#god's peace

[heartsings77]

John 14:27 ESV Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

[walkswithmyfather]

“God's love will never disappear; His promise of Peace will not come to an end.” —Isaiah 54:10

Amen! 🙏🕊️🙌

[godslove]

[momentsbeforemass]

Socks on the floor

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

That’s how today’s Gospel starts. Jesus is telling us that there’s the world’s version of peace. And then there’s God’s version.

The world’s version of peace is the kind you and I get when there’s a break in the action. Two things about that kind of peace.

One – it doesn’t last. You and I know this. Sometimes we even call it “a moment’s peace.”

Two – whether we worked hard for it, or it just happened, it’s fragile. It will be wiped away by the next thing that happens.

Because the world’s version of peace is the peace of the finished task. The peace of the sleeping child. The peace of the cancelled meeting.

It’s not a question of whether that peace will end. It’s just a matter of how and when.

It’s a peace that cannot last. Because it’s just a break in the action.

And because it is just a break in the action, it’s never there when you and I need it most – when we’re right in the middle of things.

Especially things like death, divorce, addiction, illness, job loss. The hard things.

So, what’s God’s version of peace?

God’s version of peace – is peace in right in the middle of things. Even the hard things.

The difference between God’s peace and the world’s is the source.

God’s peace doesn’t come from a break in the action. God’s peace comes from making a place for God in our lives.

God freely pours out His peace for all of us. But you and I have to be smart enough to take it.

To do that, we have to build habits of peace.

That is, we have to intentionally build places within our lives, within our routine, and within ourselves to be with God.

We can have set times for Bible reading and prayer.

We can have landmarks (places, images, things we do, etc.) that we us to call us to God.

We can have moments and feelings (good, bad, or indifferent) that we turn into calls to prayer.

It can be as formal or informal as we like.

Whatever we do, we have to actually do it. And it has to lead us to a spiritual place.

But we can’t treat that place like grandma’s house. A place we only go to for Christmas or when someone dies.

We can’t treat that place like a storm shelter. A place we only run to when we hear the tornado sirens.

That place has to be our home. The place we live in, every day.

And you and I have to really live in that place of God’s peace.

Until there are dishes in the sink and socks on the floor.  

Until you and I are talking with God – taking things to God in prayer, telling God all about all of it, seeking God’s will for the big things and the small stuff – talking with God like our dearest friend.

Not just while we’re reading the Bible or saying our prayers, but in the middle of everything.

Even while we’re dropping our socks on the floor.

Today’s Readings

[dress-this-way]

Verse of the Day | The Consecrated Woman

[wiirocku]

Philippians 4:7 (NLT) - 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.

[sagekjs21]

Random Bit of Advice #4

The best place we can sometimes find ourselves is sitting at the feet of God, realizing that we truly know nothing. We don't know where to go from this point, but the Peace He has so lavishly bestowed on us provides a pervading sense of calm through the storm. The pain may be intense, and we may constantly need to rebuke fear. But God's Peace also produces a fiercely intense measure of His Faith, Faith that by worldly standards would be considered foolish at best. But this is precisely where the Blessing comes in; we feel as though we know nothing because we truly don't. But He does. And that one piece of knowledge feeds our Faith.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Paul Gauguin

* * * *

“If God’s peace is in our hearts, we carry it with us, and it can be given to those around us, not by our own will or virtue, but by the Holy Spirit working through us. We cannot give what we do not have, but if the spirit blows through the dark clouds, and enters our hearts, we can be used as vehicles of peace, and our own peace will be thereby deepened. The more peace we give away, the more we have.”

-Madeline L'Engle

[alive on all channels]

[glowingsand]

gojo’s notes to friends and family :’)

[ringosmistress]

[hinamie]

spiraling

[heartsings77]

[walkswithmyfather]

Philippians 4:6 (ESV). “Do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“Peace Beyond Comprehension” By In Touch Ministries:

“When feeling anxious, share your concerns with God to receive His peace in your mind and heart.”

“The apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Philippians from a prison cell. Though his situation was dire, true inner tranquility was available. Paul knew that giving his concerns over to God would result in the peace “which surpasses all comprehension” (v. 7).

From a human perspective, having a quiet spirit in a storm of trouble doesn’t make any sense. We’re “supposed” to become anxious—it’s only natural. But our God is supernatural, and He is living inside us in the form of the Holy Spirit, so we can remain peaceful.

No matter what trying circumstances may challenge our faith, peace grounded in Jesus Christ cannot be broken. With the Father’s omnipotent hand protecting and providing for us, what reason do we have to be afraid or fretful? We must keep our eyes and our faith focused upon the Lord. As Isaiah writes, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).

We live in a world of conflict and often find ourselves suffering heartache. It’s easy to become fixated on a situation and how it has disrupted our life. But peace comes from choosing to trust that God will bring about a resolution in His time and in His way.”

[Photo thanks to Ahtziri Lagarde at Unsplash]

[godslove]

[momentsbeforemass]

How you respond

Most of us aren’t in control of how we feel about – well – pretty much anything.

Our feelings just sort of happen.

That’s why the Church makes no moral judgments about feelings.

What you and I are in control of is what we do with our feelings.

How we respond to the way something makes us feel? That is something we can control – if we choose to.

But most of us (myself included) get so caught up in reacting to how we feel that we don’t realize that we even have a choice.

We let our feelings push us around. And how we respond? Just sort of happens.

Which means that our responses are all over the place.

Sometimes they’re a disaster. And even when they don’t make things worse, they’re almost always not as good as they could have been.

And that’s a stark contrast to what we see in today’s Gospel.

The Pharisees and Herodians are asking Jesus loaded questions like, “is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

They’re trying to set Jesus up, to either lose His support among the Jews. Or to have Rome put a price on His head.

What Jesus does next is a master class in how to respond.

Not that what they’re doing doesn’t impact Jesus. You can tell that it’s getting to Him. Jesus even lets it slip saying, “Why are you testing me?”

But instead of going off on them. Instead of letting His feelings dictate His reaction, Jesus breaks the momentum.

Jesus pauses, steps back from the moment, seeks God’s perspective.

Then responds from a place of peace and power – with a question to His questioners.

And when they answer His question, He shuts them down with His response.

That’s the formula.

Instead of letting our feelings dictate our reaction, break the momentum.

Pause, step back from the moment, seek God’s perspective.

Give the Holy Spirit a chance to clear out the clutter of our unthinking reactions.

Then choose to respond from a place of peace and power.

It’s something that God will help any of us to do.

All we have to do is choose.

Today’s Readings