peace to you...

Sunday morning and time has gotten away from me. Nick has to leave for church so that he can take care of announcements for Sunday School & has to take the little car because it has been needing a jump to start, so it has to be the first one out the driveway. that leaves me with the boys to finish getting ready. craziness ensues and we make it out the door an hour & 20 minutes later. i'm 4 blocks down the street and remember that i didn't take time to eat anything and my stomach is complaining about it, my mascara was put on in a hurry and now is flaking off into my eye and little boys are yelling in the backseat simply because they think it's funny. and come the tears...

"Lord, can't i just get a moment of peace?!"

"Daughter, peace doesn't come from a moment. Peace comes from Me."

God's direct revelation to man is finished and complete. He does not speak to people verbally anymore. Yet there are moments in my life when things are impressed upon my heart and i know that there is no way this wisdom has come from anywhere within me. it can only be from Him. This is one of those moments.

Peace. a big term when applied to some situations. but in my situation?

Real lasting peace only comes from God. and starts in peace WITH God.

Colossians 1:19&20
"For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him [Jesus], and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; thought Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven."

You will not know true peace in any area of your life unless you first come to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. John_3:16, Romans_10:9-11

So as a child of the Lord who has come to Him though the gift of salvation He has provided, I have peace with the Judge of the world. how amazing and humbling to know when I leave this earth i will forever be in His presence. but then... what about peace today? what about peace within my emotions? or within my household?

Ahhh, but He has provided for that as well!

within my emotions~

Philippians 4:4-9 (read the whole thing!)
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprhension, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."


rejoice- resisting the impulse to get upset and get angry will help you stay on track for peaceful emotions. also notice that he purposefully repeats it, so it must be very important.

gentle spirit- gentle spirit = gentle voice, gentle actions, gentle facial expressions

anxious- opposite of peaceful. don't stew about it, don't worry if it's going to come together in the right manner or time. leave these things in God's very strong & very capable hands.

prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, requests- all of these terms are about talking with God! not complaining to a person in your life, or even ranting to yourself (yes, i am a major culpret of this one) but take it all to God. pray about it! ask Him for help. thank Him in advance for the way He will provide for this, because He ALWAYS provides. ask again and again and again, as often as you need to in order to get through.

guard- don't worry, He's got you covered. if i will let go of my own anxiouty, He will protect me from my own stupid emotions that are trying to run away with me. that's right, He is guard over me. trials will happen, crud will come into my life. He's not a body guard that chases it all away. My emotions are His prisoner, and He will keep me from getting away. as it says, He will guard my heart and mind.

dwell- live, abide, be in that place, in all the good things that are listed. focus, not on what is going wrong and all this is falling apart. focus on all the amazing things God is doing in this moment and how He will work everything out.

practice- not a trying to get better type of things, but more the putting into practice type. implament what you already know!

John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; My peace i give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

Jesus spoke these words about His death, resurrection, assention and the sending of the Holy Spirit. I have the Holy Spirit given to me to help me, now that i am saved. He will impart peace to me, peace unlike anything the world knows of (Galatians_5:22-25)


within my household~

Titus 3:1-2
"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,
to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men."

God brought me to this verse for the last statement, "showing every consideration for all men." i need to be considerate of my family. when times are stressful and i feel like my peace is fleeing, let me first consider them, and not myself! think through...
...are they tired? are they hungry? am i being short with them? all these things will cause little boys and husbands to be cranky and less agreeable. even if i can't do much about it at the moment, being contious of it will help me to be less offended and ruffled by their actions.

along with that, i need to be considerate of my childrens age. they are 1 & 3. i am still training_them_up in the Lord and it will take time for them to learn and remember and impliment what i teach them from God's Word.

However, i am 27. if any of us knows how they are supposed to act, it is me! i have to be constantly applying what i know the Lord requires of me. He has already asked me to be patient, kind, loving, and a careful worker at home. these are things i know how to do and can do them.

John 14:15
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

If i am doing what i'm supposed to be doing (showing love and patience, not nessesarily having perfect hair), then i don't need to be worked up about the situation. that is peace. a God given peace!