You have certainly had troubles in the past year: difficult transitions, attacks from within and without, possibly dwindling numbers or lack of visible results… Are you craving peace? It is a balm to body, mind and soul.
I once heard peace defined as not the absence from trouble but the ability to remain calm in the midst of it.
Even in a world filled with war, violence, and vitriol, we are a people called to peace.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Peace with God
Peace with God describes reconciliation between man and God and it describes the rest we find in God’s presence.
God is with us. And he is still mightily at work through the power of the gospel, come to us in the form of Jesus incarnate.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:11-14)
Connecting to Peace
Take a moment to meditate on the peace that God offers and how you can live more fully in that peace.
Reconciliation
- Write a prayer thanking God for the work he has done in you and through you from the time you met Jesus to today.
- Who do you know who needs the peace that comes from being reconciled to God?
- How can you demonstrate the work of God’s peace to others during the holidays?
Rest
- What are you holding onto that is causing you to feel insecure or anxious?
- How does scripture remind you that God is with you in the midst of your trials?
- In what places or doing what things do you most feel the presence of God?
- What changes do you need to make so that your schedule includes intentional time for you to enjoy the presence of God?
Resource
An Undivided Heart– This book isn’t an instruction manual with step-by-step procedures. It is a journey, unique to you, that begins with your unique relationship with Jesus. Living with an undivided heart will naturally lead to living an undivided life. Cultivation of the heart flows into action.
“In An Undivided Heart, Bob and Ralph fulfill their goal of bringing together the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Helping their readers along their own inward and outward journeys with God, this book is punctuated by powerful stories, and potent questions; it’s a winner!” —Mark Fields
Photo by Inbal Malca on Unsplash