• 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.

     

  • The Name of Jesus

    ByLauren Christian, Christmas, Grace & Truth Link Up, Jesus, salvation, worship
    14 Comments

     

    “Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
    There is something about that name.
    Master. Savior. Jesus.
    Like the Fragrance after the rain.
    Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Let all heaven and earth proclaim.
    That kings and kingdoms will pass away.
    But there is something about that name.”
    Songwriters: Bill Gaither, Gloria L Gaither. 
    When my daughter Shelby attended school, her bus picked her up and dropped her off right in our driveway every day.  So convenient.  But now we drive 40 minutes round trip to her dayhab.
    Generally, I listen to podcasts non-stop.  While doing chores, showering and getting dressed, doing yard work and in the car.  Moreover, I listen to podcasts of varying styles and topics, however all that talk doesn’t interest my Shelby.  For that reason, most days after getting buckled in I will hear her sweet voice say “Dance.”  And if I don’t respond, she will repeat many times, as she is apt to do.  “Dance.”  So I have learned to ask, “Shelby, are you telling me you would like to listen to music?”  Emphatically, she replies, “Yes”.

    The Dance

    Shelby’s special needs allow her mostly single word utterances to get her point across, but she usually does.  After her request, I dutifully ask Siri to play an artist of my choosing and wait to hear what the most streamed song by that artist is.  I had just about forgotten how enjoyable singing in the car can be!  As a result of her promptings, we have taken deep dives with many different styles and decades of music.
    Most recently, I have been taking a stroll down musical memory lane with the contemporary Christian artists of my youth.  Such as Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, DC Talk, Wayne Watson.  Sorry if CCM was not your jam.  If you will indulge me for a moment, I do have a point.
    Shelby enjoys music, but doesn’t really have the ability to sing.  And yet surprisingly, when she hears one particular word in a song (or in a sermon for that matter) she repeats it over and over again.  “Jesus.  Jesus. Jesus.”  It puts me in mind of the Gaither song I started this post with today.  Even though my daughter only understands the world as a two-year-old does, she knows that the name Jesus is special.  As previously noted, “There’s just something about that name.”

    What is It?

    That name is important because of who He is (God’s Son) and what He’s done (died in our place to pardon our sins and save us forever).

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    Certainly He is “Master.  Savior.  Jesus.”  And in her innocence, in a way only she and our gracious Heavenly Father know, she understands His significance.  And I can’t think of a better time of year to let my daughter lead me into worshipping Him.
    “5 Have this attitude [e]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be [f]grasped, 7 but [g]emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death [h]on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 5:1-11 NASB
    Finally, here is this week’s featured post from the link up!
    Linda Stoll introduced me to a practice I had never thought of in Who’s Your Advent Buddy?  Advent is not solemn and not meant to be solitary.  So I can’t think of a better way to extend its meaning than engaging a friend in meaningful conversations about our Lord.

    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. Also 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. Basically, 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.

     

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