Category: finding peace

Let’s Just Praise the Lord!

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
Psalm 98:1 (NIV)

“It is the acknowledgment of our humanity and our frailness that places us in a position to have a personal encounter with the living God.” (Os Hillman) Songs can stir us up or they can bring us comfort. Songs can take us back to a special time, or songs can give us hope for things to come. Unfortunately, we usually leave the words and the music of our songs only for someone else to write, never taking time to write our own “new song.” But today, why not make up your own new song of praise and thanks to God. It doesn’t have to be great, just heartfelt and offered to the Father from whom all joyful songs come.

Father God,
thank you for the gift of song.
Please receive my song of thanks
and praise from a heart you
have filled with your delight.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Love, Fellowship, Peace

“All you need is love.
But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
– Charlie Brown (Charles M. Schulz)

Therefore, anyone who refuses
to live by these rules
is not disobeying human teaching
but is rejecting God,
who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
But we don’t need to write to you
about the importance of loving each other,
for God himself has
taught you to love one another. 
1 Thessalonians 4:8-9 NLT

God keeps on giving us the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of the great blessings about this presence is that God pours love into our hearts through the Spirit (Rom. 5:5). Along with the great example of God’s love in sending Jesus (John 3:16-17), the Father uses the Spirit to teach us to know how to love each other. This is part of the Spirit’s fruit (Gal. 5:22-23) as well as the work of the Spirit that brings us into fellowship (2 Cor. 13:14), that holds us together in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3-4), and that fills us as we submit to one another (Eph. 5:17-21). Loving each other is not only a command; it is also part of God’s continuing work in us through the Holy Spirit. The reward for Than obedience is kind of like good chocolates… heavenly!

Dear God, I confess
that I do not always love others as I should.
I ask you to make me more like Jesus
in my love for others.
I am thankful for the presence
of the Holy Spirit
to help me see those
whom I need to show your love
and to empower me to love them
when it is difficult.
In Jesus’ name I pray for this grace.
Amen.

 

Taking a bite out of sin…

A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples.
John 13:34-35

How do you recognize Jesus’ followers? How do you find Christians? Jesus said they love each other just as he loved the disciples. In the immediate context this means he is willing to give sacrificially and extravagantly by dying for them at the cross, and he is also willing to love selflessly and practically by washing their feet. His ministry reveals he will do almost anything in between extravagant and practical. Imagine if we all read the Gospels and committed to love each other in the same way Jesus showed his love to his disciples!

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Romans 5:5

It’s hard to believe that there is an endless supply of anything! But the promise of this passage, even in its context of suffering and difficulty, is that we have an endless supply of love as the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with love. This love is as big as God and is supplied by the Holy Spirit’s living inside us as followers of Jesus. We can receive and be blessed by God’s love, and we have the power to love others out of God’s deep reservoir of love.

Father of Compassion and God of all grace, I thank you for teaching me to love
through the example of Jesus. Thank you for your powerful grace that is given to me through your Spirit and enables me both to receive your love and to love others as Jesus did. May my life reflect this powerful gift in both good times and hard times. May my words and actions reflect his love toward your people today, tomorrow, and until you bring us all home to you. In the name of Christ, my Great Example, I pray. Amen.

 

Vitally Empowered

Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed [David], with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.
— 1 Samuel 16:13 MESSAGE

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s Spirit would come on leaders for a time and empower them in special ways. However, David was led and empowered by the Spirit for his whole life after he was anointed by Samuel, although his sinful time with Bathsheba made him question whether God would remove the Spirit and his leadership because of his sin (Psalm 51:10-11). The remarkable thing about the Holy Spirit under the new covenant is that he comes upon all Jesus’ true followers: men and women, young and old, leaders or followers (Acts 2:1-39; Acts 5:32; Romans 8:9), and he stays with us. We have this “vitally empowering” gift living inside us, to guide us, convict us, empower us, equip us, intercede for us, and transform us. What a precious gift!

Thank you, Father, for the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit. As I continue on this journey to learn more about your Spirit, I want to yield my life fully to the influence of the Spirit. I want to reflect Jesus and honor you in all that I do and all that I am. I ask that this “vitally empowering” presence of your Spirit do what needs to be done in me to honor you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Shaped for a Mission

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
— Ephesians 2:10

Martin Luther once said, “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.” Every task we accomplish in life is an opportunity to use our creativity to produce “good craftsmanship” that is pleasing to God and useful for advancement of the kingdom.

Did you know that God is an artisan and the ultimate craftsman? Even more importantly, did you know that you are one of his masterpieces? God has designed us to be beautifully useful for doing good things! So let’s not let anyone, especially not the evil one, convince us that we are not worth anything to others or to God. His grace has made our lives canvases upon which he will provide the world more masterpiece works of his artistry! Let’s live up to God’s high opinion of us.

Thank you, dear Father, for knowing me and re-making me by your grace in Jesus. Use me to do your will and lead me to the appropriate people so that I can most effectively minister to them. In Jesus’ grace-filled name I pray. Amen.

Getting Things in Order

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
— Colossians 2:6-7

If we look to the life of Christ for principles of managing our time and talents, we notice that Jesus always ensured his “yes” was “yes,” from the smallest to the biggest commitments. He also fought to block out noise and create room for silence, stillness, and reflection, which we see all throughout the Gospels as he retreated to “lonely places.” We need to center our lives on Jesus.

Jesus is our center! He is the hub around which we turn. Rather than trying to add on to the truth of Jesus, we must learn to accept it and trust it in child-like faith. But that child-like faith must be nourished and grown. As Jesus remains our central focus and our hearts remain thankful to God for his grace, we will that our faith is strengthened and that Jesus is more real than ever.

Holy and Righteous God, help me to find you in the quiet place of prayer and devotions. Protect me from the noise and distraction of the world around me. Close my ears to the noise so I clearly hear your instructions for my life. Please give me eyes to see evil and avoid it. Please give me wisdom to know deceptive and false teaching when it is placed before me. Empower me to live a thankful life of holiness so that I can live in Jesus to your honor and glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

He has it covered…

[To the apostles, Jesus said,] “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
— Acts 1:8 NLT

Everywhere! That pretty much covers the world, doesn’t it? The amazing thing is that this ragtag bunch of disciples, who were nobodies from nowhere, did it. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they began a movement that has endured time, cultural differences, geographical distances, persecution, martyrdom, apathy, and misunderstanding. When the power of the Holy Spirit animates and motivates Jesus’ followers, they are compelled to care about all peoples and share the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth!

Loving Father, I know you want all people to experience your love for them in Jesus. I pray that the Holy Spirit will work in me, convicting me of my prejudices, calling up compassion for the broken of the world, propelling me to reach out to people around me, and moving me to give up myself and my resources to share the message of Jesus wherever I can in the world. I pray this for your glory and in the name of Jesus, my Lord. Amen.

What is Next?

Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
— Proverbs 19:21

“What are your plans for today?” If you are like me, you prayerfully try to plan your day. You make appointments with people in the future so you can address their needs, hear their concerns, or discuss issues and projects. But, we need to always live humbly, recognizing that none of our plans will be of value unless those plans come from the Father! A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. — Proverbs 14:15

Holy God and righteous Father, please bless me as I seek to discern your will in my decisions today. I recognize that each breath that I take is a gift and that each success is because of your grace. Please use me to your glory and help me find your path for my life. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Being a Servant to Others

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
— Philippians 2:3

Humility is recognizing who God has made us to be and using that recognition to serve and redeem others. Living in humility as Jesus did, we don’t just practice the golden rule, but we go one step better — we treat others better than we would treat ourselves. Are we instructed to do this because we’re unworthy or unfit? No! Jesus was worthy and glorious, but he chose to treat others better than himself when he sacrificially gave himself to redeem them. It’s a high standard. It’s a hard standard. It is not for wimps. But it is ultimately glorious.

Almighty God, thank you for adopting me as your child and making me holy and precious to you. Please help me to see myself as you do, and then, as one of your precious children, empower me to serve others in ways that help them see your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Under the Influence

Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ — the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person — comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought! — 1 John 4:2-3 MESSAGE

Over the years, many people have speculated on the human identity of the antichrist. However, we must realize that many live under the influence of the evil one. They are influenced by the spirit of the antichrist, just as many were in New Testament times (1 John 2:18). All who do not confess that Jesus is the Son of God, the actual flesh-and-blood person who lived and walked among us as God with us (Matthew 1:23), have the spirit of the antichrist at work within them (Ephesians 2:1-5). The Holy Spirit, our anointing from God, teaches us the truth about Jesus (1 John 2:18-27). We are not fooled by those who deny the truth about Jesus. The Spirit of God helps us safeguard the truth entrusted to us (2 Timothy 1:14).

Father, I know there are many who are sincere, but who have given up the truth about Jesus. I confess that I cannot really comprehend how anyone can be fully divine and also fully human. But what I cannot comprehend, I trust as true because of the testimony of Scripture and the influence of the Holy Spirit on my heart and my mind. Please renew my mind, deepen my reverence, and strengthen my faith that Jesus became human for me so that I can know the grace you have for me. I humbly thank you for this grace in Jesus’ name. Amen.