Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Rejoice!
REJOICE! Be fuuuuull of joy! Today is a special day made by the Lord for you to enjoy! Dance! Sing! Laugh! Celebrate that fact that YOUR GOD REIGNS! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and he loves you! Wowzie. Be glad! Be excited! He is the love of your heart and soul. Your other half. Smile, Jesus loves you! Live your life like a Jesus party! Say peace out to stress and worry and sadness . . . welcome in the jubilation of our Father! REJOICE!!! :) :) :) ♥
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Peace
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9
"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Peace. The lack of worry, the presence of calmness and tranquility, full of rest, full of confidence and trust. The Lord calls us to be people of peace. To be known as peacemakers, peaceful dwellers, and lovers of peace. When I used to think of peace, I thought of sitting down, with my eyes closed, listening to something soothing. And while that is definitely one picture of peace, there are more as well. In the Bible, Paul talks about a peace "which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Wouldn't it be completely understandable to have peace when you're in a restful place, like by a stream, or when you don't have any tests, deadlines, chores, or other bothersome things to get done? But a peace that surpasses all understanding . . . that makes me think that it's the kind of peace that is just . . . illogical. It doesn't make sense. It's the peace that was there with Daniel in the lion's den. He could have died! The fact that he was pretty calm the next morning when the king visited him is just delusional. It's the peace that the flowers have, knowing that God will clothe them and watch over them (Matthew 6:25-30), and not just clothe them in any old thing, but make them more beautiful than King Solomon's royal robes. It's the peace that only comes from our Father in heaven.
The Lord has been teaching me things about peace recently. About trusting him to take care of me, and living my life in obedience to him, specifically about being anxious about nothing (Philippians 4:6). I took some naps. I rested in the word. I took some quiet walks with God. And through that, he has started teaching me to have peace even when I'm not doing those kinds of things. I had a sweet peaceful time last week while TAKING MY SPANISH MIDTERM! Wowzie. I used to get so stressed before exams and quizzes, I would forget to trust and be sure of failure and just plain crazy scared of the results. But Jesus taught me that not only is that "bad" or "wrong", but that's a sin. That's like blasphemy. By not trusting him to take care of me and letting fear enter in, I'm saying that he is NOT Lord of Lords and King of Kings and Ruler over all the earth, I'm saying that he is NOT enough to protect me and keep me safe. But guess what? He really is big enough, strong enough, powerful enough, great enough, wise enough, brave enough, and loving enough to save me. The biggest thing he taught me over the past week or so, about trusting him and having peace in him, is that he is enough. ♥
"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Peace. The lack of worry, the presence of calmness and tranquility, full of rest, full of confidence and trust. The Lord calls us to be people of peace. To be known as peacemakers, peaceful dwellers, and lovers of peace. When I used to think of peace, I thought of sitting down, with my eyes closed, listening to something soothing. And while that is definitely one picture of peace, there are more as well. In the Bible, Paul talks about a peace "which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Wouldn't it be completely understandable to have peace when you're in a restful place, like by a stream, or when you don't have any tests, deadlines, chores, or other bothersome things to get done? But a peace that surpasses all understanding . . . that makes me think that it's the kind of peace that is just . . . illogical. It doesn't make sense. It's the peace that was there with Daniel in the lion's den. He could have died! The fact that he was pretty calm the next morning when the king visited him is just delusional. It's the peace that the flowers have, knowing that God will clothe them and watch over them (Matthew 6:25-30), and not just clothe them in any old thing, but make them more beautiful than King Solomon's royal robes. It's the peace that only comes from our Father in heaven.
The Lord has been teaching me things about peace recently. About trusting him to take care of me, and living my life in obedience to him, specifically about being anxious about nothing (Philippians 4:6). I took some naps. I rested in the word. I took some quiet walks with God. And through that, he has started teaching me to have peace even when I'm not doing those kinds of things. I had a sweet peaceful time last week while TAKING MY SPANISH MIDTERM! Wowzie. I used to get so stressed before exams and quizzes, I would forget to trust and be sure of failure and just plain crazy scared of the results. But Jesus taught me that not only is that "bad" or "wrong", but that's a sin. That's like blasphemy. By not trusting him to take care of me and letting fear enter in, I'm saying that he is NOT Lord of Lords and King of Kings and Ruler over all the earth, I'm saying that he is NOT enough to protect me and keep me safe. But guess what? He really is big enough, strong enough, powerful enough, great enough, wise enough, brave enough, and loving enough to save me. The biggest thing he taught me over the past week or so, about trusting him and having peace in him, is that he is enough. ♥
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