Peace Is a Fruit..Craig Denison Ministries

 Peace Is a Fruit

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

One of the most powerful marks of a believer is transcendent peace. This world offers us no reason to be peaceful. It offers us no reason to be without stress, burdens, cares, and total frustration. But we serve a God who offers us peace in the midst of any circumstance. We serve a God in whom all true peace finds its source. May you discover the heart of your heavenly Father to bring you peace this week.

Scripture: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Devotional:           

Living with true peace can only be done by allowing the Holy Spirit to bear the fruit of his presence in our lives. Galatians 5:23-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” How incredible is it that we can have peace in this world through relationship with the Holy Spirit! The fact that true peace is solely a fruit of the Spirit takes the weight of peace off our shoulders.

It’s impossible to bear the fruit of peace apart from connectivity to God. It’s impossible to force peace in our lives because it’s impossible for us to bear fruit in our own strength. John 15:4 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Peace is the fruit of abiding in the Holy Spirit. It’s the fruit of surrendering our perspectives, relationships, words, actions, thoughts, and emotions to him.

If we are living without peace, it is because we have yet to allow the Holy Spirit to fill an area of our life with his presence. If our thoughts aren’t marked by the peace of God’s truth, it’s because we have yet to allow the Spirit to renew our minds with the Scripture he authored. If we’re without peace in our relationships, it’s because we haven’t allowed him to reveal to us his heart for ourselves or others. If the opinion of man continually robs us of peace, it’s because we haven’t centered our lives around his opinion of us. The list continues but the point remains the same. To live with peace is to allow the Spirit to permeate every area of life with his powerful, loving, and transformative presence.

Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” May you choose to seek the kingdom of God above all else today. May you allow the Holy Spirit to bring heaven to earth, not only in your life but everywhere you go today. Seek a greater measure of communion with the Holy Spirit today and enjoy the fruit of peace that comes from his nearness.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the nature of peace as a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” Galatians 5:22

2. Where is your life not marked by the fruit of the Spirit? Where is your life not filled with the peace of his presence?

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into a deeper level of communion with him today. Take time to receive an awareness of his nearness.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Romans 8:9

Growing in relationship with the Holy Spirit is like growing in relationship with anyone else. He is a person of the Trinity just like the Father and Jesus. It takes time to get to know someone. It takes effort to learn their wants, desires, and personality. If you pursue a deeper connection with the Spirit you will find it. May you grow in your awareness of your union with the Holy Spirit who dwells within you.

Extended Reading: Romans 8

Our Growth as Christians..Dr. Charles Stanley

 Our Growth as Christians

Dr. Charles Stanley

Galatians 2:20

There's a goal to the Christian life, which God expresses this way: "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29). This refining process is called sanctification. And there are several identifiable stages en route to this goal, but sadly, most believers are unfamiliar with them. Let me offer some definitions so you can identify where you are on the journey and understand what to expect.

Salvation is the first stage of the Christian life. This describes our redemption from sinfulness through Jesus' atoning sacrifice. What results is forgiveness of sin, which lets us have a relationship with Almighty God.

Next, God gives us opportunity to serve (Eph. 2:10). We were created to do good works in Jesus' name.

But at some point, we notice something isn't working. This is the start to stage three: frustrated inadequacy. This unpleasant but necessary part of the journey can last varying amounts of time. Without it, we'd undoubtedly experience self-sufficiency and pride. But we should recognize this difficult phase as beautiful because it leads us into the best part of our spiritual lives: total dependency upon Jesus as Lord of our life. And we will be fulfilling our ultimate goal: becoming a reflection of Christ.

Sadly, many Christians don't reach a point of complete reliance on the Lord. Pride, discouragement, and distraction can ruin focus and perseverance. Paul reminds us to fix our eyes on the goal of maturity in Christ (Phil. 3:14). Learning to die to self is painful, but ironically, it's the only true way to life.

Step into the Light..Meg Bucher

 Step into the Light

By Meg Bucher

“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79 NLT

The tiny screen lit up my path just enough so I could make sure not to trip over the dog on the way down the stairs. In the darkness of the morning, I cherish my time with God. But I need a little bit of light to get there! 

Light is something that makes things visible. We turn things towards the light to get a better view, and we turn the lights on to see where we are going. At night, we drive with lights on so others can see where we were are going, too. The light of a candle gives a warm peaceful glow, Christmas brings outdoor lights to the long, dark days of winter …and when the light breaks the dawn to begin the day we witness a work of art. 

Today’s verse is a piece of Zachariah’s Prophecy. The Father of John the Baptist, he knew the capability of the Light to shine the truth into life’s circumstances. Unable to understand how he and his wife, Elizabeth, could conceive a child at their age, Zachariah’s doubt cost him the ability to speak until the child was born. The first thing he spoke was to name his son, John, in obedience to the Lord. John the Baptist paved the way for our Lord, Christ Jesus! The Light was coming!

“The morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,” Zachariah said. The sky comes alive long before the sun rises. It’s light brightens up the horizon before we can visibly see the sun, itself. In the same way, before Jesus arrived on earth, the light from His presence was already being felt! John the Baptist preached powerfully. It brought many to baptism. But even John knew, there was One greater than he coming. Luke wrote:

“Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. John answered their questions by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am- so much greater than I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’”  - Luke 3:15-16 NLT

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Jesus is the light of the world. “I am the light of the world,” He said, “If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT) When we shine who He is into our daily circumstances, we are able to see with more clarity. Through the lens of His light and love, we see with a brighter perspective.

Hopelessness is an epidemic. So many of us wrestle with anxious thoughts, worries, fears, and depression as we walk through our everyday lives. We do need to consult the aid of pastors, mentors, and counselors at times. God designed us to live in community, and to love and be loved by the people He has purposefully placed around us. If we seek His help to unravel doubts and worries, sadness and despair, we can step into the Light. The Creator of the Universe doesn’t want us to suffer needlessly. Though pain and trials are certainly a part of this world, His mercies are new each morning. He loves us, and seeks to bless us in the midst of the mess. He is our healer, able to shine light in the dark places of our lives. 

When we allow Jesus to shine His reality into our situation, we will find the Hope …in Him …we’ve been looking for all along. “Realize that you are forgiven, you no longer sit in darkness,” The Life Application Bible notes advise, “and you have been given the path to peace.” The Holy Spirit, for every believer in Jesus, is alive and active in our lives. The third person of the trinity, He illuminates the Word of God, translates the mumblings of our prayers to heaven, and shines light on the Lord’s will for our daily lives. 

Further Reading
Isaiah 9:2
Malachi 4:2

The Lord is the Shepherd, and We are the Sheep..Christina Patterson

 The Lord is the Shepherd, and We are the Sheep

By Christina Patterson

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” - Psalms 23:1

Psalm 23:1 is surely one of the most popular verses in the Bible. Through this simple illustration of God being our Shepherd, we see how He tenderly takes care to provide, guide, and protect us.

Now if the Lord is our Shepherd, that makes us the sheep. Prone to wander. Entirely and always reliant on our Shepherd, whether we realize it or not. We can't see God as Shepherd if we don't see ourselves as sheep. When we open our eyes to how much we really need and rely on God for everything, the more we realize His provision in our lives. But if we live in the lie that we can do everything on our own, we wander and drift away from our true source, looking for satisfaction in artificial places.

So when David says, "I shall not want," he is acknowledging how completely reliant he is on God as his Shepherd.

“I shall not want” because God, as a good shepherd, will ensure I have everything I need. “I shall not want,” not because of what I've done or can do but because God loves me. “I shall not want” because I know God personally as Shepherd.

A shepherd represents a close and intimate relationship. Whereas a king might do what's best for the majority, a shepherd knows each one of his sheep. A shepherd has deep concern and care, not only for His flock of sheep, but also for each and every single one.

This is how God cares for us. He knows our comings and goings, He knows every hair on our heads, He knows when even one of us is lost, and He has made every provision to find us through His Son Jesus Christ.

Notice that this Psalm does not say I shall not need. In Matthew 6, Jesus makes it clear that God is going to provide for all our physical needs and we shouldn't worry about them. Psalm 23, however, says I shall not want, speaking to our desires.

It's saying that not only can God take care of my physical needs, but He can also fulfill me. He can satisfy my heart.

The word "want" in today's text means to lack, decrease, empty, or run dry. So when David says “I shall not want” he's saying two things:

1. There are areas in my life that only God can fulfill, and He will fulfill them.

2. I've made the decision not to desire anything outside of the scope of what God wants for me.

In this shepherd-sheep relationship with God, I am satisfied.

A Prayer for When Your Future Feels Unknown..Molly Law

A Prayer for When Your Future Feels Unknown
By Molly Law

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

Time is just a construct — we all view it in the terms of past, present, and future. We have already lived in the past. Some memories leave us with such pleasant feelings that we wish to return to those simpler times, but some have been past traumas that haunt us as we strive to seek healing in the present.

We all live in the present, and the majority of the time, the present feels tedious and mundane. We may wake up and have coffee, work a standard 9-5, make sure our family is fed and ready for their day, and do it all over again five days a week. This is why we plan vacations and daydream about what our futures might hold — anything to escape our provincial lives. 

The present may not just be boring, we may be facing hard times — times of suffering. This is exactly when the Lord speaks of the future in Scripture — when His people are in turmoil and have little hope that life will ever look differently. 

When they finally left their long captivity as slaves in Egypt, God promised them that they would have a home — a land flowing with milk and honey. God reiterates his promise after their disobedience and the subsequent consequence of wandering in the desert for 40 years. Although their present was the desert, God kept and fulfilled his promise for their future. 

He did the same during their exile in Babylon, this is where we get the famous verse in Jeremiah. And again, as the Roman Empire set up its rule in Jerusalem, the Jews looked forward to the long-awaited Messiah. Although they refused to see or were blinded by the promised future before them, the Messiah came — He came to save the world.

We know that God is with us and with our futures. It can be really easy to live in a future hope — so much so that we can miss the present — our once future. Even though we have so many hope-filled promises about the future, Jesus also reminds us to take care of what will happen today.

• "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).
• “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it” (Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).
• “Gone, like yesterday is gone, Like history is gone… Gone, my high school dreams are gone, My childhood sweets are gone, Life is a day that doesn't last for long” (“Gone” by Switchfoot).

There is another reason why we are reminded to be present in our lives as they are right now. From the immortal quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the poignant words from the song by Switchfoot, life moves so quickly — so quickly, in fact, that if we are busy reminiscing the past or dreaming about the future, our lives will be gone by the time we realize what has happened. 

So, how can we reconcile past events that live rent free in our minds and the natural desire for a better future with our present?

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, I can’t help but think about my future. I often do not feel satisfied with how my life is going at the moment. So, I dream, agonize, complain, and live for the future I hope to see. I know this way of thinking does not bring you glory, it is not good for my mental health, and then it becomes all about me.

I forget to praise you for my many, many blessings. I forget to look around and see the good that is in my present life. If I do not stop to look around at my present blessings, I know that in the blink of an eye, they will be gone, and I will regret not living in the present as it becomes firmly set in the past. 

I pray that you will be with us all as we navigate our past experiences, live our lives in the present, and have a healthy desire and longing for our futures. I pray that you will be with the future that is unknown, and that your will and glory be done in our lives — past, present, and future.

We love and trust you with all of our hearts, Our Lord and Savior.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.