A Serene Life

The busyness of life is more and more distracting to the modern day person and parent. We make sports, music, dance and hobbies a priority over church activities, which teaches our children that worldly pursuits are more important than God in our life.

The way to remedy this modern phenomenon is to align our activities with Biblical priorities by seeking first God's Kingdom (Matthew 6:33). This causes the noise of life to diminish, and we find more joy and tranquility in our daily schedule.

Rather than to drown out God's directives by the noise of worldly pursuits, we reduce the cacophony of life by making God's will our priority each moment of our day. As the noise of this world diminishes, the guidance of God's Spirit is more acute and discernible.

We fully experience God's abundant life, which brings Him glory and honor in our every thought, word and activity (John 10:10). We come to realize the magnitude of the concept of Jesus Christ actually abiding in us by His Spirit, and we surrender our goals and priorities to Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Jesus admonished us to live dramatically different lives from those who live in the world. He encouraged us to love God more than those in our household and even our own life (Luke 14:26; Matthew 6:24). 

Our love for God is so paramount that we actually feel more love for Him than we do for anyone else. God has the bulk of our affections and everything we think, say and do is a reflection of Christ's life within us (Galatians 2:20). 

Our heart swells with our adoration of our God and Savior, and we serve at the pleasure of our King in our family, church and community activities.

The worldly clutter in our life disappears and we live above the clamor of life swirling all around us. We rest in God and serve from this place of unhindered peace (Hebrews 4:9-11). We see life from His perspective and we rise above the demands of modern society.

We can also rise above the temporal issues of this life, the attitudes of our fellow sojourners, and the circumstances that attempt to overwhelm us. This prevents them from robbing us of our joy in the Lord.

When we keep our focus on the joy set before us, spiritual truths actually govern our life. God is still in control, Jesus sits on the throne and abides within us, and the Holy Spirit will guide every step we take and keep us in God's will for our life.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that You created rest for more than the Sabbath and help us to enter into Your Kingdom's rest. Open our eyes to the reality of Christ in us and the fact that His presence in our life removes the necessity of us struggling to survive in this world. Help the codependent and workaholic to totally surrender to Your Spirit's direction for each moment of our day, rather than to succumb to the tendency to enable people and to do more than Your will for our life.

This way we rise above the stress and negativity of life on planet earth and dwell in Your Kingdom now.  Teach us to rest in Your loving presence, which will increase our positive emotions and decrease our depression and anxiety over the issues we face each day. We thank You for Your grace in our life and for our unity with the Trinity, which abides within us.

Thought for the Day:

Any negative emotion in our life is a red flag to signal an unresolved conflict within us, an idol we erected above the Lord, a misleading focus on the importance of the issues of this life, or that we are walking outside of God's will for our day.

Greater Value

Speaking or thinking negative thoughts about our self has no place in the Christian mind. God created the lily and clothed her in all of her glory; so too He created His children to bloom with our unique colors and shape.

As we cast our burdens on God, we bloom vibrantly where He plants us (1 Peter 5:7). Satan will plant weeds in our lives. They are particular people, activities and materialism, which thwart our progress toward our heavenly goals.

When the heat of trials bear down on us, God gives us a core of strength through His Holy Spirit. We will not droop, under our load of cares, into depression and defeat, because God gives us shade under His wings (Psalm 17:8).

As my fiance, my husband reacted with surprise to discover that I do not like to shop. I find no fulfillment in material possessions. I love to have pretty belongings around me, but I prefer to treasure hunt for them in a thrift store.

I find greater value in belonging to God’s Kingdom, than in participating in mundane, worldly activities. I treasure God’s presence much more than any presents the world has to offer.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for sanctifying our soul and giving us Your spiritual mind. You help us to care more for Your Kingdom than for building our own little kingdom on this earth. As we cast our burdens on You, we bloom vibrantly where You plant us!

Thank You for Your deep peace and joy, which exceeds all human comprehension (Philippians 4:7).  As we dwell in You and You abide in us, we live in tranquility (John 15:4-5). Those whom You lead to come to walk in life by our side will enjoy Your fragrance from within us.

Thought for the Day:

What we sow into life will determine what we reap from life.

God's Deliverance

When we seek the Lord, He delivers us from all of our fears. Regardless of our circumstances, when we praise God in them, He will deliver us from them. 

As we bless the Lord at all times, His praises are continually in our heart, mind and words. We magnify Him as we worship His name together as His Body.

God helps us out of all of our troubles. His mighty angels camp out around us to deliver us from harm. When we look to the Lord for our help, we release our fears and worries and the relief shows on our face and in our body language. 

When we trust in Him, we are continually blessed. As we boast in the Lord, everyone else who serves Him will also rejoice right along with us.

When we revere the Lord, we lack for nothing that we need. God's eyes are upon us as we live for Him. He always hears our cries for His help, and He delivers us from all of our difficulties. 

We are content with God's will for our life. We run from evil and keep our tongue from speaking evil. We seek peace and pursue a lifestyle that provides us with tranquility.

When we feel remorse for our sins and are brokenhearted over the fact that we grieved the Lord, He draws near to us. Through all of our trials, He is there to carry us out of them all. 

Our soul continually rejoices in God our Savior. This is our pathway to enter God's rest (Hebrews 4:10). We do not depend on human reasoning and observations, but on the leading of God's Spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, throughout our lifetime, we develop attitudes and opinions, which affect our choices. They are birthed from the input we receive into our life from others, from experiences and from our observations. 

You want us to exchange those attitudes and opinions for Your Truth (Philippians 2:5, 3:15). Thank You for giving us Your Spirit to transform the carnal appetites of our soul by renewing our mind into the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23).

Thought for the Day:

God's Spirit delivers us from the hindrance of pride, which keeps us from knowing God. He captures our defiant attitudes and opinions and teaches us to obey Christ. 
- 2 Corinthians 10:5

God's Got It All Under Control

Regardless of our social, economic or religious standing, we often feel disappointment throughout our lifetime. It is clear that disappointment is no respecter of persons. We all foster expectations and we hope to achieve certain goals, which never come to pass. We sink into the pits of discouragement and flounder in the sea of despair. These negative emotions are murder on our body and soul (Proverbs 13:12).

The alternative is to surrender our expectations to God and to gratefully accept the conditions He allows to come our way. Then, we will live in serenity. God has a perfect plan for each life and only in the center of His will do we find perfect peace and contentment (Isaiah 43:1-2). Faith in God’s faithfulness will provide us with inner joy and tranquility regardless of our circumstances (Romans 5:3-4).

When we compare our issues with the life of those who are persecuted for their faith, we gain a better perspective. When we prioritize our life with our standard as eternity, our temporal issues are trivial at best (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Christians throughout the ages all faced discouragement (2 Corinthians 1:8-9); but authentic Believers have no need to surrender to discouragement. God give us glorious, indescribable joy (1 Peter 1:8).

A personal, intimate union with Christ provides us with the protection, guidance, comfort and strength of the Lord (1 Peter 5:10; John 3:16). As we submit to God's will, we realize that He is always in control (Ezekiel 38:4; Proverbs 21:1). Nothing, which occurs in our life, surprises Him, because He already planned an equitable solution for us (Romans 8:28). With God on our side, nothing will ever occur without His knowledge (Romans 8:31-32).

He is actually greater than the spiritual forces of darkness, which come against us (1 John 4:4). With Christ dwelling within us, our heart is no longer anxious or frightened (John 14:27). We can count it all joy when we face various trials and tribulation (James 1:2), because we see His hand working out everything to our advantage (Romans 8:28). The seeds of the ultimate miracle within our suffering and disappointment end up increasing our faith (Colossians 3:15).

Prayer:

Father God, our deepest sense of joy comes from a life surrendered to You (Hebrews 13:5). An optimistic unbeliever can radiate a positive attitude in negative circumstances, but they are still missing the joy and peace, which only You can provide (Philippians 4:7; Ephesians 3:19). We are a witness to a lost and dying world of Your protection and provision (John 16:33; Romans 8:28, 37). We gain strength in our weakest times from the presence of Your Holy Spirit within us (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). At the center of Your will, we find deep and lasting peace (Isaiah 26:3).

Thought for the Day:

Anyone, who is born of God and believes in His Son, has His faith dwelling within us, helping us to overcome the negative issues in the world. - 1 John 5:4-5

Contentment and Godliness

Many people disparage the idea of feelings in the Christian life. They consider emotions as a negative aspect belonging only to the carnal nature. However, God gave us emotions to express the needs of our body and soul, and to effectively communicate the reality of Christ within us. God is not an impassive, immovable being; but according to scriptural verification, He is full of all of the same emotions, which we feel within our soul.

God is the perfecter of our feelings and the supplier of all of our needs. He advises us to weep and to rejoice with one another (Romans 12:15). He comforts us in our fears and encourages us when we are disheartened. As we abide in divine communication with our Creator, we receive from Him everything we need to live in contentment and godliness (1 Timothy 6:6-11). Our whole being, body and soul and spirit, receives and lives in divine life through Christ Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:4).

Nothing inspires fear and anxiety within us more than the idea of living in this world without the resources we need. Christ in us is our only hope of living in glory both now and in eternity (Colossians 1:27). God’s forgiveness inspires our devotion and His grace keeps us ever faithful to His service. He conforms us day by day into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Without Him, we cannot reach our ultimate goal of tranquility and enlightenment (James 3:17).

God trims and cleanses us through sanctification until we are empty of our self and filled with all of His attributes. This is accomplished one moment at a time. God inspires our thoughts, which control our decisions and actions (Philippians 4:8). The nature of God, which is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), replaces every carnal impulse within us that is enmity with God (James 4:4). We confidently place our self under the nurture and direction of our holy God (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer:

Father God, You show us what is good and right, and what You require of us. You simply want us to act justly and to show love and mercy to everyone everywhere, and to live in and through You with humility (Micah 6:8). You do not care about our human power or abilities, because it is only by Your Spirit that we accomplish anything of value on this earth (Zechariah 4:6). Our divine union with You applies to and supplies every aspect of our life, even the mundane issues such as what we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17). Therefore, everything we do is for Your glory.

Thought for the Day:

The divine life of the Trinity dwelling within us enables us to dwell in godliness and contentment (2 Peter 1:4).