Peace and Joy

 “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace

as you trust in him, so that you may overflow

with hope by the Holy Spirit”.

Romans 15:13

“Peace and joy go hand-in-hand.  If you are uneasy and stressed it is much harder to be truly happy.  More often than not, joy and contentment work together in our lives.  The truth is that many of us search for happiness, but we don’t often realize that peace is the major part of the puzzle.  Stress, worry, anxiety all have a way of trying to rob us of our joy.  But when we have peace...we can expect joy as well.”

• Peace and joy come from the same source. The Bible tells us that both joy and peace (along with many other blessings) come from the Holy Spirit. When we are abiding in Him and allowing Him to work in our lives, we can EXPECT fruit. They are naturally produced in our lives. That being said, I’m not sure we can experience true peace or joy separate from one another. After all, they are BOTH the result of abiding in Christ. We may experience moments of “peace” or “happiness” apart from the Holy Spirit. But in Him, we can expect to live in TRUE peace and joy…the kind that isn’t based on circumstances.

 

• When we live in God’s peace we experience His joy. This is something I’ve been personally working on in my own life. In my quest to find happiness, I often forget that abiding is God’s peace and rest is essential. Can you imagine no longer feeling worried or stressed? How much joy are we missing out on when we choose to focus on our circumstances rather than surrendering them to God?

 

• Faith and trust produce peace and happiness. We already know that abiding in Christ produces peace and joy in our lives. But what does that look like in practice? We choose to abide every time we make the conscious choice to trust God with our lives. When we are experiencing financial difficulty, we choose to trust that God will meet all of our needs. When we are suffering from a painful loss, we surrender our pain to our heavenly Father. And when we are worried about everyday circumstances or safety, we know that God is watching over us in every way.”
•  “When we choose to place our trust in our Heavenly Father, we can expect to experience His indescribable love.

                             

~ alyssajhoward.com

Renewing Your Mind

“Don’t be conformed to this world.  But be 

transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you

may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and 

perfect will of God.”

Romans 12:2

“Are you living your best life? Shifting your patterns and focus can change your life. That’s what this verse is about—renewing your mind, changing the way you think to create a better life for yourself and a life that honors God. 

The world and society have patterns or ways that lead to a broken life. These patterns are easy to fall into and can be difficult to transform. The patterns, or routines, are often preformed mindlessly, without any consideration of our actions or their consequences; however, we are not stuck with them.

Our patterns can be identified and changed by:

• Choosing to focus on Christ.

• Focusing on God’s mercy, and the love of God. 

• Focusing on being in Christ and reject the lie and deception of sinful desires of the enemy of your soul. 

• Rejecting the patterns and routines that the world promotes as desirable, and live with a heart for God.

Changing your patterns and focusing on Christ will change your life. When we understand God’s love and mercy for us, we find the reason to transform our lives and renew our minds.”

~ agfaithchapel.org

 

The True Light

 “The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.”

John 1:5

“The darkness has not overcome it” means the darkness of evil never has and never will overcome or extinguish God’s light.  Jesus Christ is the Creator of life, and his life brings light to mankind.  When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin.  He removes the darkness of sin from our lives.  Let Christ guide your life, and you’ll never need to stumble in darkness.”

~ Life Application Study Bible

God Is Love

“God is love.  Whoever lives in love 

lives in God, and God in them.”

1 John 4:16

“God’s love is the source of all human love”

What does it mean that God is love? How can we know that statement is true and how does God show us that?

1. Love began with God when he created the world and us. Without Him, there would be no love in the world because it came from Him.

2. God's primary nature is to love as shown by His rescue plan for us through His Son Jesus Christ. The cross of Jesus is the greatest demonstration of God's love for us.

3. God's saving work of grace in the heart of the sinner is the true source of love. God sent his Holy Spirit to us to transform us and make us new in love.

4. God's greatest commandment for us is to love the Lord and to love one another. God calls us to be the love in our world that He created us to be.

God With Us

 “The Virgin will conceive and give birth to 

a son, and they will call him

Immanuel which means “God with us”).

Matthew 1:23

Here we explain the meaning of Immanuel in the bible . Although it says in Isaiah 7:14 “you shall call his name Immanuel”, Mary and Joseph did not give their son that name.

Instead, they followed the instructions specifically given to them in Matthew 1:21 (Joseph in a dream) and Luke 1:31 (Mary for the angel Gabriel) to name him Jesus.

As seen in Matthew 1:23, the meaning of Immanuel is “God with us. The promised child received the name of Jesus, but he was also Immanuel, God in the flesh. God became human so that we would know and understand him. through Jesus.

~ anonymous 

“Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is present today in the life of every believer.”

Do Not Be Afraid

“Do not be afraid.  I bring you good 

news that will cause great joy for all people.”

Luke 2:10

“The shepherd were terrified, but their fear turned to joy as the angels announced the Messiah’s birth.  First the shepherds ran to see the baby; then they spread the word.  Jesus is your Savior.”

~ Life Application Study Bible

“Joy is a powerful antidote to fear!  And the greater the Joy, the more effective the antidote is.”

~ Jesus Always by Sarah Young

God Is With Us

 “The Lord himself goes before you

and will be with you, he will

 never leave you, nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 

Even today, when we face life altering changes in our life, these same words that were once spoken to comfort a people struggling with the changes they were facing, are the  same words God is using to calm our fears and anxieties.  It is always His intention for us to walk in His peace as we walk in Him. 

This verse speaks volumes about God’s heart for us and His determination to help us see Him as He really is.   Not only is He always ahead of us carving out a path we are to travel on, but He is able to walk with us as we go through our intimate trials.  He is telling us that there is no reason to be afraid or discouraged because He’s not going to abandon us.  He has everything under control and all that is going to happen will happen under His watchful eye. 

Whatever storms God is using in our life, it’s for a reason. Sometimes it is to strengthen us or change us or deal with a flaw in us.  Regardless of the reason for the time of suffering, His promise is that He will go through it with us and He will be with us in any and every circumstance; whether hard or easy.  This verse is a declaration of His complete and total willingness to be involved in our life.  God wants us to know Him and His heart. 

He is a God of love and everything He allows or does is because of His love for us.  He has no hidden agenda. 

God is with us and will always be with us every day of our life.

~ all creatures.com - by Marni Montanez

   

Bear the Cross

 “Whoever wants to be my disciple

must deny themselves and take up the cross

daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

“Being Christ’s disciple means putting aside selfish desires, shouldering one’s crosses every day, and following him. 

The cross you bear may have you at a breaking point. The pain is too heavy and you feel crushed under the weight of worry, weakness and the need for relief. You may feel rejected, misunderstood and forgotten, but your Savior Jesus has walked this painful path and He has not forgotten you. It is for you that He suffered, died and rose from the grave, so your broken heart might be healed by His grace, your burden of shame lifted by His love and your feeling of loneliness filled by His precious presence. Invite Jesus and others to bear your burdens. He will.”

~ Life Application Study Bible

“I have always believed that God never gives

a cross to bear larger than we can carry.  No matter what,

he wants us to be happy, not sad, birds sing

after a storm, why shouldn’t we?”

~ Rose Kennedy

The Truth

 “If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples.

Then you will know the truth and the truth

will set you free.”

John 8:31-32

“Jesus is the truth that sets us free.  He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right.  He frees us from from continued slavery to sin, from self deception, and deception by Satan.  As we seek to serve God, Jesus perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be.  He shows us clearly the eternal life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God.”

“Jesus can free you from this slavery that keeps you from becoming who God created you to be!!!”

~ Life Application Study Bible