Thanksgiving
“Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel…they saw God, and they ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:9–11) What is the best way to get to know someone and become friends? Before our lives became so busy, that was easy to answer: sitting down […]
The Benefits of Place
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” (Galatians 5:22–23) That is one of the great Bible passages some of us learned at Sunday School – often set to music. Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit in […]
Perfect Peace in a Perfect Storm
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Have you ever heard of a perfect storm? That’s when multiple weather elements combine, like hurricane force winds, plus a cold front, plus a downpour of rain. It creates disaster. We’ve been talking about worry, […]
Peace: Step by Step
We live in a world of conflict…a world that thrives on conflict…that even loves it! Yet Jesus encouraged us: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” How can we be peacemakers in today’s environment? It isn’t easy, which is why there are more peace fakers and peace breakers than […]
Living in God’s Peace (Jude 1:1)
God doesn’t promise to bring peace to our circumstances but to our hearts, regardless of our circumstances.
Choking on Worry
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.“ (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT) Have you ever seen someone […]
Joy in the Holy Spirit
I’m sure you’ve heard of the KISS principle, right? Keep it simple, stupid. Things aren’t always as complex as they seem. Sometimes the answers really are easy. Sometimes you don’t need a five point game plan, you just need to pray. Sometimes you don’t need to go for more counseling, you just need to read […]
Pursuing Holiness
Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14, HCSB) We’re called to pursue (sometimes translated as hunt) holiness and peace because neither is our natural bent as humans. Cain discovered that when he murdered his brother and God reminded him: Genesis 4:7 (HCSB) “If you do right, won’t […]
Gratefulness is the Key
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your […]
