Category: finding peace

Our deliverance from bondage was won at great cost. It is impossible to win for ourselves… it can only be gifted to us by God.  This freedom is a wonderful gift when it is handled with responsibility. Not being under law is such a sweet grace, but we want to pass that sweetness on to each other through service, kindness, and care.

God of Deliverance, thank you for rescuing Israel from Pharaoh’s grasp, David from the sword of Goliath, and Daniel from the lion’s den. But  thank you most of all for the triumph of Jesus over sin at Calvary and his victory over death at the empty tomb. I long to see you face to face and thank you for my freedom. Until that day, guide me as I use this gift of liberation to serve you children and live for you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy
because of your partnership
in the gospel from the first day until now. 
Philippians 1:4-5 (NIV)

Paul prayed with joy because the Philippians were partners with him, not just supporters. Through their financial help, prayers, and interest in his work, they truly shared in his ministry. They were partners! Let’s get interested in our congregations’ missions. Let’s pray and contribute to missions and get to know our missionaries. Let’s get to know our missionary partners all over the world!

Father in heaven, I pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Please bless and empower the spread of your Kingdom. Protect and strengthen those with whom our church is partnered wherever they may be. Bless them with greater resources, maturity, and character. Help me to recognize and to do the things that I can do to support and encourage them. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God.”  – Acts 2:36-39 NLT

A promised gift of the new movement of God prophesied in Scripture is the Holy Spirit. We often focus on the forgiveness of our sins, and clearly, this forgiveness is a great blessing of grace won by the sacrifice of Jesus. This blessing is for all who confess Jesus as Lord and Christ, trust his sacrifice to cleanse them from their sins, and are baptized into his name. But there is another gift that is just as precious: God’s holy presence placed within each of these cleansed, redeemed, and newly adopted children of God. This presence, this gift, is the promised Holy Spirit. We must never, ever, underestimate this gift that Jesus has poured out on us and placed within us (Titus 3:3-5).

Father God, I recognize the very many great gifts that you have poured into my life. Today, however, I am overwhelmed by your grace and mercy. You sent and sacrificed Jesus for my sin. You raised Jesus up and conquered the power of death. And now, Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to cleanse me, indwell me, empower me, transform me, and ultimately bring me to you. Thank you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus was filled with the
joy of the Holy Spirit, …
Luke 10:21 NLT

All too frequently, we pursue the wrong things hoping that they will make us happy. Real joy, however, comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we look at the life of Jesus and at the lives of his early followers, we see that the presence of the Holy Spirit brought them joy. The Spirit’s presence can do the same for us. This joy from the Spirit comes from many things, including but not limited to these blessings:

• Insight and understanding into the scriptures and into life.
• The abiding presence of God within us.
• The connection that the Holy Spirit gives us with other believers.
• The assurance of our relationship with the Father as his children.

Joy comes to us because of the Spirit’s presence in our lives!

Father, thank you for providing me with your source of joy, the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, I thank you. Amen.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”  Luke 4:18-19 NLT

Luke makes clear that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit, anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, and empowered by the Holy Spirit into and through his wilderness temptations, and that he emerged from the temptations full of the Spirit. Today’s passage reminds us that the Spirit is powerfully upon him to focus his ministry. This quotation from Isaiah 61:1-2 is in the context of God’s servant, Jesus, bringing restoration and healing. If Jesus’ ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit, how dare we try to minister without the Holy Spirit’s power? Release of the captives, freedom for the oppressed, and the time of God’s favor don’t come without the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the ministry of God’s servants!

Father, I know that you have given me gifts, talents, and abilities to use in ministry to bless others and to honor you. I recognize that even with these gifts, my ability to accomplish all that you have called me to do is impossible without the power and guidance of your Spirit. I ask for the Holy Spirit to help me recognize these gifts, to empower me so that I can use these gifts effectively, and to help me use these gifts in ways that honor you and reflect the character and compassion of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

For the Son of Man came to
seek and to save what was lost.
Luke 19:10 (NIV)

Jesus came so that the last could be first, the sick could be healed, the sinners could be saved, and the lost could be found. That was his purpose: to fix that which was broken — not just us, but our world, our humanity, and all that goes with it. So how can we wear the name of Jesus and not live with his passion and purpose toward what we see lost in our world?

Father and Almighty God, please stir a holy passion in your people, and especially in me, so that we may more nearly reflect Jesus’ purpose in our lives, our families, and our churches. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.
Psalm 144:4 (NIV)

Time is so precious — time with our families, our children, our parents, our friends, as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ. How do you invest your time? Where do you invest it? You know, it’s really more valuable than the money we invest. Once it’s gone, it can’t be reclaimed. So as you begin each day, ask God that you will be able to “know the time,” to see it for what it is and to use it for its greatest good. Time passes quickly, and like the shadows of early evening, it’s not long before it is absorbed into the gathering darkness of night.

Eternal God, please give me the wisdom to use the time given me today to do what is best, right, good, and profitable. I want to invest my time in what is truly enduring. Please help me use my time to influence and to bless all those with whom I interact so that they are brought closer to you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Then Jesus came to [the eleven disciples] and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

“All authority”! No one can legitimately contradict, challenge, or cast doubt on the Lord’s claim. Jesus has “all authority”! He speaks with the authority that only God can — ALL authority! What he gives in today’s Scripture are our marching orders as his followers. They also contain his promise to be with us as we follow those marching orders. We call this passage the Great Commission. As we contemplate the work and role of the Holy Spirit, we also hear a clear reminder in the Great Commission that baptism is important to God. It is important because of what God — as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — does in our baptism. Matthew begins and ends his account of the earthly ministry of Jesus with an emphasis on baptism and the involvement of Father, Son, and Spirit (Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:18-20). The emphasis on our spiritual lives being rooted in God — as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is also picked up and emphasized by Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19, from which today’s prayer is adapted.

I kneel before you, Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of your glorious riches you may strengthen us with power through your Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all your holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.  Romans 14:17-18 NLT

Who can argue with goodness, peace, and joy? These three virtues are not obtained just by human effort. Yes, a passion to possess these godly qualities is necessary, but the source of these qualities is the Holy Spirit alive in us. Goodness, peace, and joy have their source in God’s nature and are made real in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we invite the Holy Spirit to reign over our inner being, our character is transformed to be more and more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). So let’s yearn for the Holy Spirit to transform us to be ever more like Christ and trust that the Spirit’s influence will be displayed in our lives through goodness, peace, and joy.

Father God, don’t let me be distracted by, or addicted to, food or drink. I want to be sustained and fed spiritually and emotionally by the presence of your Holy Spirit within me. I specifically pray that your goodness, peace, and joy will become more and more apparent in my life as I seek to honor Christ and yield myself to the influence of your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring
Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the
LORD’s favor has come.”
Luke 4:18-19 NLT

Luke makes clear that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit, anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, and empowered by the Holy Spirit into and through his wilderness temptations, and that he emerged from the temptations full of the Spirit. Today’s passage reminds us that the Spirit is powerfully upon him to focus his ministry. This quotation from  Isaiah 61:1-2 is in the context of God’s servant, Jesus, bringing restoration and healing. If Jesus’ ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit, how dare we try to minister without the Holy Spirit’s power? Release of the captives, freedom for the oppressed, and the time of God’s favor don’t come without the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the ministry of God’s servants!

O Father, I know that you have
given me gifts, talents, and abilities
to use in ministry to bless
others and to honor you.
I recognize that even with these gifts,
my ability to accomplish all
that you have called me to do is impossible
without the power and guidance of your Spirit.
I ask for the Holy Spirit to help me
recognize these gifts, to empower me
so that I can use these gifts effectively,
and to help me use these gifts in ways
that honor you and reflect the
character and compassion of Jesus,
in whose name I pray.
Amen.