Let's Do This

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Colossians 3:12-15 NLT

Let's not just read this - Let's DO IT! Let's live our lives according to THIS.

Prayer:

Father,
         Cause Your Word to come alive in us and bring forth a harvest of love and peace and thankful hearts. Remind us always to forgive others as You have forgiven us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

First Pray Then Peace

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 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.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

If you've been a follower of Jesus Christ for very long, you are familiar with this passage - or at least part of it. We're very good about encouraging others not to worry because God provides peace that far surpasses the angst and full realm of our circumstances, and exceeds our ability to comprehend its dominion. The King James' reads, peace that passeth all understanding. And truly, it does.

However, we can't just grab that part out of the Scripture. It's not a stand-alone verse. God's peace is the result of following the instructions given for how to handle troublesome situations.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need
And thank Him for all He has done
THEN YOU WILL experience God's peace... [emphasis mine]

Worry is not trusting God. It's fear, which is opposite to faith. According to Hebrews 11:6, Without faith, it's impossible to please God.

What does God's Word have to say about the situation? Look it up. Research it. There are ample Bible tools online. We can even Google©, "What does the Bible say about _______?" That way, we can tell God what we need - according to what His Word says we need - with regard to the situation.

And thank Him for all He has done! To begin with, He gave us life! He has redeemed, restored, and resurrected us from our death-inducing sinful life!

THEN we will experience God's peace - the peace that will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for all You have done for us. Thank You that by Your grace and mercy, we are still drawing breath and have another opportunity to serve You. Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning and great is Your faithfulness! You are the Lord our God. Teach us. Cause Your Word to come alive in us so that we experience Your peace and fulfill Your purpose for our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen