace, by living a
life that glorifies the Lord, you can be a sower of peace.
In whose life can you be a sower of peace? Ask God to reveal to you someone to
whom you can share God’s peace. And then share it.
Today’s
scripture: 2 Timothy 2:22
We live in a crazy, mixed-up, upside-down world. We watch television, read the
latest People™ magazine or read the newest Internet headline, and we’re told
that riches and beauty will bring us happiness and peace.
Movie stars and rock musicians and sports heroes buy their homes and jewels and
Jaguars and tell us that life is just one big party. Drinking and drugs and
sex. That’s what’s going to bring us satisfaction and fulfillment.
And tragically, many of us buy into that—even people who calls themselves
followers of Christ.
Let me tell you something: None of that will bring happiness. Or satisfaction.
Or fulfillment. And none of it will certainly bring any peace.
Peace, true peace, only comes from God.
And how do we pull our gaze from the things this world throws at us? We “flee”
from them. We run just as hard and as fast as we can in the opposite direction.
And where do we run?
We run to the God of peace, and we “pursue” those things that are gifts from
God. We confess our sins and failings to Him, and we receive righteousness,
faith, love . . . and yes, peace.
Have you been caught up with the world’s party? Join the best party in the
universe. Seek God, and receive the peace that will fill your heart to
overflowing.
Today’s
scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:13
Imagine: You wake up on a Monday morning with your entire week laid out in
front of you. You spent a restful weekend: productive times of cleaning and
shopping; fun times of play with the kids. Even a date night with your husband.
You actually felt peace.
Your workweek plays itself out, and gradually, the peace you felt over the
weekend begins to disappear. So many things demand your attention. Your job and
its many challenges. Your kids and their endless activities. Your spouse and
his needs.
You wonder if you’re ever going to be able to do everything you need to do . .
. and that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach gets larger and larger as
the week goes on.
Imagine weeks and weeks of this same cycle. What happens to your overall sense
of peace?
So many demands. So many people stealing your peace—maybe not deliberately, but
stealing it all the same.
The Bible tells us that we are to “be at peace among yourselves.” Is this possible?
I think it is. You see, you have a choice to find the peace in the moment or to
allow the worries and demands of the day take your joy away.
Make a choice to be at peace—with yourself and with others.
Do you sometimes lose the God-given peace to which you’re entitled? Make a
choice today to experience God’s peace. Ask Him today to help you find the
peace in every moment.
Today’s
scripture: Colossians 1:19-20
God the Father was pleased to bring His children, His created children, back to
Himself through God the Son, Jesus Christ.
From the beginning of time as we know it, God had a plan, a plan of salvation.
Even as Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan.
And His plan was for peace.
Now, it seems like a huge contradiction that peace would come through pain and
suffering, but that was God’s plan. Peace came “through the blood of the
cross.” Blood, Christ’s blood, brought us peace.
We created children of God can have peace as we’re reconciled to God through
faith in Jesus.
It may not be a plan that makes sense to our human minds, but it’s a plan that
makes perfect sense to God. And if we trust God, trust that He loves us as much
as He says He does (John 3:16), then we can trust that, through each and every
situation, we can and will find peace.
Do you find it hard to reconcile that peace comes through death, Christ’s
death? Does that seem to be a bit drastic to you? Share your thoughts with God.
Let Him help you through your confusion.
Today’s
scripture: Ephesians 2:14
I remember the day that the Berlin wall came down.
I’ve never been much of a history buff, and I don’t know a lot of names and
dates, but I know enough about history to know that the wall was built in 1961
to divide east and west Berlin, and to cross over the wall from one side to the
other was to take one’s life in his hands.
There are walls dividing people every where—some are literal, like the fences
we often have to keep our neighbors out of our yards; some are figurative, like
the wall between two people who have hurt each other one too many times.
Jesus came to give peace and to break down the walls between us. We can be one
in Christ, without division, if we only seek reconciliation through the love of
Christ.
It’s not easy, though. Sometimes our walls feel protective. If no one can get past the wall in my heart,
we think, then no one can hurt me.
But if we never let anyone in, then we can never experience the joy that can
come from a relationship based on trust and love.
Walls can be appropriate, but those that divide our hearts must come down.
Do you have any walls that are keeping people out of your heart? Do you have
any walls that are dividing you from someone you love? Talk to God now, and ask
Him to give you the peace that can come from breaking that wall down.
Today’s
scripture: Galatians 5:22-23
Karen sat in the morning service and just about got up and walked out. Pastor
Reed was talking about the fruit of the Spirit, and Karen just couldn’t take it
anymore.
She’d known Jesus since childhood, and she’d asked Him to come into her heart
when she was in junior high school. She knew all about His love and peace and
forgiveness. She knew that she was to be Christ-like in everything she did.
But today, she didn’t feel at all Christ-like.
This morning, she’d had another fight with her husband, Jeff. He’d stopped
going to church a while ago, saying he didn’t see the need to go to a place
that was full of hypocrites. He said that he still had a relationship with
Jesus, and that his faith was just as strong as it had ever been. He didn’t
stop her from going or from taking the kids. He just wouldn’t be going himself.
And now, she was hearing about love and joy . . . and peace.
She still loved Jeff—no question about that. But she wasn’t feeling a whole lot
of peace. Wasn’t he supposed to be the spiritual head of their home? How could
he be that if he wouldn’t even go to church.
Where’s that peace I’m supposed to feel? she silently asked.
Just then, a voice spoke to her heart:
The
fruit is available to you, my child. Ask, and I’ll help you.
So she did. And He did.
Do you also struggle with this one “fruit of the Spirit”? You too can have this
peace, if only you ask.
