Daily Devotion - Peace
God is commanding you and me to lay down our burden and spiritually rest our souls in Him. (Not necessarily take a nap...though a good nap always helps!)
Though at first it may appear difficult to know how thus quietly to wait, with the activities of mind and heart for a time subdued, every effort after it will be rewarded. We will discover that it grows upon us, and the little season of silent worship will bring a peace and a rest that give a blessing not only in prayer, but all day.
Getting stress out of your life takes more than prayer alone. You must take action to make changes and stop doing whatever is causing the stress.
I remembered my pastor said that we needed to place a high value on our peace. It is true. What ever we value we will take good care of. I should have held on a little tighter to my peace and then I would not have ended up in this state of self-pity.
We struggle to do things in order to get what we want in life. We push ourselves to do anything in order to please God, when what He really wants is not so much what we do for Him, but what we are to Him.
Where can I run? Where can I hide? I need a break, a place to take refuge. Life is so full and time seems to be running past me. Does this sound like something you have said or thought recently?
I’m not talking about the hippie kind of peace that’s an impersonal ideal or even just a feeling that’s gone after a moment. I’m talking about the Lord’s reassuring peace that can strip away unrest in each of our lives.
Nothing robs the peace and joy from a Christian's life more than constant busyness. That busyness for the Christian may be veiled as some superspiritual drive for excellence, some kind of way to work out our salvation. But in the end it comes down to just plain busyness.
Divorces, depression, sick babies and homes for sale ... any problem took a new perspective when my mother-in-law flew through the door. When she arrived on the scene, things would calm down.
Sitting in silence studying the deer, I realized how unaware they are of the nearby danger. Their world appears one way to them, yet the reality is completely different.
When calamity, tragedy, and devastation come into our lives there is usually the initial shock. As in the death of someone you love, you may find yourself numb at first. In the grip of reality, you can find God’s grace that carries you through these moments.
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