Oh, how I am a people pleaser. I want every meal I cook to be the most delicious thing my company has ever tasted. I want everyone to get my “sparkling” wit. I want to be wanted. But it turns out, I can’t please everyone. As hard as I may find it to believe, some people just don’t like me.
And in the instant of that realization, my peace is out the window. But God’s peace never is. In fact, it’s waiting to be found, like a secret weapon.
God’s peace is both a prayer and a promise. We pray for His blessings in our walk—to enjoy a life of obedience, to feel His protection over our health and our home, for Him to breathe life into our families. And in His peace, He promises to set our souls free.
Free from perfection.
Free from wanting the approval of others.
Free from competing in every popularity contest that we want to win.
The mind governed by the flesh is death but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6, NIV) Our Lord guarantees life in Him rather than death in the world, because peace with Him transcends the pain, brokenness and emptiness of this world. Let’s choose His peace.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18, NIV) While we shouldn’t need everyone to like us, as Believers, we’re called to love the unlovable. We’re called to love peace, seek peace, be at peace. When that peace is disrupted, in our families and relationships, as hard as it may be, if we are in Him, we should work to bring His peace to those situations. Let’s choose His peace.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, NIV) It all boils down to the hope and peace we have in Him. When we are full of that hope and peace, we have no time to fuss over the little quarrels and pettiness that stand to disrupt where we are. Let’s choose His peace.
We’re praying for you to find His peace, Sisters. And He promises to give it abundantly to you.
"Stand in awe of God's Yes." Psalm 128:4 MSG — I love this. The conviction of this.
As I opened my email this morning, I found K-Love's encouraging word for the day: "Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philipians 4:7
I pray you all feel God's peace guarding your hearts and minds today. God bless.
I get K-Love's encouraging word also. I love it when God's word is so obvious, so necessary, it shows up in more than one place in the same day. Great name, BTW ;-)
Father God, thank you for peace. Peace that you give each one of us through your word. Your living word, that speaks to each one of us in where we are at in our walk with you. Be with each of these wonderful sisters in Christ that I share my morning coffee with. May each one of them feel your loving arms around them as they go about their day. I love your words in:
1 Peter 3:11-12~ Seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.~
Gret devo and scripture this morning! This really hits close to home! I’ve struggled with people-pleasing tendencies most of my life. It’s only been within the last 15 years that I really sought and received God’s help in this area. And I’m definitely still a work in progress! But, oh, I am ever so grateful for the work He has done in me– there has definitely been huge improvement. Thank you, Lord! Prayers, sisters, that we all experience His peace today and always!
I pray that my family will find peace. Especially my son, as he attends public school and is experiencing some issues dealing with other kids.
This was it! All week the devotionals had been building to this breakthrough for me. Today’s brought me to tears and it’s so great to feel connected in this journey. Thank you!
Thank you sisters for this wonderful reminder that we have peace in the Lord. Many times we look for peace in the world only to realize that it is with Jesus that complete peace is found through our trust and obedience to his word. It is this peace that I pray for each day.
I, too, work my fingers to the bone to please others and as the old country song says, "what do I get–bony fingers". The Romans 8 passage in the Message forces me to examine the source of my lack of peace, my need to please others and WHAT DO YOU KNOW? The finger points straight back to me. Lack of Peace results from obsession with self. I hope these words speak to all of you like they did to me today. Have a Peace filled day, Sisters.
Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life.
Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them—living and breathing God!
Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.
Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God.
Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored.
(Romans 8:5-8 MSG)
"Lack of peace results from obsession with self." Ouch, ouch, och! You have really stepped on my toes today! Ouch! but thank you, because this is exactly what I needed to hear. thank you, sister, but oh man! Ouch!
Praying for you today. I needed peace 2 days ago in a situation. I was fine all week , but then when the day came I felt fear creep in. I quoted over and over the exact scriptures Candacejo shared. My God supplied all my need for indescribable Peace! He is Faithful!