Taking Action to Live with Peace

Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to   maintain it.   1 Peter 3:11  NLT

    If you’re like me, you’ve often been frustrated that peace of mind just doesn’t happen.  I have had to learn that peace is a gift from God.  1 Peter 3:11 says “….. Search for peace and work to maintain it.”   Searching and working are clearly action words!  So, how do we practically do this?   Prayer is certainly an action we should take, but I want to focus on something else….God’s Word.

    Ephesians 6:15 says “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”  There are literally hundreds of verses about worry and fear (or whatever your peace-stealer is) that God gave us to arm us for the battle of the mind.  But, we can’t expect to win the battle for peace of mind without carrying God’s word with us onto the battlefield!  Memorizing God’s word empowers us to use it at a moment’s notice when our minds begin to drift away from Him.  A full ammunition belt of memorized scripture is essential to winning the battle for peace of mind.

So, this week, recognize that peace is a gift from God and thank Him for it.  Take action, too, and put on your “shoes” by memorizing and meditating on these two verses to equip yourself for battle. 

John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  NIV

Colossians 3:15 - Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. NIV

** This week’s SPA was written by my friend, who is also an elder in our church, Steve McIntire

God's Word and the Discovery of True Freedom

 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth,   and the truth will set you free.”    John 8:31-32  ESV

    

    The importance of God’s living and active word to living a fruitful life of goodness, cannot be overstated. If we truly want to interact with God and experience his goodness living in us, we must be people who live in Scripture.  In fact, that is what the word “abide” means.  If we choose to just “visit” God’s word occasionally, then our interaction with God and our experience of the freedom of his goodness will be minimal.  If we are people who saturate our hearts and minds with God’s truth, we will be transformed in beautiful ways and discover true freedom.

   Do you believe this?  Is God’s Word important to you?  Does your current interaction with God’s Word reveal that it is important to you?  What can you do this week to more fully live in God’s truth?  Here are two ideas.  Choose one and do it every day this week.

1.Choose to read God’s Word twice a day instead of once.   Try “bookending” your day with God’s Word by reading it in the morning and close to bedtime.

2.Commit to memorizing Scripture and reviewing it each day.  The simple way of writing verses out on index cards and carrying them with you is very helpful.  There are also several good apps for smartphones , such as “Scripture Typer”.

Two Key Spiritual Practices (and a warning)

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right,giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.   Psalm 19:7-8   NIV

   Two key spiritual practices are memorizing Scripture and meditating on Scripture.  We often underestimate the power of Scripture and the life that comes to us through the words of Scripture, but these two practices help us experience that life and power.  When we memorize Scripture a seed of life is planted in our heart.  When we meditate on Scripture, it’s like feeding and watering that seed.  As that seed grows it produces life and wisdom in us.

   This week, write out the above verses on an index card or a piece of paper.  Seek to memorize them by repeating them to yourself phrase by phrase.  Even if you can’t memorize it completely, you will be meditating on it and it will increase your appetite for God’s truth in Scripture.  You might also want to write down the benefits of Scripture listed in these verses in a journal or in the margin of your Bible.

  * WARNING:  Be careful not to treat these practices, or any other spiritual practices, as required activities you must do for God to accept you.  If you fall into this thinking you will become discouraged, not encouraged.  God fully accepts us because of Christ’s work on the cross.  Spiritual practices are simply pathways to draw closer to God and strengthen our trust in him.  That’s what these SPAs are all about.