Category Archives: Scripture Memory

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Constant Companionship

The Promise of the Holy Spirit is Still Available Today

SYNOPSIS: What is the key to God’s peace in you life, even in the midst of these tumultuous times? The constant companionship of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised this Divine Advocate would come alongside you to help, comfort, teach and guide you in your spiritual journey. When you have that kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit, you can’t help but have peace. God the Father wants you to have an intimate, vital, day-to-day companionship with the Holy Spirit. That is his gift and his promise to you. John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptize you with the promised Holy Spirit. Jesus affirmed that prophetic promise throughout his teaching.  He promised that the Holy Spirit would not only be with you but in you as the Father’s gift. Are you enjoying that kind of constant companionship with God the Holy Spirit? If not, the promised gift is still on the table, and all you have to do is receive the gift.

Project 52—Memorize:
John 14:26

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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.”

According to pollster George Barna, a recent survey indicated that 61% of protestant Christians in America hold the view that the Holy Spirit is NOT a person or living entity, but only a symbol of God’s presence

Of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Spirit—the third Person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit, is more misunderstood than the Father and the Son. That is why there is so much ignorance and fear and neglect on the one hand, and abuse on the other.

So to better understand and fully appreciate Jesus’ promise of the Divine Advocate to come alongside you to help, comfort, teach and guide you in your spiritual journey, let’s start with this essential truth: The Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal, symbolic “it”!

Jesus said as much in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever…”  The background for that statement was the Lord’s devastating announcement that he was going away and would leave his disciples’ physical presence. And they were understandably alarmed. But Jesus told them not to be alarmed.

Why would they not need to be afraid? Because another Comforter would be coming. The Greek word for comforter is parakleton. In John 14:26, the same Greek word translated “advocate” is used. Likewise, and interestingly, in 1 John 2:1 (NASB) that word, parakleton is used of Jesus:

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

The word means “one called along-side” for protection or counsel. Jesus is one who stands alongside you!

Now Jesus promised his disciples, and by extension, you and me, that the Holy Spirit would take his place in our lives as that parakleton to not only be alongside us, as Jesus was, but to be “in us” continually as our protector, counselor, guide, comfort, and peace. Jesus said the Father would give us “another paraketon”. The word “another” means another of the same kind rather than another of a different kind. Jesus was one advocate—and what an advocate he was. The Holy Spirit was another advocate, another of the same kind—and what an advocate he is.

God the Father wants you to have an intimate, vital, day-to-day companionship with the Holy Spirit. That is his gift and his promise to you. John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptize you with the promised Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11) Jesus affirmed that prophetic promise throughout his teaching.  He promised that the Holy Spirit would not only be with you but in you as the Father’s gift. (John 14:17)

Are you enjoying that kind of constant companionship with God the Holy Spirit? If not, the promised gift is still on the table!

“Some souls think that the Holy Spirit is very far away, far, far, up above. Actually he is, we might say, the divine Person who is most closely present to the creature. He accompanies him everywhere. He penetrates him with himself. He calls him, he protects him. He makes of him his living temple. He defends him. He helps him. He guards him from all his enemies. He is closer to him than his own soul. All the good a soul accomplishes, it carries out under his inspiration, in his light, by his grace and his help.” ~Concepcion Cabrera de Armida

Reflect and Apply:  How do you enter into a constant companionship with the Holy Spirit? Simply ask!  Jesus said in Luke 11:13 (Message), “If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”  

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Settled Assurance

Transcendent Peace

SYNOPSIS: Anxiety is your cue to pray—specifically, thankful prayer, which is reflecting back to God your acknowledgment of his caring and competent involvement in your life. Now your anxious feelings may or may not subside right away, but just do it. If you will begin to lift grateful prayers, you will get what God guarantees: The peace of God—no matter what! So, if you want to consistently win over worry, make this your anti-anxiety strategy: memorize Philippians 4:6-7, quote it daily, and most importantly, constantly practice grateful praying.

Project 52—Memorize:
Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I like how Dallas Willard, an influential Christian thinker, defines the peace that the Apostle Paul promises as the fruit of prayer and petition:

The peace of Christ is the settled assurance that because of God’s care and God’s competence, this world is a perfectly safe place for me…even though it doesn’t always seem so.

When you and I come to trust that God cares for us, and is competent to do so, we can live confidently—we will experience the transcendent peace of God guarding our hearts and minds.  And when we live in the settled assurance of that promise, all of life will change for us.

That’s the kind of settled assurance that Jesus lived in.  Author John Ortberg describes it in this helpful way—which I will summarize:

In Matthew 8, Jesus and his disciples are in a boat in the middle of a storm. The disciples are frantic, but Matthew reports that Jesus is sleeping! Why does Matthew include that detail?  He wanted us to know what Jesus knew about life in the Father’s hands: That given God’s care and competence, the world was a perfectly safe place—even in the midst of raging storm! So he sleeps right through it. Now in their frantic state, the disciples went to Jesus since they trusted he’d do something to help them.  They had faith in Jesus, but they didn’t have the faith of Jesus.

Wouldn’t you love to have not only faith in Jesus, but the faith of Jesus?  What would that look like for you? In your financial life you would be more generous and less focused on yourself.  The me-centeredness and materialism that robs you of joy and energy and freedom would take a back seat to calm and contentment and compassion. In your emotional life, there would be a whole lot less anxiety, guilt, insecurity and frenzied living.  There would be inner calm and poise even under the most intense pressure. In your relational life there would be less hostility.  You would be much better at resolving conflict. You would not be so caught up in who likes you…or doesn’t. People would die to be near you because of your confidence.

When you live in the settled assurance of God’s care and competence, you’ll become an oasis of sanity in a world of conflict and chaos. That is what God promises to give us when we exchange our anxiety for his peace through prayer. Thankful prayer is simply the practice of reflecting back to God an acknowledgment of his careful and competent involvement in your life.

Exchanging of your anxiety for God’s peace That sounds like a pretty favorable exchange, I’d say!

“You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the smaller your God.”

Reflect and Apply: Anxiety is your cue to pray. Your anxious feelings may or may not subside right away, but just do it. If you will begin to lift thankful prayer, you will experience what God guarantees: The peace of God—no matter what!

 

 

 

 

 

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Others

I Am Third

SYNOPSIS: To this day, my all-time favorite football player is Gale Sayers, the “Kansas Comet”.  Gale not only was a star running back for the University of Kansas, in the early 1970’s he ran circles around defenses as a pro playing for the Chicago Bears—literally. If you ever get a chance to watch film of Gale, do it! It’s as if the man could run in two directions as the same time. Gale was also an incredible human being, whose life philosophy was captured by the title of his autobiography, “I Am Third.” What is the “I Am Third” philosophy of life? Simply this: God is first, my family and friends are second and I am third.  That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Jesus, in the Great Commandment, said as much: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Project 52—Memorize:
Philippians 2:3-4

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

To this day, my all-time favorite football player is Gale Sayers, the “Kansas Comet”.  Gale not only was a star running back for the University of Kansas, in the early 1970’s he ran circles around defenses as a pro playing for the Chicago Bears—literally. If you ever get a chance to watch film of Gale, do it! It’s as if the man could run in two directions as the same time. Gale was also an incredible human being, whose life philosophy was captured by the title of his autobiography, “I Am Third”.

What is the “I Am Third” philosophy of life? Simply this: God is first, my family and friends are second and I am third.  That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Jesus, in the Great Commandment, said as much:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Not only did Jesus issue that as a commandment for his followers, he modeled it as a way of life. Philippians 3:1-11 is a short but stunning description of the “I Am Third” principle on display in the life of Jesus. That was fundamentally how Jesus lived, it was at the core of who Jesus was, it is how Jesus is now presented to the world through the lives of his followers—or at least, should be. Simply put, Jesus’ life and ministry was characterized by “I Am Third”.  His orientation was others!

What about you? Is that your life-philosophy, too?  Not just in theory, but in practice—are you “others” orientated?? I hope so! I hope that for me as well. It is not a philosophy that is easy to pull off because of the gravitational pull of our selfish nature, but we have been given the Holy Spirit to boost us beyond our sinful atmosphere into the orbit of “I Am Third” living.

Others—that is the Christian orientation.“I Am Third—that is the fundamental philosophy of the authentic Christ-follower. God first, others second, me third—from heaven’s perspective, that is the most powerful use of a human being’s life.

“I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”  ~William Penn

Reflect & Apply: C.S. Lewis wrote, “Our prayers for others flow more easily than those for ourselves. This shows we are made to live by charity.”  That is true. Though we’ve been corrupted by sin, God’s original design had us oriented toward others, not ourselves.  As you seek to return to his design today, with his help, of course, you will discover the descent to serve will lead you to the summit of exaltation. (Philippians 2:9, James 4:10, Luke 6:38) Enjoy the view!

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Proof Of Love

The Depth Of God's Unconditional Grace

SYNOPSIS: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” I have a sense that when you really begin to understand this—although I’m not sure you will ever really and fully “get” what God has done for us—you will probably fall on your knees in inexplicable laughter, or dumbfounded silence or unrestrained tears—because all those responses are appropriate when you grasp even to the slightest degree the amazing grace and the deep love of God for you—and the incredible, ridiculous lengths he went to prove it. If you are ever in one of those moments where you need proof of God’s love, just go back and look at the cross. I think you’ll find all the proof you need.

Project 52—Memorize:
Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 is one of the standard verses included in most Scripture memory systems. And what a verse it is! It conveys one of the most incredible truths in the entire Bible. But, like all popular verses that we tend to memorize apart from the larger context in which they are found, this one deserve to be understood in it’s broader story—which we find in Romans 5:1-11. In this passage, Paul, like a skilled lawyer, makes a powerful and persuasive theological argument, which in a nutshell, is described in Romans 5:1-2:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

What Paul is arguing is that we have peace with God, not just inner calm and serenity, but literally, the mutual hostility between God and man has ended because of God’s grace, his unmerited favor. That peace was unilaterally brokered through God’s love, which justified us—a once-and-for-all legal settlement—by Christ’s sacrificial death. And all we did was to accept God’s offer of peace through faith!

Now that was a mouthful. Maybe it seemed a little clunky and convoluted. Perhaps it was a little much to wrap you mind around. But after reading and reflecting on it over and over, I find that it is quite funny. Not funny in the sense of ridiculous—although getting credited with righteousness before God through Christ’s account is a pretty ridiculous equation. Not just funny in the sense of foolish—although the idea of being right with God apart from good works and human effort is the height of foolishness to the human mind. And not just funny in the sense of odd—although it is certainly odd that God would go to such great links to prove his love by loving that which was completely unlovable—as Romans 5:8 declares.

No, I’m talking funny in the sense that what God has done for you and me is so undeserved, and we are such unlikely candidates for his grace, that the only response we and can rightly offer in return is to fall on our knees, undone by love, overflowing with gratitude and giddy with joy!

These first eleven verses are so amazingly profound that no commentary I or anyone else can offer will really do them justice. So I want to recommend that you simply read and re-read them until the Spirit who inspired them illuminates them to you in a fresh way and brings you into a true and deeper understanding of what it took to justify you, and what it means for you to stand in peace and grace in God’s presence.

I have a sense that when you really begin to understand this—although I’m not sure you will ever really and fully “get” what God has done for us—you will probably fall on your knees in inexplicable laughter, or dumbfounded silence or unrestrained tears—because all those responses are appropriate when you grasp even to the slightest degree the amazing grace and the deep love of God for you—and the incredible, ridiculous lengths he went to prove it.

If you are ever in one of those moments where you need proof of God’s love, just go back and look at the cross. I think you’ll find all the proof you need.

“Mercy for the sinner, help in the hardest place, everything for nothing, that is grace!” ~C.C. Beatty

Reflect & Apply: Meditate on Romans 5:1-11 once a day for the next seven days (you might want to use different versions on different days). Ask God to give you a fresh understanding of the richness of these verses.

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God-Focused Worship

The Cure For Designer Deity Syndrome

SYNOPSIS: We love a customized church experience. We expect worship services to be tailor-made just for us. We expect the praise, programs and preaching to satisfy our preferences. We want church designed to meet our needs, music tuned to our exact tastes, preachers crafted to our specifications, messages that mesmerize, and a made to order God—a “Burger King God” who says, “Have it your way”. That is what I would call “designer god syndrome.” Nothing can be further from the “spirit and truth” worshiper of John 4:24 that Jesus said God the Father is seeking. When it comes to God, and the way you worship him, why don’t you say to him, “Have it your way!” That is God-focused worship—which by definition, is the only way to worship.

Project 52—Memorize:
John 4:23-24

“The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Samaritan woman Jesus encountered at the well of Sychar was suffering from what I call “designer deity syndrome”. This was a fairly common syndrome among worshipers not only in Jesus’ day, but it is in ours as well. It occurs when we attempt to come to God on our terms rather than his; when we make worship more about us, and what we like, than about God, and what he likes; when, in effect, we recreate God in our image rather than approaching him as beings created in his image.

That was the problem with the worship of the Samaritans. They had corrupted worship to fit their own needs to the point Jesus said, “You don’t even know what you’re worshipping.” (John 4:22) They had become Burger King worshipers. Do you remember the old Burger King advertisement? “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us. Have it your way.” That little jingle is fitting for what we modern day “Samaritans” are doing with our experience of worship.

We love a customized church experience. We expect worship services to be tailor-made just for us. We expect the praise, programs and preaching to satisfy our preferences. We want church designed to meet our needs, music tuned to our exact tastes, preachers crafted to our specifications, messages that mesmerize, and a made to order God—a “Burger King God” who says, “Have it your way”.

Some time ago, Los Angeles Magazine ran an article called “God For Sale”. The author said, “It is no surprise that when today’s affluent young professionals return to church they want to do it only on their own terms. But what is amazing is how far the churches are going to oblige them.” Newsweek Magazine added, “They’ve developed a pick and choose Christianity in which individuals take what they want and pass over what does not fit their spiritual goals…”

That is what I would call “designer god syndrome”.

Nothing can be further from the “spirit and truth” worshiper of John 4:24 that Jesus said God the Father is seeking. When it comes to God, and the way you worship him, why don’t you say to him, “Have it your way!” That is God-focused worship—which by definition, is the only way to worship.

If you will learn what it means to do that, you will drink water from an altogether different kind of well–-and as Jesus promised, you will never thirst again!

“Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped”  ~Jack Hayford

Reflect & Apply: If you have been guilty of engaging in “Designer Deity Worship”, perhaps this would be an appropriate prayer to offer right now:  “Father, free me from designer deity syndrome. Forgive me for making worship more about me than about what pleases you. Teach me to truly worship you in Spirit and in Truth.”

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Get It Together

Oneness With Christ Demands Oneness With One Another

SYNOPSIS: If the spiritual unity that Paul calls for in Ephesians 4:2-3 is going to be a reality in your fellowship, then you must personally make it your job to live out the six virtues he says produce that unity: humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance in love, effort and peace. You must live them out so compellingly and attractively that you become the primary source of a unity pandemic in your church. Now make no mistake: that won’t be easy. That’s why Paul said that you must “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.”

Project 52—Memorize:
Ephesians 4:3

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

What is unity? I’m not so sure I know what it is, but I sure know when it ain’t!  Biblical unity is oneness of purpose.  It’s simply putting my own agenda—preferences, opinions, demands, expectations—on the back burner to allow God’s purpose for his family, the church, to be my first and consuming passion.

That doesn’t mean you and I won’t have different opinions, desires or preferred ways of doing things; it just means those differences are not going to become issues that divide and distract us.

Unity is not uniformity. In fact, in Ephesians 4:7-12 Paul talks about the variety of spiritual gifts given to us as individuals.  That means there is great variety and diversity in the body of Christ—by Divine design. But in the diversity of those gifts, as well as diversity of personalities and passions, God gave leadership gifts to certain people (Ephesians 4:11) to coach and coax that diversity into singleness of ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Why?  So we can reach,

 “Complete unity…and the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

Now how do we get to that kind of unity?  In Ephesians 4:2-3 we are asked to cultivate six virtues:  Humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance in love, effort and peace. 

If spiritual oneness is going to be a reality in your fellowship and mine, it will have to be a place where I make it my job descriptions to live out those six virtues so compellingly and attractively that I become the primary source of a unity pandemic.

Now make no mistake: That will not be easy.  That is why Paul said that we must “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit…”  Unity doesn’t come easily.  The drift is always toward division—it is easy to float into that eddy. It takes effort and endurance to go against the current to stay in harmony with one another.

The word effort means to be diligent, to be zealous, to make haste to do something, in this case, being eager and fully dedicated to maintain the unity of the Spirit.  It refers to a holy zeal to guard our Christian unity.  Why do we need holy zeal?  Because Satan’s number one goal is to divide you and me. That’s why each of us needs to take the responsibility for the spiritual unity of our church.

Without these six virtues, it really does no good to talk about unity.  But, as we see in Ephesians 4:16, when these virtues of unity—humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance in love, effort, and peace—are lived out in our fellowship, “The body will build itself up in love as each part does its work.“

And other than the salvation of a lost soul, I would argue there is nothing more precious to God than seeing his family completely, indestructibly united in love.  That is why Jesus spent a goodly part of his last hours praying desperately for it (John 17:20-23).  He knew that without unity, we would fall apart.  But if we could get it together, Jesus knew that nothing could stop us.  Vance Havner once said,

“Snowflakes are frail, but if enough of them get together they can stop traffic.”

If we get together in unity in our church, we’ll stop traffic in our community.  And that’s God’s desire for us.

“Believers all belong to the same Lord, and are thus one with each other. Therefore anything that denies our oneness with each other denies our oneness with Him.”  ~John MacArthur

Reflect & Apply: What part is the Holy Spirit prompting you to take on in efforting unity in your fellowship?  Read and reflect on Romans 12:17-19, then go do what you must do!

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Perfect Peace

Pursue the Prince of Peace

Synopsis: Pursuing peace always leaves us disappointed when turmoil still rules the day.  But pursuing the Prince of Peace, according to Colossians 3:15, keeps the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Isaiah 26:3 says it so beautifully, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staid on thee…” 

Project 52—Memorize:
Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Perfect peace!  Is there really a way to cultivate that kind of peace?  Let me suggest 3 or 4 things.

First, you’ve got to recognize that God is the only source of true and lasting peace.  You and I cannot produce and sustain that kind of peace on our own.  It only comes from God…and from being in right standing with him.

Throughout the Bible, God is referred to as the God of peace.  Peace is what identifies and defines God, even though he is never isolated from conflict.  God is in the middle of a cosmic battle with Satan for control of the created order…and yet he is completely unruffled by it. God is peace! And the Apostle Paul gives us this wonderful promise in II Thessalonians 3:16:

“The Lord himself will give you peace always by all means.”

Peace originates in the character of God and comes from him. You can pursue peace apart from the work of the Holy Spirit until you are blue in the face. You can’t achieve it!  The only sustainable peace in life comes from the God of peace through the Prince of Peace, who will produce through the Holy Spirit the fruit of peace in your life.  So recognize the Source of true peace—God!

Second, don’t pursue peace; pursue the Source of peace. The peace of God will come as a natural result of the relationship we nurture with God. So our focus needs to be on the Source and not the by-product. Paul said in Ephesians 2:14 that Jesus himself is our peace, who has broken down every wall of hostility.

Pursuing peace always leaves us disappointed when turmoil still rules the day.  But pursuing the Prince of Peace, according to Colossians 3:15, keeps the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Isaiah 26:3 says it so beautifully,

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staid on thee…” 

The word staid in the Hebrew meant to prop yourself up by or to put your full weight upon God for protection and security.  When you are leaning on God, you don’t have to stay awake at night worrying about tomorrow; you can literally say to God, “There’s no sense in both of us staying awake tonight…since you’re going to be up all night anyway running the universe, why don’t you handle this while I sleep.” Pursue peace and you’ll never attain it; pursue God and you’ll get peace!

Third, develop a world-view that is dominated by an eternal perspective.  In other words, discipline yourself to look at everything that has happened and everything you are facing through the lens of God’s sovereignty, power, love and his inexorable plan for the ages—which includes all the details of your life. God is control! Therefore, nothing can rob you of your peace.  Jesus said in John 14:27,  

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

Living with heaven in view in your everyday life will create the necessary conditions needed for inner peace. It will force you to see everything from an eternal perspective. It will remind you that God is in control of everything and has a purpose in all things. It will allow you to see things that once destroyed peace as opportunities to trust that God’s plan is being worked out in your life. That is the best recipe for peace.

Finally, refuse to wrestle with the peace-destroying issues that are threatening to disrupt your world. Release them to God in gratitude-laced prayer. The best-known passage on this is Philippians 4:6-7—and it is perhaps the greatest peace-thereapy there is:

“Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”  

When we practice that kind of praying, here is what we will get out of that deal: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

When things are causing turmoil in our lives, Paul says take them to God in prayer. But notice what kind of prayer: Prayer that is dominated by thanksgiving. Why is thanksgiving so important? It releases truth into your spirit: The truth that God is sovereign, that he is the source of provision and that he has a plan in the particular things we’re praying about. That is what thanksgiving does—that is why it produces peace. It reminds you that God is still running the universe—and he’s perfectly capable of taking care of you!

When you are in right relation with God, when you are fixing your thoughts on him and looking at all of life with heaven in view, when you are practicing gratitude, then you can live daily, hourly, minute-by-minute with this powerful and wonderful gift: The transcendent peace of God.

“Peace is the settled assurance that because of God’s care and God’s competence, this world is a perfectly safe place for me to be…although it doesn’t always look like it.”  ~Dallas Willard

Reflect & Apply: What are the things that are robbing you of peace today? The Apostle Peter encourages you to cast them upon God (I Peter 5:7).  How about practicing your casting today!