Peace

I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.

And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.

So don't be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27 (NLT)

  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.Phil 4:6-7 (NLT)

The peace of God is a priceless gift. 

If I jump out of bed in the morning and charge into my day without contacting the giver of peace I can be confronted with an onslaught of the days worries and cares.  I look at my circumstances. They may be perplexing and difficult creating confusion and fear.  Sometimes things don't make sense. That's when I realize the world doesn't have much peace to offer me. 

But, if the first thing I do in the morning is line my spirit up with the Prince of Peace and put everything that will come my way into his hands, I can go through the day in peace.  The presence of his peace is my guard.  If my peace is disturbed, I can stop and listen.  Perhaps I need to change my course, set a boundary or release my anxiety.  
 
O Lord, thank you for the promise and gift of your peace.  May we partake of that gift today.  When this world tries to disturb our peace guard our hearts and give us wisdom.

Thoughts

You will keep in perfect peace* all who trust in you, 

all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) 

We are all susceptible to a wandering mind.  Something that we perceive as negative happens and it instantly triggers some anxiety or fear.  Our minds begin to focus on the "what if's" and the worries, conjuring up disastrous scenarios for the future.   And, our minds are quick to judgment and blame. When things aren't going well, we can always find someone to blame.  We usually put a negative spin on other people's behavior.  All these toxic thoughts are killers. They destroy our peace and joy in the Lord.  

The question is, who's in control here?  Are we subject to thought-control, becoming slaves to our own thoughts?  Or, can we display self-control?  We are in need of self-control and discipline?  As soon as we sense our thoughts going down a negative path we can call a halt, shift gears and re-focus bringing our mind back to the only focus that brings us joy, peace and freedom.  We must make the choice to bring our focus back to the Lord, throw all our cares on him and trust him to take care of everything. That focus will always relieve us of anxiety, bring us to the point of peace and rest and fill our hearts with an understanding compassion and love towards others.

Lord, grant us the strength and wisdom to get our thoughts to stand at attention - attention on you.  Make us instantly aware when our thoughts begin to wander into negative territory and bring us back to a clear and single focus. 

*An interesting side note on the phrase "perfect peace."  The original Hebrew does not have the word "perfect."  The original has "shalom, shalom."  In other words, "peace, peace."   The word peace is used twice for emphasis.  The Hebrew word "shalom" doesn't just mean peace in the sense of freedom from conflict, but encompasses much more including the ideas of completeness, welfare and health.

Worry

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Matt 6:27 (NLT)

So often we wear ourselves out by worrying.  We put so much energy into trying to fix ourselves or others, strategizing about the future, or dwelling on the regrets of the past that we have no time to enjoy the present. These thought patterns rob us of peace and serenity. What a relief when we finally realize that we have no power over these things. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow does not yet exist.  We can only take one day at a time. 

The original word for "to worry" or "to be anxious" is "to take thought."  Basically worry is over-thinking our lives.  Thinking has its limitations.  We usually don't have enough information or our thinking is defective because we have assimilated so many misconceptions.  We don't have the power or insight to figure things out, so over-thinking accomplishes nothing.  As Jesus said, "Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?"

Things begin to change when we turn our lives and our will over to the care of God.  We are powerless, but God has perfect knowledge, perfect wisdom and all power. When we turn our lives over to his care, let go of our worries and rest in him, he begins to do his work.  

 You will keep in perfect peaceall who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.Isaiah 26:3