~~PEACE WITH GOD ~~

~~"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." --[JOHN 14:27/ NASB]--

~~MY husband likes to keep the television tuned to a news station a few hours each day. He watches it before work, during his lunch break at home, and in the evenings. Don't get me wrong--I do want to stay informed about what's going on in the world; I need to know how to pray concerning current events. But sometimes the video clips of evil and violent acts being played over and over get to me. I start to feel unsettled and anxious.

During those times it helps to remember some of Christ's final words before His crucifixion. In the New Testament times, a typical way to say goodbye was "peace" or "shalom." To the Jesus, this meant more than the absence of conflict, stress, or war. It implied the blessings of wholeness, completeness, health, security, joy, and contentment. Peace on the inside, no matter what's going on around us.

Even though the whole world seem to be involved in tension, conflict, and war, we can enjoy the special peace only believers can possess. The kind that Jesus made possible when He rose from the dead, returned to heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit to live inside His followers. The deep, lasting peace that sustains us through any circumstance.

The world around us may be in turmoil--or worse--but thanks to Jesus we can have peace with God, with one another, and within our Spirit. What a matchless gift!

-[**Please Read Philippians 4:6-9 to remind yourself how to experience the peace of God that will guard your mind and heart. Perhaps write the verse above (John 14:27), and put it on your bathroom mirror as a reminder, that the Lord Jesus is with you, and He is the Prince of peace. [ISAIAH 9:6] -]
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