Oct 31 2024

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

In this verse from Philippians, Paul gives us a powerful image of peace. It surpasses our understanding and keeps our hearts and minds on Jesus. Today, we'll talk about why God gives us peace and how it affects our lives.

God gives us peace because His character is good and we can rest in who He is. He is all-powerful and loving, and nothing can separate us from His love. There is nowhere we could go that would make us distant from His love, and we can trust that He is working for our good in everything. He is always in control and is always merciful and just. We don't have to understand everything in the world; we merely have to know that God is love.

When we have peace, our hearts and minds are thinking about Jesus. Knowing Jesus and meditating on who He is brings us peace! He gives us comfort when we are struggling and hope when we can't understand what's happening. Jesus brought ultimate peace because He settled once and for all the breach that sin put in our relationship with God. He made it possible for us to approach the Lord and talk to Him because He wiped us clean of sin. He has opened up the possibility of peace between us and God, and meditating on Him brings peace to our hearts.

Think about walking in peace in every circumstance of your life, especially the difficult ones. We do not have to understand why painful things happen to us. We don't have to have answers because knowing the love of God is sufficient to supply peace. If you feel your heart beginning to wander away from this peace, think about today's verse. Ask the Lord to help you see Him and walk in the peace that He alone can provide.

Dear Lord, I thank you so much for peace. I am so grateful to always have it within my reach. You have supplied all of my needs in abundance, and your goodness is precious to me. Help me to have peace in every moment. I want to walk closer to you. In Jesus' name, amen.

Oct 30 2024

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. :

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah proclaims that the Lord has the ultimate power to strengthen everyone. He gives power to the faint and increases strength to those who have none. Let's think about what this verse means and how it encourages us today.

Notice that the Lord does not give power to those who are already strong. Instead, He works through those who are weak. We see this demonstrated many times throughout scripture. King David was the least of his brothers, but the Lord chose him to be king. Moses was timid and afraid to step into his calling. The apostle Thomas struggled with his faith. This is encouraging to us because it shows that we do not have to make ourselves worthy of the Lord. We do not have to make ourselves presentable or good enough to receive grace. Instead, God takes us as we are and makes us into His image.

This also means that if we need to be strengthened, we are free to ask for strength. There is nothing wrong with asking the Lord to give us the strength to face the day or honor Him in difficult circumstances. In fact, He delights in strengthening us so we can serve Him better.

When the Lord strengthens us or gives us power, we should remember that it came from the Lord. King David knew that he was king because God chose him and not because David himself was a superior person or had a superior position, which he did not. In the same way, we can remember that we are beneficiaries of God's grace. We should not become prideful because of the strength and many blessings that God has given us. We only have them because of Him.

Today, if you need strength, call upon the Lord to help you. He will answer your call. You can walk in His deliverance when you seek Him.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving power to the faint. I am faint, but I am so grateful that you give me strength time and time again. Thank you for my salvation and for loving me always. In Jesus' name, amen.