The God of peace is with you

I have a morning routine that sets the tone for my day. Before I get out of bed, I do a few stretches, turn to my scripture of the day, and spend some time in prayer. Depending on the morning, this time can be quick, luxuriously long, or something in between. Once I get up, I tune into either 680 News on my bedside radio or CP24 on the television to catch up on what happened in the world while I was sleeping.

It doesn't take long to hear about the frightening and even outlandish events unfolding around us. There are days when I feel overwhelmed by the chaos, but what’s perhaps more unsettling are the mornings when I feel indifferent to it all. Either way, it can cast a shadow over my day.

I find comfort in Philippians 4:9, which reminds us that the God of peace will be with us:

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

This promise reassures me that amid all the turmoil, the God of peace is by my side. In the previous verse, Paul encourages us to focus our thoughts on eight important things:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Today’s encouragement is to consider what we allow into our minds. When negative thoughts begin to overwhelm us and affect our hearts, we shouldn’t let them derail our day. Instead, remind yourself that God is a God of peace and He is with you.

So go ahead and listen to or read about what’s happening in the world. Then, take a moment to reflect on Paul’s advice: think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. See if that doesn’t change the trajectory of your day!

Remember, the God of peace is with you.

What we feed grows

I truly appreciate a beautiful garden, but I’m no gardener. My approach to gardening is simple: I visit the local nursery and buy pots—hanging pots or whatever catches my eye for an instant garden. This year, my pots, in various sizes and locations, have thrived remarkably well. In fact, I’m still caring for the potted plants I purchased back in May—and they’re still blooming! Typically, by late August, they would be wilted and faded.

So, what was my secret this year? I watered them! Yes, that was my big lesson.

Isn’t that true in life? We nourish what we want to grow and withhold from what we want to fade away.

In Galatians 5, the apostle Paul discusses two types of fruit that our lives can produce: the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

The “flesh” doesn’t refer to our physical bodies but to the desires that pull us away from God’s Holy Spirit. These desires can manifest as hate, impatience, bitterness, selfishness, rudeness, chaos, and self-indulgence—none of which align with God.

However, when we commit our lives to Jesus, He grants us His Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit helps us “starve” those fleshly desires and put them to rest. By ceasing to feed these harmful impulses, we create space for the Holy Spirit to produce fruit within us that leads to positive life changes.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
—Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Left to our own devices, we might seek revenge when wronged, but the Spirit encourages us to extend kindness. In our weakness, we may yield to temptations that separate us from God, yet the Spirit calls us to practice self-control.

Are you experiencing love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? If not, perhaps we need to reflect on what we are nurturing. Because what we feed grows!

SK buddy

Last weekend I had the privilege of spending some time with my nieces, Maggie and Roslyn.  What a joy to hang out with a four year old and 6 week old!  It was bliss. And if you have you ever had the opportunity to be with a little person, it does put everything in perspective.

Maggie (4 yrs old) and I were laying on my bed just chatting about Junior Kindergarten and her new friends.  Life is simple at four.  Recess is a highlight because that is when she gets to see her friend who is in a different class.  But, she informs me she has met new friends and she even has a Senior Kindergarten buddy, who has been assigned with the task to help Maggie navigate the big world of JK.

What a wonderful idea to have a buddy who is just a little further ahead who can help you avoid the pitfalls that inevitably come when entering the unknown.

Maggie has now become good friends with her SK buddy, who is “kind and very helpful”.

Don’t we all need an SK buddy??  Someone who has been through what we are about to go through?  Someone “kind and very helpful”?

For those of us in the church we can often find an SK buddy in a Life Group, someone who is like minded and who may be going through or has gone through something that we are experiencing.

And of course, as we discovering each Sunday in our series entitled Been there, done that….Jesus has also gone through much of what we are experiencing as well.  Heartache, temptation, betrayal (the list goes on), Jesus know, and Jesus understands.

Maggie assures me that having a SK buddy is “really good”.

Find yourself a SK buddy!

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“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15 ESV