Holy Spirit

  • Resting in the Prince of Peace

    ByLauren Bible reading, Christian, Christmas, Grace & Truth Link Up, Holy Spirit, Jesus, joy, prayer, rest
    10 Comments

    Prince of Peace“For to us a child is born,
        to us a son is given,
        and the government will be on his shoulders.
    And he will be called
        Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
        Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6 NIV

     

    This verse comes up often in the month of December.  Whether the world knows it or not, everyone turns their attention to the celebration of the Savior’s birth into His earthly body.  One He only occupied for a few years, but through which He became EVERYTHING to us.  The tiny baby in our nativity sets grew up to die in our place for our sins and resurrect on the third day!  That’s why we observe Christmas.  And why we call Him – among other things – the Prince of Peace.  Hallelujah.  What a Savior! 

     

    My journey with a Word of the Year began in 2021.  I focused on trust, and now rest, and next year joy.  It has all been a quest to learn how to live with peace in this broken, painful world.  So when reading the familiar passage above, my heart lingered on the name Prince of Peace.

     

    I heard someone on a podcast reference John 14:27 recently.

     

    “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

     

    In this passage, Jesus prepares His followers for His impending death.  And with it He prepares us for the long Advent until He comes again.  Although familiar to me, what the podcaster said about this verse fell fresh on me.  She said that Jesus already gave us peace.  It is as much a gift as anything wrapped under our trees.  Let me reiterate, we have peace now!

     

    The Message version of John 14:27 says,  “I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you.”  New Living Translation? “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.”

     

    Those of us in Christ don’t need to search for peace or go through any rituals to obtain it.  But how can we feel it?  That’s the challenge, isn’t it.  If we presently possess peace – remember, the Prince of Peace didn’t say He would give it at a future time, but that He already did – why does it often feel so absent?

     

    How to Feel Peace

     

    Peace is a gift; however, God also includes it in the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Therefore, a life lived walking with the triune God produces peace.  We must take the gift our Prince gave us and cultivate it.  Peace can cover us like a cozy blanket (we are talking about rest after all) when we keep a clear conscience with God.  Obedience, time spent reading and meditating on God’s Word and prayer which includes regular confession keep us in step with our Prince, our Father and the Holy Spirit.

     

    I can’t think of a better time to recommit ourselves to these disciplines.  There is magic (or maybe it’s just me) in spending time with our Savior by the Christmas tree and twinkle lights.  And as we still ourselves and slow down long enough, we can feel the peace He so freely gave.

     

    We can rest on that.  Shalom.

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    God has been putting the word “joy” in front of me, as I mentioned above.  And Barbara Lee Harper wrote about a book that sounds like just the ticket in Joy:  A Godly Woman’s Adornment.

    The Link Up

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

     

  • How a Church Cemetery Reminded Me of What’s Important

    ByLauren Christian, death, Grace & Truth Link Up, Holy Spirit
    11 Comments

    what's importantEvery day I drive 20 minutes to take my daughter to her dayhab program.  And every day we pass a church with a cemetery beside it.  The church and grounds are gorgeous.  And I love their commitment to history.  This congregation kept and preserved other iterations of their sanctuaries as they continued to expand and build.  And today,  this patch  of  land  and  buildings reminded me of  what’s important.

     

    God handed us a break with the temperatures this week (only getting into the low 90’s instead of triple digits).  So I chose to exercise outside on a mild morning or two (still in the upper 70’s).  I prefer being outdoors for movement these days but the Texas climate rarely allows that during the summer.

     

    what's importantAfter dropping Shelby off, I decided to stop at this church campus to explore and walk.  They have a prayer labyrinth and a walking trail with spiritual landmarks – and a lot of space.  I tried to take a picture of the cemetery while capturing the church on the other side of it, but mucked it up.  I blame the poor vantage point.  Making excuses really.  If you look closely at the picture with the gate, you might just barely see the steeple above the trees.  Oh, well.  My younger sister got all of the photography skills.what's important

     

    What’s Important

     

    Let me make my point.  I think seeing a cemetery every time I went to church would remind me that this place is not our home.  I know funerals and burials make a lot of money now – big business – which is probably why the church is not the preferred plot anymore.  But I think being put in mind of the saints who went before us on a weekly basis could be a good thing.

     

    We spend so much time trying to make ourselves comfortable here and devising ways to live our best lives now.  And the bible does tell us that Jesus came to give us an abundant life (John 10:10).  But I don’t think abundant lives focus on the here and now.  Today reminded me that I need to keep my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and things in the heavenly realm.  That is what’s important.

     

    We only use these bodies in this place for a short time.  But 2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV tells us, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”  Through this scripture the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Everything you do in this body should be focused on that”.

     

    Summing Up What’s Important

     

    I get so caught up in the pain and difficulty – and even the minutia – of my days.  My walk this morning renewed my commitment to myself and my Heavenly Father to turn my thoughts to Him and His purposes.  And to the promises that await me when this blip on earth is over.  Our Father, using that church and the quaint little graveyard, hugged me warmly and reminded me that this is not all there is.  He reminded me of what’s important.

     

    “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,  who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”  Philippians 3:20-21 NIV

     

    The Link Up

     

    Paula Short provided us a great list of encouraging scriptures that I thought might be beneficial for you too.  Plus, she has a new link up for you writers.  Two resources in one!  24 Ways Christ Tells Us Who We are in Him.

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

     

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

     

    To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.