“Let the peace of God that comes from Christ be always present in your
hearts and lives, for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of
his body. And always be thankful.” - Colossians 3:15
As we start our day in a place of physical stillness at Jesus’ feet, we
find the center of solitude within our spirit. Jesus’ best friend, Mary, gave
us this example. She put aside the stress of life and sat at Jesus feet.
Remember what Jesus said to Mary’s sister, Martha, “Mary has chosen what is
better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).
When we sit in the present moment and listen, we pay attention to what is
going on within our body, soul and spirit. Is there any pain in your body? How
can you relieve that pain? Is there any unrest in your soul? What can you do
today to restore peace to your soul. Are you disobeying God’s prompting in your
spirit in some area? Ask God for wisdom to resolve these issues or who to go to
for help to solve them.
Then, when we come to a place of peace and joy within, we leave our quiet
place and go out into the world. We walk in the Spirit and follow His
directives throughout the day. We cannot allow the clutter of life to engulf us
and then expect to walk in God’s will. The Holy Spirit helps us to live
moment-by-moment.
We do not know what we should pray for, or how to pray for it, but the Holy
Spirit knows our Heavenly Father’s will and He will direct us as we submit to
His leading (Romans 8:26-28). Isn’t it exciting to know that the Holy Spirit
Himself is praying for us, and that Jesus is our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5)? We
cannot fail with them on our side!
We do not need to mold our experiences into the shape of anyone else’s life
or into their expectations for our life. Each of us is a unique vessel of the
Holy Spirit. We all hold the same precious Lord, but none of us needs to look
or act alike. God created us individually, as members of the same Body, to
function in His will for our lives (Ephesians 4:4-7).
We are all members of the same Body, but we are not all eyes, or hands, or
feet or spleens. We each have our own unique function in the Body. Some of us
have visible ministries, while others serve behind the scenes. Every one of us
is vitally important, however! Can you imagine going through life without a
spleen? Do not attempt to pattern your life after another person. Jesus alone is
our pattern. We can follow others only as they follow Christ.
As we put our
trust in Christ, we live in abiding peace and joy - not only in our spirit, but
deep within our soul as well. God gives us the grace to go through trials when we need that grace. We do
not buy a ticket to fly to a destination until we are ready to take the trip.
In this same way, God gives us grace in life as we need it and not before.
Worry never stopped anything from happening or gave us an ounce of extra energy
to face it. In fact, worry robs our body, soul and spirit of energy and makes
us even less capable to meet the challenges of life. A peace-filled life is
available to all of us, if we are willing to spend time alone with God.
When we are led by the Spirit of God we not only receive a blessing, but we
become a blessing to others (1 Peter 2:15-16). When we do the will of God, He
makes even our enemies at peace with us, and everything we do will prosper
(Proverbs 16:7; Psalm 1:2-3; Romans 14:17-18). When we allow the Spirit of God
to control and guide us, we have the desire and the ability to resist the urges
of our fleshly carnal nature.
When things go smoothly in our lives, this does not always indicate that we
are in the center of God’s will. Satan will do anything to lull us into apathy.
If God’s will is the center of our thoughts and our goal for each new day, even
the negative circumstances will turn out for our good. God promises to lead us
each step of the way (Psalms 32:8).
You may be sick and tired of your life and fail to get any satisfaction
from it. You dread getting up in the morning. Well, there is hope (Hebrews 10:35-36).
This life is so temporal and fleeting in the big scheme of eternity. Building
your own life and doing your own will does not guarantee happiness, nor will it
build the Kingdom of God or profit you anything in eternity (1 John 2:17).
God’s perfect will extends to every area of our lives…our choice of mate,
job, home, geographical location, church and friends. As we do the will of God
in our lives, we will always be in the right place at the right time to be a
part of the huge miracle of God’s timing and direction. That is one blessing of
walking in the Spirit moment-by-moment.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, allow us to be filled through all of our being with all the
fullness of God, so that we may have the richest measure of His presence in our
life and become a person completely filled with God. Remind us that as we are
led by God’s Holy Spirit, we walk in His perfect will (Romans 8:6-9; Isaiah
26:12).
Thought for the Day:
Doing the will of God brings with it not only spiritual blessings, but
physical and emotional blessings as well (Isaiah 32:17-18; Romans 15:13).