Peace of Jesus

Are you tired of always feeling anxious? Do you worry about almost everything? Do wish the chaos of the world would stop? Do want things to calm down? Does the busyness drain you? Are you tired of being tired? Would you love to have some peace?

The upheaval in our world can cause us great anxiety, fear, frustration, worry, and wear us out. We can be drained mentally, which causes physical draining. We may even become depressed. We can find ourselves in a hole from which we do not know how to get out.

But Jesus gives us peace. It is there for the taking. However, we often do not grasp it. We continue to look at the world around us and get caught up in it like nearly everyone else. Rare is the person who has the peace of Jesus. But those that have it stand out. We see them as the calm in the storm. They do not get rattled. They simply continue walking the path God has laid out for them.

How do we gain this peace? Trust. Belief. Faith. We must learn to trust God with everything. We must trust that God is in control, despite what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. Rather than being caught up in the chaos, believe God will work it out for our good. When we add trust and belief, we get faith. The more we experience God, the deeper our faith. As our faith grows, peace comes with it. That is how Jesus gives us peace. So, trust and believe, growing your faith, and receive peace.

I pray we all choose to trust God. I pray we believe that God is in control. I pray each one of us experience God and receive the peace of Jesus, eliminating the effects of the world on us. Trust God. Believe God is in control. Experience God. Grow your faith. Refuse to conform to the world.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Share Wisdom

Do you wish people would listen to you? Do you want to share your knowledge and wisdom with others? How are you seeking to share your wisdom? Are you willing to change your means of communication? Are you willing to follow God’s way rather than your own?

As we grow older, we have a desire to share the wisdom we have accumulated over many years of life experiences. Unfortunately, we often try to force our wisdom on others. We may speak in ways that are not appealing to them. Therefore, they will not listen to what we are saying.

The Apostle Paul was a man of wisdom. Yet, he knew that wisdom was not his but God’s. While he was in Philippi, he went down to the river to find a place of prayer. He sat down with the handful of others who were with him. As he was speaking to them, Lydia overheard what he was saying and became interested. As she listened, God opened her heart.

Let’s understand what was happening. Paul was not speaking to Lydia. He was likely explaining his understanding of Jesus and how God was working in his life to his small group. He wasn’t being forceful. He sat and calmly talked about what God was doing. His message was intriguing, drawing Lydia in. So much so that her and her entire household was baptized that very day.

Just like Paul, we can share the wisdom God has granted us in a calm and intriguing manner. When we rely on God to help us express his wisdom, he will provide us with the words. This requires us to empty ourselves of ourselves and rely solely on God. Rather than being full of ourselves, we must be full of God. And in all of this, we must communicate and do everything with the love of Christ in us.

I pray we all seek the wisdom of God. I pray we seek to share God’s wisdom with others. I pray each one of us rely on God to provide us with the words rather than relying on ourselves. Seek God’s wisdom. Share God’s wisdom. Rely on God. Be filled with God. Do everything with the love of Christ.

Acts 16:14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.

Earnestly Seek

Do you wish there were times that God would speak plainly to you? Do you wish that God would tell you specifically what he wants you to do? Do you wish you could sit down and have a face-to-face conversation with him? Have you considered that God does communicate with you?

We often find ourselves wondering what God wants us to do, where he wants us to go, and how he will provide for us. It is natural for these questions to arise. Yet, these questions are often answered. It is a matter of whether we are paying attention and hearing those answers.

The Apostle Paul was a man of God. We can all agree he had a special relationship with God. He was called to take the gospel to the Gentiles, the Non-Jews. But Paul was also a human, just like the rest of us. His special abilities and insights were not due to his human abilities. They were gifts from God and his willingness to listen and his seeking God’s answers. Paul had given up on leaning on his own wisdom. He depended on God’s wisdom.

We, too, can depend on God’s wisdom. We can listen for God to speak to us. We can seek God’s answers. Our biggest hindrance is seeking to live by the world’s standards. God gave Paul a vision to go to Macedonia. God can also give us visions, if we are earnestly seeking his guidance. God spoke to Paul and can speak to us.

I have personally heard God speak to me. Not in a big booming voice, but in a normal, confident voice in my head. How do I know it was God? The message contradicted what I was thinking and feeling yet was a message that spoke of God working. The message will only come when we are earnestly seeking to do God’s will. The message will also come with a peace that goes beyond understanding.

I pray we all seek to know God’s will. I pray we seek to hear God’s voice. I pray each one of us earnestly desire to follow God’s guidance and experience him working in our lives. Seek God’s will. Listen for God’s voice. Earnestly desire to do God’s work. Experience God in your life.

Acts 16:9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Servant Requests

How often do you ask God for something? Do you ask him every day? Is it only when you are in dire need? Do you ask only for yourself, or do you include others in your request? Why do you ask God for his blessings? Is it because it is what you want? Or are you asking on God’s behalf as well?

There is nothing wrong with asking for blessings from God. In fact, Jesus tells us we are to ask. Yet, it is not about the asking but about the motive behind the asking. If we are asking out of selfish desires, we should not expect God to grant our request.

When Jesus tells us to ask, He also states that if we believe and are asking according to God’s will, our request will be granted. Knowing what God’s will is can be a challenge. Many people wonder what God’s will is. They seem to be befuddled by it. For them, it is like trying to grab hold of smoke coming off a burning log. They just can’t grasp it.

Even if we feel confused by God’s will, we can ask according to his will the majority of the time. How? By asking for what will make God known to those around us. We need to determine if our request is only for our benefit or will it help make God’s power and presence known to others. If our request, if granted, will show God to others, we are generally following God’s will. Therefore, carefully consider the motive behind your request and make them known to God with a servant’s heart.

I pray we all seek to know God’s will. I pray we make requests that will make God known to others. I pray each one of us carefully consider our requests and make them with a servant’s heart. Seek to know God’s will. Consider your requests. Make your requests with a servant’s heart.

Psalm 67:1-2

May God be gracious to us and bless us 

and make his face to shine upon us,   Selah

that your way may be known upon earth, 

your saving power among all nations.

Perfection is Coming

Are you tired of the news? Does it wear you down hearing about the evil people commit against one another? Are you weary of the foolishness you see people do? Do wish people would choose to do the right thing? Are you looking forward to a perfect eternity with God?

It seems all we hear is bad news. People committing crimes against one another. People pointing fingers at one another. People doing foolish things that harm themselves or others. We hear about people struggling with one thing or another. And it gets us down.

God has promised us a perfect eternity with him. There will be nothing bad. There will be no evil. Everyone will do the right thing. Everyone will love God and one another. Everything will be done based on that love. Everyone will worship God and care for one another. God will be in our midst. We will see him face-to-face.

Being in the presence of God will be awe inspiring. We will seek to please him in everything we do. Our love for him and one another will drive every action and every word we speak. There will be no more doubt but a confidence that God is ruling. There will be no more fear and sadness, only joy. There will be no more pain but healthy bodies and minds. Our spirits will be continually in sync with the Holy Spirit.

Living with fear, sadness, pain, evil in this world is difficult. There are days we simply want to give up. But we can hold on to the promise of God that there will come a day when everything will be perfect. We can trust in his promise. We can rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us through the hardships of this life.

I pray we all trust in God’s promises. I pray we know eternity will be perfect. I pray each one of us will follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us through the hardships of this life. Trust God’s promises. Know that perfection is coming. Know that eternal joy will be yours. Follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Revelation 22:3-4 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Continual Worship

Do you enjoy worship services? Do you enjoy walking into the church on Sunday morning? Does it feel as though you are walking into a holy place? Are your spirits immediately lifted? Do you prefer light over dark? Do you prefer day over night? Do you want to live in perpetual light?

Some church buildings are grand and awe inspiring, while others are plain. Yet, walking into any one of them can lift our spirits. It is not the accoutrements that make the place holy, it is the worship that takes place in it. It is the praises sung, the prayers offered, and the Scripture studied.

We may wonder if we will be in a perpetual worship service for eternity. First, we are told there will be no church building. God is the temple. Yes, we will worship him all day long. However, not in the form we do on Sunday mornings. As Jesus told the woman at the well, we will worship in spirit and truth. We will see him with our own eyes. We will no longer need to imagine what God may look like.

Additionally, there will only be day. There will be no night. Though this may be a strange concept for us, we will no longer live in the bodies we live in today. Why will there only be day? The Lamb of God will be our light. His radiance will shine throughout the new earth and the new Jerusalem. We will see His light and be in His presence, which will be just one reason for our continual worship as we live our lives with Him. God’s glory will shine all around us.

I pray we all seek to worship God in spirit and in truth. I pray we are in awe of God. I pray each one of us look forward to seeing his glory in person and living in his glory for all eternity. Worship God in spirit and truth. Be in awe of God. See his glory. Live in his glory.

Revelation 21:22-23 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Commanded to Love

What is your first thought when someone says they love you? Do you immediately think of the emotional love between couples? How often do you tell others you love them? How do you show that you love them? Is it emotional love or something much deeper?

Many of us think of love as an emotional love. Though that is the version of love that brings couples together initially, it is not the lasting love that keeps relationships together. Nor is it the love that Jesus speaks of when He tells us we are to love one another.

In Christian circles, we often call the love Jesus references “unconditional love.” Though it is, I wonder if we have heard it so often that we no longer understand what it means. Perhaps it has become a rote saying, one that we state without thinking. Might I suggest we think about it a bit deeper. Rather than simply stating the learned answer, let’s attempt to define it more completely.

The love Jesus speaks of is unconditional, but it is also a committed love. It is based on a decision we make. In other words, we decide to love someone regardless of what they may do or say, which makes it unconditional. We do not seek some return on the love we show to them. Instead, we seek to demonstrate the love of Jesus.

Demonstrating that love is another part of the equation. A committed love is not based on words nor solely spoken of. It requires action. We must demonstrate our love for others by doing. That action may take the form of helping, providing for, or praying for others. The love Jesus spoke of is demonstrated in both word and deed.

I pray we all decide to love one another. I pray we commit to love unconditionally, just as Jesus did. I pray each one of us will demonstrate our love for one another in word and in deed. Love one another. Love unconditionally. Put your love in action. Demonstrate your love.

John 13:34 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

Glory In Betrayal

How would you react if you knew you were about to be betrayed? Would you be joyful about it? Or would you be planning a vengeful counterstrike? Would you look forward to it. Or would you cringe in anticipation of the fall out? Jesus reacted in an unexpected way.

Being betrayed into the hands of those who want to harm us can cause fear and anxiety. It can be especially upsetting if we have done nothing to deserve the harm nor the betrayal. If you have ever been betrayed in this way, you know the pain that comes with it.

Jesus was betrayed in just this way. Just prior to this passage, Judas has left to go betray Jesus. He is about to lead the soldiers to capture Jesus so He can be turned over to the Jewish leadership who will condemn Him to death. Yet, look at Jesus’ response. He states that He has been glorified and God has been glorified in Him.

Jesus, rather than mourning over the betrayal, states that He will be glorified in God. He knows it will happen within the next few hours. He knows He is about to face excruciating pain. Yet, He is speaking of God’s glory. Jesus will soon ask the Father to remove this suffering from Him, but He will submit to the Father’s will. Jesus is focused on glorifying God rather than satisfying His human desires.

We may never be betrayed to such a painful death as Jesus was. It is likely we will be betrayed by someone in some way, even if small, during our lifetimes. If we are betrayed because of our faith in Jesus, we should glorify God. Not only has Jesus set this example for us, but so have the apostles and many other Christians before us.

I pray we all know that Jesus focused on glorifying God. I pray we see His example and choose to follow it. I pray each one of us will use even the smallest of betrayals to glorify God. Focus on glorifying God. Follow Jesus’ example. Hold on to your faith.

John 13:31-32 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.”

Do God’s Will

As we continue from yesterday, we remember that Peter had been criticized by some Jewish Christians in Jerusalem for taking the gospel to the gentiles. As Peter explained the vision God had given him, then the visit by three men who asked Peter to go to Caesarea, minds began to change.

Peter did not get angry, nor did he retaliate. Peter merely began to explain why he had taken the gospel to the gentiles. During his explanation, he even showed them that he had felt the same way they had. He had declined the “unclean” before God, just as the Jewish Christians would have.

But God showed Peter that nothing was unclean that God had made. Therefore, when the men came knocking on Peter’s door and requested him to go to Caesarea, he could find no good reason for not going. God had showed him that he needed to change his views of the gentiles. As Peter spoke to them about Jesus, telling them all that He had done, the Holy Spirit came upon them. This solidified for Peter that he had done the right thing and convinced the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem of it, too.

First, this is good news for us. If God had not decided that everything he had made is clean, we would still be on the outside. Second, we should learn from this that God’s way is often much different than our way. We must be like Peter and be willing to go where God is calling us to go. We must be willing to help people we may not want to from our human perspective, because every person is important to and loved by God.

I pray we all thank God he chose to include us in his salvation. I pray we know that God loves every person he has created. I pray each one of us are willing to do what God is calling us to do. Thank God for loving you. Know that God loves everyone. Do what God is calling you to do.

Acts 11:15-17 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?”

Composure When Criticized

Have you experienced criticism? Have you been unduly criticized for doing something you knew to be right? How did you feel? Were you able to defend yourself? Were you able to convince those who criticized you that you were right in doing what you did?

Being criticized by others can make us feel small, inadequate, and unappreciated. However, when we are certain we are right, it can make us feel frustrated, angry, and even vengeful. We may want to strike back, proving we were right by whatever means possible.

The Apostle Peter was criticized for doing what God had told him to do. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem asked him, in our modern language, “What were you thinking?” Their perspective was that God was only the God of the Jews. That meant that Jesus came only for the Jews as well. They thought the mission was to convince all Jews to accept Jesus as their Messiah.

Peter had spent three years with Jesus. He knew what Jesus had taught and the mission He had sent the disciples on. Peter also had received a vision from God. He had properly interpreted the vision with the help of the Holy Spirit, which he had received at Pentecost. Peter knew exactly what he had to do when three men came knocking on his door.

But Peter did not get angry at those who were critical of him. Rather than being angry, Peter patiently explained what happened. He described his vision. He even pointed out his own initial perspective concerning the eating of unclean foods in the vision. He explained that he had also once thought the way the other Jewish Christians had thought.

We will finish this story in tomorrow’s devotional.

I pray we all stay calm when we are criticized. I pray we stand our ground when we know we are right. I pray each one of us will patiently explain how God is working in our lives. Stay calm. Do not be angry. Stand on God’s Word. Be patient with others. Explain how God is working.

Acts 11:1-3 Now the apostles and the brothers and sisters who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”