Grab on to it...PEACE
8/4/2017 12:06:40 PM
Meant for Shalom
Grab on to it...peace. (Holy Spirit: Who or What? #10)
You cannot wait for an untroubled world
to have an untroubled moment.
The terrible phonecall, the rainstorm,
the sinister knock on the door-they will all come.
Soon enough arrive the treacherous villain
And the unfair trial and the smoke and the flames
Of the suspicious fires to burn everything away.
In the meantime, it is best to
grab what wonderful moments you find lying around.
Philosopher Lemony Snicket
Seizing moments, choosing peace and joy
may just be a discipline after all.
There are many Morning Briefing subscribers who are living in war-torn areas of the world-particularly in the Middle East and Africa. But whether or not we are facing physical unrest, so many of us struggle for inner peace . . . we are fighting battles for mental rest.
~trying to living without being encumbered by fears of various sorts
~wondering how even to live in a state of inner calm
~striving to simplify our lives as a mechanism for contentment.
One thing I know: apart from God, there just is not true inner peace.
It is a gift of the Holy Spirit to we who trust God.
I spoke of the peace Jesus promised. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid. John 14.27. A little later, Paul writes about the way we can access that peace.
Don't worry about anything;
Instead, pray about everything;
Tell God your needs, and don't forget to
Thank him for his answers.1
PRAY -> THANK GOD = _____________
If you do this, you will experience God's peace,
Which is far more wonderful
Than the human mind can understand.
His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.2
PRAY -> THANK GOD = PEACE !
I do not mean to imply that it is as instantaneous as it is simple, but I am here to tell you that God can give us peace as no other, peace that is not
logical or natural, but supernatural. "Shalom," the Hebrew word oft thought to be just a greeting is far more...
Shalom encompasses peace
wholeness
completeness and tranquility.
Shalom is a state of being God intends for us.
"A heart at peace gives life to the body." Proverbs 14.30
'But, but,' a few of you who are reading say, 'you do not know the magnitude of my trial!' That is true, but God does. And you must not lose sight of the truth that God wants to strengthen you in your trial, give you enough grace to live out each day, and fight your battles for you.
The Holy Spirit of God prays for you himself!3
God is good. Do not ever forget that for one moment.
Next up: tools for living in peace
Christine DiGiacomo
1 - Philippians 4.6;
2 - Philippians 4.7 - from The Living Bible, the first version of these verses that I memorized, still my favoriate.
3 - Romans 8.26