Praying for Peace

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls."
-Psalm 122:6-7 (NIV)


THE room was hot and the floor was hard where seven college-aged women (including me) were trying to sleep. Working for an urban ministry for the summer, we were getting a taste of what the coming weeks would be like as we hosted teens and adults joining us in an outreach ministry to the inner city.

In the morning, we heard that overnight four acts of violence had occurred in the neighborhood. We sat motionless, each contemplating our own feelings of fear or surprise. What could we do? As I silently asked God that question, God brought to my mind the words of David in Psalm 122. I realized I could pray for the peace of my neighborhood, not simply for my own sake but for the sake of my co-workers, my friends, and the neighborhood families. Their faces floated through my mind as I prayed, and in no time my intercession for peace in those urban streets had become personal.

As a staff, we continued to faithfully pray for peace in our neighborhood that summer. I am thankful to say that our staff, neighborhood youth, and volunteers were safe. Not only that, I experienced peace in my mind and heart as I placed my concerns into God's competent care.


Prayer
Dear God, bring your peace into the lives of all those who have been touched by violence. Amen.


From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Melissa Chappell

God, Your So Beautiful To ME

I often play the song "So Beautiful" by Christ For The Nations. It's a song that truly touched my heart and something that continuously reminds me how beautiful our God is.

May this song touch your hearts:



“How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”- 2 Samuel 7:22

Take Risks for God

“Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”
Matthew 25:21 NKJV


Use you uniqueness to take great risks for God!

If you’re great with kids, volunteer at the orphanage.

If you have a head for business, start a soup kitchen.

If God bent you toward medicine, dedicate a day or a decade to AIDS patients.

The only mistake is not to risk making one…

He lavished you with strengths in this life and a promise of the next. Go out on a limb; he won’t let you fall. Take a big risk; he won’t let you fail. He invites you to dream of the day you feel his hand on your shoulder and his eyes on your face. “Well done,” he will say, “good and faithful servant.”


From: Max Lucado

Life Offerings

Psalm 50:9-11: I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine (NIV).

We may look at the things we do for God—going to church, tithing, Bible study—as favors to Him and expect Him to appreciate our sacrifices of time and money. A sense of entitlement may even develop as we expect Him to reward us. However, God doesn’t need our sacrifices—He owns them already!

True worship recognizes that all things belong to God, including our time and our children. Every heartbeat is His gift. This perspective encourages us to make our offerings as true worship because we realize we have no claim on the things of this earth. It is only because of grace that we are able to have fellowship with Him and offer those gifts in the first place.

Don’t be resentful for being called to give back to God; see it as a privilege and opportunity to express your love and faith.


From: CrossWalk Devotionals

Becoming Like Jesus

READ | 2 Peter 3:18


God has a plan for every life, and salvation is just the first step. He wants His adopted children to develop a close “family resemblance.” The Holy Spirit is in charge of transforming us into the likeness of Jesus.

The moment that we trust Christ as our personal Savior, we are, in a spiritual sense, newborn babies: we need to be fed continuously for growth in godliness. Our primary source of food is God’s Word. As we take it in, our old way of thinking—which aims to gratify self above all else—will be replaced by a God-centered mindset. The Spirit uses scriptural truth to replace self-absorbed thoughts and actions with an appreciation for who we are in Christ and a desire to glorify God through obedience.

Meditating on the Word is essential for spiritual growth. We must also be willing to assume responsibility for our mistakes and bring them before the Lord. First John 1:9 teaches us that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us and help us resume right living. He will also show us which of our habits and practices are displeasing to Him. His desire is that we turn away from all such behavior and grow into mature Christians. Our Father expects us to make the necessary changes in attitude, behavior, and lifestyle to conform to Christ’s image.

Renewing our minds, admitting mistakes, and making changes are requirements for spiritual growth. Are you being nourished by God’s Word every day? What changes have you made this year to be more like Jesus? ]


From: InTouch - Early Light Devotionals

LOVE OF MORE VALUE THAN GIFTS

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23


The various gifts which were evident among the believers in the early church were intended to focus attention on the truths Paul was teaching them and confirm the faith which they embraced. Many fixed their eyes on the "gifts," and exercised them for vainglory and selfish ends, rather than using them only for the edification of the church.

Paul says, you have trampled on the principle of Christian love which is of greater value than all the powers either men or angels could possess. LOVE is of more value than all the gifts! Sadly, many Christians today are more interested in manifesting their "gifts" than an intimate relationship with the Giver...JESUS CHRIST.

Gifts may edify others, but love benefits ourselves and others for eternity. When God's love possesses our lives, it flows freely through us and penetrates the lives of all we encounter. Christian love is initiated by God, and is the result of our faith in Christ. Love finds expression as we are receptive and responsive to the Holy Spirit, and produces virtues that glorify God.

Love must take precedent over all other virtues that adorn a believer. It must be the motivating factor from which all spiritual virtues proceed. No part of true Christian love can be understood any further than it is "practiced in our heart, and reflected in our walk." If this does not take place, then our profession is but a pretense, insincere, and without merit. The lack of Christian love displayed in our practical every-day life, only reveals how defective our views are of its true meaning, the extent of its purpose, and our obligation in responding to it. It is of greatest importance to get a thorough understanding into the requirements of His Word, then set ourselves with all diligence to the performance of it.

When God's love penetrates our hearts and finds free expression in our life, the old nature that ruled our life will be overcome as we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit that abides within our life. Many today are more prominent in their own eyes...who have sought power, prestige, wealth or fame at a fearful price. They are terribly deceived by their own soul. They measure their success and approval by the standards of man. Their ego is appeased by applause, and their reward is temporal and superficial in the light of eternity. How wise they would be to judge their life by the standards of God, seek His approval and blessing, and in all things seek to magnify His Name.

Paul addresses the believers and says that regardless of your gifts, talent, attainment or liberality in giving...if LOVE is not the foundation of it all you are "as a sounding brass, or tinkling cymbal." GOD'S LOVE is of more value, and of greater eternal importance, than all of man's gifts and abilities.

One day the many who have touted their gifts, abilities, wealth, and power, will stand before God to be asked one question..."What did you do with JESUS, who is called the Christ, the Son of God?" This will be the determining factor of how they will spend eternity.

May we look at our lives to see if "gifts" are of more value or do we cherish HIS LOVE to motivate and embrace our hearts? The penetrating question is...HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE? The answer rests with you!



From: Literature International Ministry - Ed Powell

Have Mercy!

"When [Bartimaeus] heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" - Mark 10:47 (NRSV)


MY cat has a habit of jumping onto the roof. Later, if she becomes desperate to get down, she'll come within my reach so I can grab her and whisk her down to food, water, and shelter. Kitty's cooperation depends on the length of time she has spent on the roof. If she has been there only an hour, she stands out of reach. But after a day in the heat or rain, Kitty, in her desperation, is ready.

Hoping to end my late-night climbs, I decided to cut a limb that was hanging over the roof to eliminate her means of getting on top of the house. But the following night, the cat was again on the roof, soaked in rain. As I climbed the ladder, Kitty let out a loud cry and jumped into my arms.

I realized that we sometimes behave like Kitty. God is always reaching for us when we're lost, but as St. Augustine said, God "will not save us without our consent." Like Kitty, we have to be needy enough, lost enough, humble enough to accept the mercy we need. When we admit our need, we will see the hand of God reaching out to us. May we acknowledge our deep need for God's grace.


Prayer
O God, help us to bring our needs to you, knowing that you stand ready to heal and to save us. Amen.



From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Matt Berryman