Month: May 2023

Fences are meant to provide a sense of security either to the people or things on the inside or on the outside.  I’ll never forget the one time I was walking my Black Lab on a leash along a road such as this and he wanted to investigate the cattle on the other side of the fence.  But when he got too close we discovered it was an electric fence and we both got a slight shock!  That fence was security for the farmer that his animals wouldn’t escape and also to keep people and other animals like my dog and I from crossing the fence and disturbing the peace of the animals.

“Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
has made this promise!”
Micah 4:4, NLT

The security of peace is the feeling of being safe and never feeling fearful.  The prophet Micah talked about peace and prosperity, and said there would be nothing to fear because God promises it.  He sure wasn’t talking about our world today, was he?!  No, he was talking about Heaven.  We can have a certain amount of security now, but it seems like someone is always finding a way to destroy that security and peace whether it’s with weapons, words, or worldly actions.  But one day we will have security of peace that can never be destroyed, interrupted, or cut off.  What a wonderful day that will be when we can walk down the streets where we live and not fear that we’ll get hit by a car, mugged, or shot by some person who’s not thinking clearly! 

“In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”
Psalm 4:8

In Heaven there will be nothing to disturb our security of peace.  There will not be any evil people or things that can harm us.  We will truly be able to go to sleep peacefully without locks, alarms, and other safety features because there will be nothing to fear.  God Himself will be our watchman, protector, comforter, and so much more.  Until then the ultimate security of peace in the broader sense will never happen this side of eternity.  However, security of peace can reign within our hearts and minds which is where our focus needs to be.  If I observe something and am not privy to the details, my mind can take off in a variety of directions.  The other day was a good example.  I saw something strangely out of place and my thoughts said that what I saw was someone up to no good.  I may or may not be correct, but I will keep trusting God’s protection will override any fearful thoughts of harm or destruction. 

Peace is an objective that people hope to achieve, but we should not confuse “peace” with “security.”  If you do a Google search for Security of Peace, you’ll find very little if anything about God’s peace.  It is all about how nations think they can make, attain, or keep peace with other nations who are at war or asserting wrongful power over someone.  War and fighting is the total opposite of peace.  I remember an old saying that was popular when I was young:  I’m a lover not a fighter.  In a way that’s an oxymoron because we love peace but sometimes we have to fight for it.  Peace doesn’t always equate to security in this world.  You can have what appears to be a peaceful place in the country, maybe an isolated cabin in the mountains, but that won’t provide security if a tornado whips through or a bomb drops near you and destroys everything in a matter of minutes. 

Security of peace in the heart outlasts any peace the world has to offer.  It cannot be destroyed or taken away from you unless you allow it.  Someone can take your money, your possessions, your family…but they cannot take your peace of heart because it’s inside where they can’t reach it.  Oh someone can try to destroy their peace but it’s an intangible thing to others that they can’t see, hear, or touch.  That’s why God’s Word tells us to guard our heart, and if we lose our ability to do that for whatever reason, God will guard it for us. 

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”  The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.  Our heart and the capacity to choose is at the center of who we are.  When Jesus is at the center, He controls us.  So when we guard our heart, we are choosing to let Jesus have the last say.  He secures our peace of mind and heart.

“The definition of serenity is a state of being calm, peaceful and untroubled. Achieving this positive state of mind means you won’t feel as troubled by life’s ups and downs.” (states 7 Summit Pathways about addiction recovery on their website)  When I slow down and observe nature and its beauty, I experience that state of serenity—being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.  It at least momentarily overrides the troubles of life that tend to overwhelm and take precedence in our day-to-day activities.  I took the picture above on one of those days when I was out running errands and feeling a little stressed.  Fall is my favorite time of year so I took a few minutes to pull over and stop the car and just enjoy the scenery.  A couple deep breaths later, feasting my eyes on the various colored leaves on the trees, and watching the clouds float by refreshed my spirit and helped me to refocus my thoughts on my Creator God and all He’s done for me.  How much closer can one get to serenity?

“You will keep in perfect and constant peace
the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused
on You—in both inclination and character],
Because he trusts and takes refuge in You
[with hope and confident expectation].
Isaiah 26:3, AMP

I don’t often refer to the Amplified version of the Bible, but at times it can be very helpful in explaining exactly what the verse means by using additional words.  The first thing I noted and like in the above verse is the word perfect because that’s what this whole blog is mostly about—God’s perfect peace.  The second word that stands out to me is constant.  God’s peace is not momentary or fleeting; it is constant.  It is there all the time when given by God.

There are some conditions to the receiving of that perfect and constant peace.  First, our minds need to be steadfast.  We can’t be wishy-washy about our relationship with Jesus or allow ourselves to get distracted by other people and things.  We must be committed to Him and focus on our relationship with Him as being the most important part of our lives.  I know at times it’s easy to get distracted even during a worship service, but our focus needs to be on God as we worship and then on maintaining that relationship in our daily lives as we leave the church building and go out into the world.  No, it won’t be as serene out there, but when our relationship is anchored in Jesus, the calmness and peace of Christ will help us remain untroubled.

“Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one
who walks daily with Him] be
the controlling factor in your hearts
[deciding and settling questions that arise].
To this peace indeed you were called as
members in one body [of believers].
And be thankful [to God always].”
Colossians 3:15, AMP

Serenity of peace is when peace makes you feel like it’s the best place to be.  The first time after I purchased a new mattress with a pillow top and laid down on it, it felt so good to just lay in that soft spot.  After a hard mattress that made my hip hurt and gave no relief to my aching body, this new mattress felt like it was the best there was.

The above verse defines the peace of Christ as the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him (Jesus).  After a day of being with people, for me the inner calm that Christ brings comes as I settle myself in my rocker or recliner, turn on the massage and heat, and let Him take care of the inside.  When decisions need to be made or questions arise that require my attention, the peace of Christ needs to be the controlling factor in my heart—not the heat of the moment, the stress of the factors, the pull of others’ opinions, nor any of those things.  God calls us to peace because we are His children.  God gives perfect peace.  Are you thankful for it today?

The Oxford dictionary states that a salutation is “a gesture or utterance made as a greeting or acknowledgment of another’s arrival or departure.”  My cat engages me with all kinds of salutations.  When she wants to show her love, she greets me with a nudge.  When I come home, she runs to me and rubs against my legs.  When she wants attention, the paws come up on my leg.  When she wants food, water, or a treat, she meows.  Oh, and her all too famous, but not endearing to me, is when in the middle of the night she jumps up on the bed, walks across me, lays down on the other pillow and purrs while nudging me in the face.  All these are her ways of greeting me and communicating what she wants or needs. 

A salutation of peace is when peace sidles up to you and permeates your being.  For me that is like when my cat rubs against me and settles down to snuggle on my lap or next to me.  My senses are filled with her presence.  I feel the warmth of her body; I hear her “motor” purring; I smell her—the smell of the litterbox she was just in, the food she ate; I see her big eyes looking up at me as she gives me a nudge which I believe is her way of saying she loves me.  For a dog it would probably be when they bark or lay down next to their master with a contented sigh.  A baby might babble or smile when they’re content.  A toddler might squeal or reach up for you to pick them up.  All of these are because they want to have that closeness of another’s touch and attention.

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:2

A salutation or greeting most of us use today is either hello or hi for short.  Sometimes on Easter at church we use the greeting He is risen! and respond with He is risen indeed! Paul began his letter to the believers in Philippi with a salutation of grace and peace.  It was a special grace and peace, not from Paul but from God Himself and His Son Jesus.  It’s the only peace that is true and lasting because of the giver.  Anyone can try to impart peace to someone, but it reflects back on the giver and none of us are able to give the peace of God.  It comes only from God and can only be given by God.

Grace and peace sounds so … peaceful!  I’d love to be greeted that way.  Traditional greetings are just that—a greeting to which most of us don’t even wait for a response but keep going on our merry way.  But grace and peace is more identifiable.  It tells what we wish for the person we are greeting.  If I was greeted with Grace and peace to you, I would definitely slow down, smile, and thank the person for that truly warm and gracious salutation.  Saying those words of salutation doesn’t mean that you can impart grace and peace to another person, but it is similar to a prayer, meaning that you desire grace and peace for the person you are greeting, and are asking God to give it to you in good measure.

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance
through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
II Peter 1:2, NIV

In the above verse, Peter tells us how we can receive that peace.  He says it’s through the knowledge of God and Jesus.  Therefore, anyone who does not know God and has never had a one-on-one relationship with Jesus cannot know or experience the grace and peace of God.  But when you do know Jesus, then His grace and peace will be yours not only a little bit but in abundance!  I love how God gives everything in abundant measure, overflowing with His goodness, grace, and mercy.  Peace is no exception.  The grace that goes with peace is undeserved favor.  We don’t deserve any of the grace, peace, mercy, or love of God but He gives it to us anyway—free of charge, so to speak.  Think of it as a bonus.  Who doesn’t like it when you go to a store and there’s a bonus to the sale or an extra perk when you use your credit card?!  It’s an extra benefit given freely.

Try a different salutation or greeting today or this week.  If you don’t want to use grace and peace with your boss, think of another way of greeting them that begs a more specific answer than fine.  In reading Amish novels, their standard German/Pennsylvania Dutch greeting is wie geht’s which means “how’s it going?” or “how goes it?”.  That is more direct and begging an answer than just hello.  Let a comment below and let me know what kind of response you receive.  God bless!

As I was taking a walk one evening, I noticed these clouds.  I like to look for shapes in the clouds, and these looked like they formed an angel spreading its protective wings over a church building.  That brought to my mind the verse:

“For he shall give his angels charge over thee,
to keep thee in all thy ways.”
Psalm 91:11, KJV

The entire Psalm 91 talks about the safety of abiding in the presence of God which is where the peace in God is.  No matter what is going on around us, in the presence of God, there is peace.  God doesn’t promise a world free from danger, but He does promise His help whenever we face danger.  That is comforting to know that I’m never alone even in the midst of stress or possible danger, and that He will help me.  Human nature, though, would rather skip the danger part and just get on with a peaceful life.  We will one day in Heaven, but for now, we need to remind ourselves that God is only a prayer away at any time of day or night.

“These things I have spoken to you,
so that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation, but take courage;
I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

Peace in God is trusting that His presence and peace will never leave you.  I read a lot and my favorite books are Amish romance novels.  I know everyone has their own opinion about various books on the market, but I like them for several reasons, so please don’t judge me if you disagree.  I’ve read many different authors of these books and some are better than others.  What I like about them is that they are clean, romantic without being steamy and trashy, and they bring God into their lives.  I don’t always agree with their view of God nor all their practices, but the books often give me some Biblical principle to think about—which of course I verify in the Bible. 

The one thing that I find disconcerting, though, is that so many of the characters in the stories who have fallen into sin or left the Amish faith think that God has forsaken them and they can never be forgiven.  That is farthest from the truth.  Even though we sin or bad things happen to us or our loved ones, He never leaves us and will always forgive us when we come back to Him.  I’m glad to see that in the end of each book’s story the character comes back to God and experiences the love and forgiveness of God and fellow believers.  While that may not always happen in real life, it is the way it should be.

Peace in God is dependent on our relationship with Him.  Liken it to your refrigerator.  If you keep it plugged into the power source, it will keep your food cold.  But if the electric goes out or the plug is pulled out, there will be no power source to keep it cold.  If we stay plugged into our relationship with God through prayer, Bible reading, worship, and praise, the peace will be there in our hearts.  But if we remove ourselves from God’s presence, don’t pray, don’t fellowship with other Christians, and don’t read God’s instruction Book, then the peace will dissipate slowly at first, but completely at last unless we come back to Him.

Can there ever be peace in any other person or thing???  Maybe for a time you might have a sense of peace, but it will not be a strong lasting peace like the peace in God.  Just as Matthew 6:21, NIV says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”, so it goes that your peace in God will be present when your heart is in the right place and trusting in the right person—God! Do you have real and lasting peace in God today or is it a false and temporary peace that will fade away over time?  Which would you rather have?

Ever since I was little, I’ve loved to walk in the woods, especially if there was a trail to follow.  My uncle liked to go into the woods near a stream and fish.  Back in those days water was safe to drink when flowing along a mountainside, so I loved to take along one of those collapsible cups so I could get a fresh cold drink of water while walking.  I found the perfect spot in a woods near my childhood home to sit and think and pray.  There was a log to sit on, a stump to prop my feet up or use as a table for a lunch or writing, and it overlooked the stream below.  Sitting there in the quiet, listening to the babbling gurgling sounds of the stream refreshed me even as a child.  Just the thought of that even today many, many years later refreshes me.  I often wish I could go back to that spot and take it in for just a few minutes, but the property doesn’t belong to the family any longer.  I try to find places like that in my current area.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
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.”
Philippians 4:6-7, NLT

Philippians is dubbed as the joy book of the Bible.  Paul (the writer of Philippians) did not exactly have joy throughout his life.  He ran into troubles of all kinds—persecution, shipwreck, illness, prison, and misunderstandings.  But he was full of joy because he was content as he focused on his ministry and life in Christ.  Peace and joy are closely related.  Peace brings joy and joy brings peace. 

One of the things that destroys our peace is worry.  Paul had a lot he could have worried about but he chose to pray about them instead and tells us to do the same.  As we take our worries and cares to God in prayer, peace will replace those worries and cares.  When there are things we need—like money to pay the bills, food on the table, a place to live, and any other need we have—prayer is our best recourse.  Go to God with those requests and be sure to thank Him right away for the answers.  That part is so hard.  I go to Him with my requests and even though I’ve recited these verses probably thousands of times, I still forget to say thank you in advance.  Sadly sometimes I even forget to say thank you after the answer arrives, but I’m much better at the after than the before, and am working on both.

Paul goes on to tell us that WHEN we stop worrying, start praying, and thank God for our answers, THEN we will experience God’s perfect peace…even though we won’t understand it.  We want to feel the peace of God but in our finite minds it’s hard to understand.  That’s why Paul states that His peace exceeds anything we can understand.  If we lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5,6), it will be difficult to accept God’s peace, but when we just lean into Him like a baby leaning onto its parent’s shoulder and falls asleep there, we will experience His peace and comfort.

When you feel God’s peace within you, you have the peace of God.  It’s something inside of you that’s hard to explain.  It’s just a sense of calmness, everything’s going to be okay.

At times thoughts come to my mind like they’re bombarding me from different sources.  Before I know it, it’s like one of those odd dreams where people and places are in the same dream in an unfamiliar fashion.  You know the kind, right?  Everything is mixed up.  Family might be in living in your friends’ house and your friends might be in a totally unfamiliar setting.  You wake up thinking, what?!

Paul says that God’s peace will will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus. I love the comfort of knowing that no matter how mixed up this world is or how confused I may get, Jesus is watching over me and guarding my heart and mind.  So when things don’t make sense or are out of control, Jesus is right there guarding us and providing us with God’s peace.  But as always, I have to do my part which is to live in Christ Jesus which means I talk to Him in prayer, read His Word, and obey what He tells me to do.

I write these posts, save them, and then review them the day I post before I hit publish.  As I re-read this one, I had to eat my own words.  Maybe you do, too, sometimes, but that’s OK as long as you’re learning and moving forward.  Have a great day!

I love butterflies because they are so beautiful and because to me they stand for new life in Christ.  This picture was from a color-by-number app.  A picture of a butterfly that I have on my wall has the caption “Transformed by Grace Divine”.  A butterfly has to go through a lot before it becomes beautiful.  It starts out in a dark, cramped cocoon and then has to fight its way out to become strong.  A butterfly always brings a smile to me,  but also I think of peace because after all the turmoil it’s been through to break free of the cocoon, it is flitting about peacefully.  No matter what you’ve been through in life, you can be transformed and become strong, too, when you fight your way out of sin and into His glorious light.  Then you will be able to enjoy the perfect peace that He brings.

“Submit to God, and you will have peace;
then things will go well for you.”
Job 22:21, NLT

That doesn’t mean that everything is going to go our way nor that we’ll prosper financially.  It could work out that way, but that is not what this verse is implying.  One of Job’s friends was trying to help him figure out what was going on with all the trouble Job was having his his life. When things don’t go well for us, there’s usually a reason.  It may be disobedience, a lie, or some other sin that is getting in the way.  It is only when we submit to God, ask for forgiveness for our sins, and follow Him that we can have peace.  Only then can we hope for things to go well for us as we trust in Him.

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith,
we have peace with God because of what
Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Romans 5:1, NLT

Peace with God comes through our reconciliation with God is a result of our acceptance of and forgiveness from God through the death of our Lord on the cross.  Peace with God is when you and God are on the same page.  It is not the calmness or tranquility that brings peace with God, but our acceptance of Jesus that brings peace with God because there’s nothing between us.

Think of a friendship that has gone awry.  Think about what caused it to be severed or strained.  Now think about what you could do to restore it.  When that friendship is reconciled or restored, there’s peace and you can enjoy each other again and share all the things that you used to share and will again.  It is the same with our Lord.  When there’s something in the way, the relationship is strained, and we need to figure out what is causing it.  Then we need to take the steps necessary to restore that relationship to what it should be…or if you’ve never had a relationship with Jesus, the first step is to pray and ask Him to forgive your sins and open the door to an ongoing relationship with Jesus…which is the channel for peace with God.

Peace with God is only possible because of what Jesus has done for us.  When we trust in Him, love Him, and serve Him, we can experience perfect peace with God even in the midst of sadness, tragedies, and other things that come upon us in this life.

Peace with God is eternal.  If we have His peace now, it won’t leave us when life gets tough.  It won’t leave us when we die, but will carry us through to Heaven and eternity.  It’s not like a dream that ends when you wake up.  It’s always there.

Are you and God on the same page today?  If not, why not, and what can you do about it?  When you come home from work or in from gardening, the hot bath to soak those sore muscles doesn’t draw itself.  You have to put forth the effort to draw the bath and get ready.  Then you will be able to bask in the refreshing, comforting feel of the water.