Tag: peace

PEACE

One of the greatest gifts that Jesus left us is the
Gift of Peace….
…..a peace that can bring us joy and comfort despite our circumstances in this life.
This peace is a special gift and blessing made available to us as we continually seek Him in our lives.
To possess His peace is awesome and makes all the difference in our lives.
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Did you ever notice that once Jesus, in His resurrected state and before He ascended into Heaven at Pentecost, visited the disciples, He addressed them with the greeting, “Peace”?
–On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  –John 20:19  (NIV)
–Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  –John 20:21 (NIV)
–A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  –John 20:26  (NIV)
My thought is that in these verses Jesus is preparing His disciples to experience true peace that only comes from Him, not from this world, when He sends the Holy Spirit to them after He ascends into Heaven.
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 Photo credit by Glenn Franco Simmons under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

–All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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 14:25-27  (NIV)
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The peace we possess should not be based on our circumstances nor on what others think of us.
Yes, we all have troubles in this world, but God’s peace is triumphant over it all.
So, the next time you have a day or week where everything seems to go wrong…
…the kids are all sick
…you get a flat tire at the most inopportune time
…you oversleep and are late for work
…you find out you have some disease….
I hope you dig down deep within and cling to that true peace that only God can provide. The peace that surpasses all understanding. It is His peace that sustains us even during the troubled, hard times as long as we cling to Him. We need to stay close to Him and trust in His ways.
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Do you ever feel God’s peace in this beautiful world that He created for us……..
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 Photo credit by Jim Mullhaupt under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

…in the beautiful sunset or rainbow that just took your breath away?
…in the sun rising slowly over the peaceful waters of the ocean?
These things remind me of the peace God offers that we can behold with our eyes.
Try each day to tap into that wonderful power of His peace!
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Sunrise at Virginia Beach, VA
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  –Philippians 4:7  (NIV)

THERE IS HOPE

Shattered dreams,
   broken hearts,
       lonely people passing us by every day.
People without hope,
   searching for happiness–
       a lost and dying world.
 

What can we offer these people?

This world we live in seems to offer happiness to them in the form of

riches,
  fame,
    sex,
      drugs,
        alcohol.
But, this happiness does not bring them anything to hope in,
    for these “worldly” pleasures last but a few fleeting moments.
They don’t offer anything lasting and real,
    and there is nothing to cling to.

In this world, the only true hope is found in and through Jesus Christ.

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 Photo credit by Lex McKee under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)
With Christ as the center of our lives, we can possess a lasting happiness that will carry us through this life.
Christ gives a peace that surpasses all understanding despite all the trials we may be facing.
He is our best friend and will never, ever leave us even though others may desert us.

Our greatest hope is in the day we will meet Jesus face to face, and then spend eternity with Him.

This (Christ) is the lasting hope we can offer people as we live it and walk it each day. As Paul states in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Cori 15:19)

Christ is the hope we need to offer others–it will change their lives forever!

I think the song, Cry Out to Jesus, by my favorite Christian band, Third Day, is such an inspiring, encouraging song that talks about the hope that Jesus provides.  Take a listen and be blessed!  Let the words penetrate your heart and soul.

Remember…
There is HOPE for the helpless…..
    REST for the weary.
        And LOVE for the brokenhearted.
                                –Excerpt from Cry Out to Jesus by Third Day
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  –Jeremiah 29:11

THE VISION

One day as I was feeling all alone in this world, I had a vision–a different type of vision that made me ponder the true meaning of this life.

In the vision, I saw myself sitting outside, in the middle of a huge park.  It was a beautiful, crystal clear day, and a soft, gentle breeze was blowing.  People were scurrying all about, but nobody seemed to notice me, as I sat all alone, lost in the vision.

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Photo courtesy of H.L.I.T. under Creative Common License (CC BY 2.0)

I couldn’t believe my eyes, as suddenly, one by one, “things” began to disappear.  First the trees, then the birds and the mountains.  Houses once seen in the distance were erased from existence.  Cars and buses were next–no longer to be found.  Last but not least, the people, one by one, disappeared–no more family, friends or even strangers around.  All the places where I had once seen God’s beauty in this world, suddenly vanished.

I looked around once more and there was only me surrounded by all this emptiness.  But, within my heart and soul, I had only an unexplainable peace.  I knew in my heart of hearts, that although all the “things” of this world were taken away, I still had “something.”

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Photo credit by Waiting for the Word under Creative Common License (CC BY 2.0) Hopetoinspireyou.wordpress.com added verse

You see, I was not alone–I had JESUS living in my heart–a treasure far greater than any earthly “thing.”  It was then that I realized the true meaning of life.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  –Philippians 4:7