Friday, August 5, 2011

He Gives Peace



“Peace I give you, my peace,

not as the world gives.”

John 14:27 (NIV)



The words of Jesus always bring us great comfort. What does our Lord say to us here? He offers us peace. Who doesn’t want to be free of stress, heartache, and grief?

He goes further and tells us He isn’t talking about the short term armistice the world offers. Our Savior speaks of lasting permanent peace only found by those who submit to His Lordship.

How can we find this peace? We surrender our hearts and minds to Jesus daily. Things that distract us from our relationship with Him can enter our hearts each day. We have to be alert to the possibility of the enemy finding a toehold and using that one little thought to wreak havoc with our hearts.

How can His peace spread? We have to model it.



●We need to learn to choose our words carefully during our times of anger. Yes, because we are still human, times will come when anger enters our hearts. (Be angry but sin not. Ephesians 4:26a; Psalm 4:4)



●When these times happen we have to deal with the issue quickly. (Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Ephesians 4:26b)



●We should learn to respond gracefully to all comments directed at us, as an effort to not allow anger to escalate. (A soft answer turns away wrath. Proverbs 15:1)



As I composed this essay, I have learned about myself and how I can do better about modeling Jesus before others, especially those close to me. My desire is that each of us can apply this message to our hearts and allow Jesus to work through us.



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  I don't usually do this but my friend Karen Lange at Write Now blog is having a giveaway to celebrate having 300 followers. Click on the link and read about the book she will give one of her friends. Pssst, she said she might throw in some chocolate to go with the book.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Blessing of Peace




“The Lord gives strength to his people;

the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

Psalms 29:11(NIV)



Have you ever received a gift that was very precious to you? I’m sure, we all have. For me, it was a dozen long stemmed roses from my husband for one of our anniversaries. What made it special was he had them sent to my work. This was a display of his love for me. Some of my coworkers teased me about it but the night custodian commented about them being “a gift from someone who was really in love.”

God, also, is very much in love with His children. He shows that love in many ways. He blesses us with gifts.

One of those gifts is peace. When we worry about particular issues we become bothered, upset, and even angry. Certain ones of us can become physically ill because of our having to confront these issues.

A friend of mine is dealing with Lung Cancer; she has heard the phrase ‘both lungs involved’, the word inoperable. She appears to have found peace with the thought that she has only a limited time left. While hearing these words and phrases cause most people anguish, she has her routine under control. She manages to remain calm and to smile. When we allow ourselves to approach God’s throne and give our problem over to the Lord, a refreshing feeling washes over our hearts. We call it peace.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Prince of Peace




“For to us a child is born, to us a child is given,

and the government shall be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government

and peace there will be no end.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)



Isaiah prophesied about the coming Christ. He told the people of Judah that the Messiah would come as a child and that God would willingly give it to them and, by extension, to us.

The child would be called by various names. I am intrigued about Jesus’ title, Prince of Peace.



Prince-a male child of royal parentage.

Peace- harmony; concord.



Isaiah seemed to save this title for the Messiah for last because God may have wanted his people to remember this part of the child’s character. What would our world today look like if we followed Jesus and his pursuit of peace? Here are a few of my thoughts.



1.) We would have no times of inner stress over interpersonal relationships. (personal peace)

2.) There would be no times of harsh feelings between individuals. (interpersonal peace)

3.) People groups would not harangue over differences of viewpoint. (political peace)

4.) Nations would not feel the need to destroy one another. (world peace)



I know my list sounds a bit naïve, given the stance of our world in my lifetime. But when Jesus becomes in control of each heart all these thoughts will become reality.

When Jesus Christ comes again we will have peace on earth. He is the Prince of Peace.

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...