“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

We all need two kinds of peace in our lives. We need inner peace with God but we also need peace with others. God addresses both. He tells us what to do to find that peace.

Inner peace is a gift of the Holy Spirit and our thankfulness and faith impacts it.  It’s a choice to focus our mind on Jesus and all He is. Peace is the natural result of that choice.

“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is focused on You because He trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Inner peace hinges on my trust in God. Inner peace is there for the choosing.

The second kind of peace, peace with others, starts with the understanding that God has called us to be peacemakers in our world.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Notice that the call is to be “peacemakers” and not simply “peacekeepers”?

Sometimes “peacekeepers” will do anything just to keep peace. That is not what God is asking of us. He is calling us to be “peacemakers”.

Is there somewhere in your own world where you can help make peace?
Is there an invitation that needs to be extended to smooth over a fractured family relationship?
Is there an apology to be made or a silence to be broken that has stood as a barrier for too long?
Is there an issue that needs to be addressed with loving-kindness?
Is there a boundary that needs to be extended to help make a relationship healthy?

Don’t miss the blessing God promises in your life as you respond to His call to be a peacemaker in your own circle.

We can help bring peace to our world one heart at a time.

Prayer of action:

Lord,

“Make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
and Where there is sadness, joy…
Divine Master;
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen”

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Question: Take a look at the questions above. How is God calling you to be a peacemaker?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28 & 29b)

It was Sunday morning, Mother’s Day. As the Woman’s Pastor, I was greeting women at the back of the church.

One woman took my hand and blinked back a tear, as she told me how hard this day is for her, as she had never been able to have a baby of her own. Another hugged me and thanked me for praying for those who hurt on this day. Her grown kids never call and her heart ached. Another missed her Mom who had died. Another longed for her child who was gone.

One told me she wouldn’t be there. She believes she has failed as a mother and the feelings are too hard to face, so she ignores the day. Still another gave me a long silent hug… no words. We had walked together for a piece on the road of post-abortion.

Mother’s Day is heralded far and wide and it is a wonderful celebration. Sunday brunches, roses by the dozen, spa day specials and breakfast in bed all help set aside the day to honor mothers.

Yet for so many it is a day of unspoken pain.

But there is a place for you even when the roses don’t come and when you feel there is no place at the brunch. There is a special invitation just for you… listen… it comes from the heart of your Father God, spoken by His son Jesus…

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28 & 29b)

The invitation is for those who have pain within their soul. It’s for those who are burdened down and weary, and those for whom Mother’s Day hurts.

How do you claim this rest when your soul is in pain? You reply to His invitation.

If your heart hurts this Mother’s Day, there are some things you can do as you look to God to bring rest to your soul.

Symbolic gestures can be helpful in bringing healing. As you have asked God to bring you comfort, consider some tangible action as you focus on Him, your helper and your healer.

• If you have lost a child by miscarriage, death or abortion, consider planting a rose bush or a flowerbed in memory of that special little life.
• If you are missing your own Mom who is gone, or filled with regret for what you did not have with her when she was alive, take a potted plant to a nursing home. Brighten some elderly mother’s lonely day and let her know she is cared about.
• If your arms long for the child you never had, ask God to begin to heal your heart and to help you reach out to some child who is starved for the love you have to give. This takes time. Be gentle with yourself and run often to the Father for His continued healing.
• If relationships are strained or cut off, ask God to show you how to begin rebuilding. Go slow and ask for His direction. It may be time to think about sending a simple, “I’m thinking of you” card.
• Choose not to spend the day alone. If you can, invite a friend to have a coffee in the park or to sit on your step and drink iced tea on Mother’s Day.

Our Father God desires for your heart to be whole and healed and to give you rest for your soul. He always pulls us upward and onward. It will take time, but with your hand in His, He will enable you to move forward.

If you are stuck on inward and downward, talk to a trusted friend, pray together, and get counsel if necessary.

God waits with open arms to comfort you. His desire for you is to heal your broken heart. Let this Mother’s Day be different. Accept His invitation and begin the journey from pain to promise and find rest for your soul.

Prayer of Action:

Father God,

My heart hurts with unspoken pain. I need Your help to just get through this Mother’s Day. I need Your comfort, Your strength and even Your forgiveness for the times I have blamed You for my hurt. Today I give you the empty spaces in my soul. I give you my pain and I ask You to bring Your healing to my damaged emotions and to my life. Thank you for the promise of rest for my weary soul. I lean on you today.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions: How do you feel as Mother’s Day approaches? How does today’s verse speak to your situation?

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

Jesus has given you a promise and a gift. YOU have been given this gift.  It’s the gift of peace. Do you want more peace in your heart? The peace Jesus gives is unlike any thing the world calls peace. It is peace IN the turmoil of day-to-day living. It is a peace that steadies you and a calm that encases you even with life is not calm around you.

Jesus told His followers that after He returned to Heaven God the Father would send them the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who would teach them all things and remind them of everything Jesus had said. Jesus knew that His followers would need a Helper, an Encourager and a Comforter to keep them sharp in their faith and to fill them with this peace. He knew that they, and eventually us, you and I, would need to be reminded of the things Jesus taught and of the peace that He has for us.

He gives us one instruction as He promises this peace. He tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

“Do not let ….” Here again it sounds like we have a choice to make … and we do. We can choose to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with this peace and we can choose to remember all Jesus taught us about living in His strength.  We choose. Faith and fear cannot occupy the same space nor can peace and turmoil occupy the same place in our hearts.

A number of years ago a dear friend of mine received some challenging news about her health. She ran to the Lord and asked the Holy Spirit to fill her with peace. Daily she traded in the fear that came to rob her and daily she received the peace that the world could not understand. Her doctor even told her she was in denial. Yet she wasn’t. She was simply living in the promise of peace that has been given to each of us as Jesus’ followers. The world cannot grasp this kind of peace.

Today if peace is short in your heart and mind remember that Jesus has given it to you. His Holy Spirit is there to remind you and to teach you how to live in that peace. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with peace.

When fear comes to nibble at your heart or rush through your door to trouble you – stop and remember that you can make a choice. “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Though the trouble may remain the peace of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit pouring peace over your heart, will carry you through.

Prayer of action: 

Father God,

Today I need the help of the Holy Spirit in allowing Your peace to fill my heart and soul and mind. May I not live in turmoil but choose to trade in my fear and my troubled heart for Your amazing peace and strength. It’s a gift I receive from You by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Question: How can you choose peace today?

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Col: 3:15)

We live in a world that often produces within us the very opposite of peace.  Our stress and busyness is a normal response to the rush and cares of the day. Yet God calls us to something higher. He calls us to peace.

Is peace ruling your heart today? It can. When you and I first believed that Jesus is the Son of God and opened our hearts to receive His forgiveness and power in our lives we were given the gift of God’s peace. Do you recall receiving that peace? It’s a peace that is unexplainable and peace that remains even as life and the news of the day swirl around us.

Yet it’s easy to loose our grasp on that wonderful gift. It’s offered afresh to us every morning as one of His great mercies toward us.

• We need His peace to calm our hearts in challenging days.
• His peace brings health to our minds and our bodies.
• Living with peace in our hearts honors God.
• Our peace helps point others who are looking for peace to God.

His peace is free for the taking. God tells us how. Listen again to the wonderful words of life from His word:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

It sounds like it’s a choice. I can let peace rule or I can let peace get buried at the bottom of all those other responses to life. Just how does one go about letting peace rule the heart? God tells us one of the basic steps to walking in peace. He always gives the “how to” when He asks something of us.  Catch the often-overlooked words that this verse ends with: “and be thankful”.

Choosing to look at your day and your circumstances and your life with a heart that is filled with gratitude will open the door to peace. Yes, it’s true.

Life is not perfect anywhere on this planet. There are challenges both large and small that come to each one of us. Each challenge has the potential to rob our peace. Yet as we choose to be thankful to God in the midst of those challenges His peace will begin to rule our hearts.

Yes, it can sound trite especially if you are walking in a deep and challenging place today but the principle is sure. It is foundational to a heart that is ruled with peace. “And be thankful.”

If it feels impossible to be thankful where you stand right now ask God to help you to say “thank you” to Him that He alone can give you peace. Thank Him for His love and His care and His power to lead you today through the maze of your life. He will help you as you choose gratitude today and let peace rule your heart.

Prayer of action:

Father God,

So often my heart finds it easier to see the things that I am not thankful for. Open my eyes and my heart to having a new attitude of gratefulness to You. 

Help me today to enter into each part of my day as doing what is in front of me for You and as one representing You. Help me to be keenly aware of all the places today that I can offer You my thanksgiving as I choose this day to LET Your peace rule my heart. Fill my mind with the things You bring to my life: Your strength, Your power, Your help and Your love. Thank you that You will help me choose well what rules my heart today. I choose Your peace. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Questions: What are you thankful for? How can you be more thankful?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  (Philippians 4:8)

She was hurt over the lack of trust and the “behind the back” comments made by her co-worker. Was the one who brought it to her attention even truly her friend? Her fingers flew over the keyboard with words of defense, explanations and justifications of her own actions. She fought back the tears. She had worked so hard in this place!

As her anger and hurt subsided she talked it over with a friend. Her sense of injustice was real. She did need to address the rumors. Thankfully she had not pressed the “send” button on her original email. Together with her friend she explored her options. She truly wanted to respond in a way that would honor her Lord and not simply react only to throw more fuel on the fire.

The business world has its challenges. Many react out of self-defense and are quick to step on those who might get in their way. Insecurity is rampant and can masquerade as “confidential” gossip. Days can be trying in such an environment.

Yet there you are. Appointed by God to this place at this hour. You have His help, the help of His Holy Spirit. You have His word to guide you. You have a different standard to live by. He tells us how to think. The way we think will impact the words that come from our mouths.

When you are faced with gossip, accusations, judgments or when you are tempted to feel you must “play the game” to get ahead, remember God’s way. THINK before you react. Then you will respond in a way that invites God to come into the situation and bring His help and His insight.

As your fingers fly over the keyboard or as your voice rises in defense… pause to THINK and ask these few questions. Is the conversation I am about to engage in:

• T- True? What facts are actually on the table?
• H-Honorable? What am I revealing about my own integrity by how I respond?
• I-Important? Is it important enough for me to validate by responding?
• N-Necessary?  Can any good come of pursuing this conversation or is it idle talk?
• K-Kind? Can I be careful not to throw unnecessary stones at someone else?

Jesus’ followers should be the first ones to be peacemakers in situations that are hurtful, volatile, confusing and filled with misunderstanding.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Lord God,
Today I ask You to go before me into the conversations of the day through my words or through my email. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit who is my Helper and who can put the right words in my mouth. Please keep my heart and my attitudes protected and honoring to You. Give me the right understanding of what is really going on. Grant me the discernment I need so I can lay aside self-defense. Forgive me for the times when I have failed to do my part in bringing peace to a situation. May I be Your representative today as I think before I speak. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Question: In which situation do you need to use the “THINK” acronym? How can you be a peacemaker in your situation?

“But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’” (Matthew 14: 27)

I was driving home from town. The roads were slippery; it was dusk.  In the ditch ahead I noticed a large dark mound. I peered into the semi darkness to see a huge moose that had met its fate along the highway. I wondered about the driver who had hit it.

In those few seconds as I looked and wondered I suddenly found I was turning toward the ditch myself. I quickly corrected and, feeling the ice under my tires knew I had better keep my eyes focused on the road.

I realized again just how quickly an accident can happen when my eyes are taken off the road to adjust the radio, rummage for my cell phone or look at what is passing by.

It reminded me of the saying, “Where you focus, you follow.” Or, “Where you look, you go.” What is capturing your attention these days and occupying your thoughts and line of vision? Make sure it’s where you want to end up. Make sure it’s how you want to spend the currency in your “time bank.”

Can you identify the primary focus of your thoughts these days?

Is it concern and worry for a family member?
Is it your work and a project you are on?
Is it someone you are falling in love with?
Is it someone who has hurt you?
Is it your finances? Or fear of the future?
Are you focused on your health?

When we put Jesus in the center of the main thing that occupies our minds we gain a strength and find a footing that holds us steady and secure no matter what uncertainty faces us. When we leave Him to the side of the picture and focus on the things that swirl around us we often find our footing unsure and our clarity blurred.

I love the story from the Bible of Peter who was in a boat in the middle of the night tossed about by the wind and waves. He looks out and sees Jesus walking on the very waves that are buffeting his boat.  He is afraid of the storm and of the form on the water. Jesus calls to him, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. Come to me.”

Peter steps out of the boat and moves toward Jesus, amazingly firm footed on the waves! But as he lifts his eyes from Jesus and looks at the turbulent sea fear overtakes him. He begins to sink. Immediately Jesus reaches out and pulls him up asking, “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:22-36)

Whatever is front and center on the stage of your mind today, invite Jesus into it. Focus your eyes on Him. Take courage. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let doubt tumble you into the waves of stress and worry. Jesus is able to keep you steady and His hand is ready to pull you above the waves even if you falter.

“Where you focus, you follow.” Focus on Jesus today as the center of your circumstances and watch how He will lift you from the waves and give you courage and strength and wisdom.

Lord God,
Many things occupy my thoughts today. I choose to put You in the center of my focus. I take courage in You to help me, strengthen me and give me the wisdom I need today to keep on the road of faith and not end up in the ditch of doubt or swallowed by waves of fear. Thank you for Your power at work in my heart and mind and in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Questions: Where is your focus? How can you turn your eyes back to Jesus?

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead…” (Ephesians 1:18-20)

Much of the world celebrated and now Easter is past. This week it’s back to the routine. Does Easter make a difference in your life this week? Does the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead impact your ordinary day? Do you believe it can? Do you really?

One of my favorite prayers in the Bible is one Paul prayed for the Ephesians. They must have had some of the same problems we do in putting their everyday faith into action. Paul prayed a prayer that we can echo today as our own.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead…” (Ephesians 1:18-20)

Do you believe that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you today? Do you really?

Ask the Lord today to open the eyes of your heart. Ask Him to help you know and understand the hope He has available to you. Begin to believe that His incomparably great power is for your life today.
Easter has come and gone for another year. Yet the significance of it and the power in it is for today for those who believe.

Whatever threatens to bog down your heart this week can be taken to God. Ask Him, with renewed faith, to open the eyes of your heart so that you can know and experience His power in a new and real way. His Holy Spirit can bring wisdom, help, insight, understanding, discernment and even new ideas in areas we are stuck in.

The key is to hand these requests over to God with expectation, believing His resurrection power is available to you. May the eyes of your heart be opened today!

Father God,
I so often live my life without even expecting Your resurrection power to impact my ordinary day. Forgive me for allowing my faith to grow weary and my expectation of You to dim. Today I ask that You would open my eyes to know Your power and to see it at work in my life. Where I have created problems by my own hand, in ___________ or in relationships or finances, I ask You to forgive me and to give me creative thoughts and divine understanding to know what to do next. May my ears and eyes be open to You today. Increase my faith… fill me with Your Holy Spirit… and come with renewed power into my life. I thank you in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Question: Where do you need renewed faith?

“Jesus replied: ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’” (Luke 14:16-17)

God invites us to a great celebration called the wedding supper of the Lamb. He prepares a feast and provides the way for each of us to be considered worthy to attend. But in Jesus’ story in Luke 14, when the time for the banquet came those invited made excuses:
·    I just bought a field and must go and see it (14:18)
·    I just bought five yoke of oxen and I’m on my way to try them out (14:19)
·    I just got married, so I can’t come (14:20)

When it comes to the reasons we give for not answering God’s call, our excuses don’t sound that much different. I need to work late. The kids play soccer at that time. I’m taking a vacation. Our self-importance and busyness keeps us from seeing our need. Do we think there will always be time to respond?

Jesus continues His story in Luke 14:21, “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’”

The hunger of the poor made them quick to accept the invitation to the banquet. The crippled, the blind and the lame weren’t too busy to attend. Maybe God considers the poor blessed because they know they need Him. To them, nothing is more important than responding to His call.

Do you know that you need Jesus? Are you hungry? Will you make seeking Him your first priority? There’s a place at the banquet for you.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for inviting me to Your banquet. Help me to hunger for truth and seek You first of all. Amen.

Questions: Why is it important to respond when God calls us? How do you keep from being too busy to seek God?

“[L]et us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

This Easter Sunday I am impressed with the newness that the Risen Christ brings to our lives! Being reminded of how His death conquered all that drags us down truly brings us back to the roots of our faith and our freedom.
The “stuff of life” can easily distract and pull us away from this life changing truth that is ours on a daily basis. This Easter let’s take to heart the words of Hebrews 12.

1 Peter 1:13 tells us exactly how to do this in very practical terms:

· Prepare your mind. Keep scripture fresh in your thoughts.
· Be self-controlled. Pay attention to where your focus lies.
· Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Let’s receive the grace offered to us on a daily basis, just for today, knowing that the trials of life are not the enemy. We can choose to become lost in the trial or we can choose to grasp the grace held out to us daily to sustain us through the trial.

So let’s run… with the grace given to us for today, and trust God with the tomorrows of our lives. His grace will meet us when we get to tomorrow.

Father God,
Thank you that this Easter You again remind us that Christ is risen indeed! Please help me today to walk in the power and grace of the risen Christ! In Jesus’ strong name I ask this, Amen.

Question: Will you become lost in your trials or grasp His grace?

“…do this… in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Corinthians 11: 25b-26)

Beth purchased the chocolate bunnies and headed to the parking lot. Company was coming and she still needed to get groceries and clean. She made a mental note to get extra eggs for the kids to color.

It was Easter weekend. They wouldn’t likely get to church. Her mental check list went on. She knew she was too busy, but she squeezed God in where she could.

I’m sure God knew how easy it would be for us to do just that. He actually provides a regular reminder for us. He calls us to take part in Communion and with good reason. (See 1 Corinthians 11: 26)

In the business of “doing life” we often forget just what is actually proclaimed by Jesus’ death and His resurrection. It can so easily slip to the background of life and we can find ourselves living in dryness of soul, with divided hearts and sometimes with powerless, defeated lives.

Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. That’s why He calls us to regularly remember Him; to keep proclaiming, in our individual lives, the truth of what His death on the cross means to us each day.

Proclaim it out loud, right now:

• I proclaim I am forgiven (Thank you Lord! You alone know how I need You)
• I proclaim I am loved (Thank you Lord that Your love is unconditional!)
• I proclaim I am cleansed (Thank you Lord that my past is now behind me!)
• I proclaim that by His grace I have all that I need (Thank you Lord for your undeserved grace and mercy to help me in my time of need!)

Do you believe it? The very same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that will be at work in your life as you believe and proclaim these truths.

Welcome the celebration at the Communion table this Easter. Have your heart refreshed with forgiveness and wholeness, as you believe the truth of what God says about you, His child. Receive His love in fresh measure.

Father God,
Amaze my heart today with the truth of these proclamations. Thank you for the hope Easter revives in my heart! Fill me with Your Spirit and let Your resurrection power flow in new ways in my life. Help me to remember the power, in Your death and resurrection, that is mine every day. Help me to grow into all You have planned for me to be and to do.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 Questions: Do you believe the truth of what God says about you? How will you remember your Lord’s sacrifice this Good Friday?