“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
I once heard it said that peace is not the absence of something, but the presence of someone. There were a few tough moments in my life where I remembered very clearly everything that I felt, the reason behind every tear, and the exact words I prayed. But, oh, those few moments that I do remember
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
I once heard it said that peace is not the absence of something, but the presence of someone. There were a few tough moments in my life where I remembered very clearly everything that I felt, the reason behind every tear, and the exact words I prayed. But, oh, those few moments that I do remember
They forced me to cling to that peace with everything in me, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. I was raised Christian and at a young age I put my trust in Christ for salvation.
Peace is not the absence of something. It’s the presence of Someone(God). And that Someone has promised He will never leave. He will always be there with you, holding you, and telling you it’s going to be okay. Pain may last through the night… but joy comes in the morning. Also, allow me to remind you that joy comes in the mourning.
You may never have planned on ending up where you are, but hidden in this trial is a beautiful opportunity to cling to the One who’s holding you. He’s with you now.
Have a blessed Wednesday
God's blessings.
Priory of St.Miltiades
Freedom in Christ
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track—Proverbs 3:6
We like formulas. We like bullet points. We like bright lines. They make life easier. They cut through mystery and doubt. We’d love it if such things could govern our relationships with God. They would make following him easier, too. At least, we think they would. So we try to create them. It starts innocently: Someone seeks God and finds Him—through a ... moreGood day Templar family
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track—Proverbs 3:6
We like formulas. We like bullet points. We like bright lines. They make life easier. They cut through mystery and doubt. We’d love it if such things could govern our relationships with God. They would make following him easier, too. At least, we think they would. So we try to create them. It starts innocently: Someone seeks God and finds Him—through a specific prayer or practice, or through a particular way of studying Scripture or being in community or doing service. But, then, that person decides that’s “the” way to find God. Others are persuaded, of course, because they want to find God too. And a formula is born, a bullet point, a bright line, a rule about how our relationships with God must look.
The thing is, while God never changes (James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8), our relationships with him do. They’re ever changing, ever challenging (2 Corinthians 3:18). There’s always more with God. There’s always mystery. And there’s always something new. But because we fear change and fear being challenged, we often cling to what’s worked in the past or what’s worked for someone else. We create a rule, repeat a ritual, but we may not grow and mature in our relationships with God.
“Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do” (Matthew 23:8-10 MSG).
Set aside some time to pray and to listen. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Ask where you might find him next—maybe in Scripture; maybe through serving; or on a short-term mission trip; or out in his creation; or something else. Let Him guide your thoughts. Let Him keep you on track
Have a blessed Monday and week ahead
God's blessings.
Priory of St.Miltiades
Freedom in Christ
If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed—Luke 17:6
We want our lives to matter. We want these few days we spend here to mean something. We want some sort of impact. Well, brother and sister, if we really want impact, we’ve got to allow the amplifying power of the Holy Spirit to work through us—by being willing to act in faith. When we act alone (as we so often do), we do so with our own strength. But when we act in faith, our actions are amplified by the strength ... moreGood day Templar family
If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed—Luke 17:6
We want our lives to matter. We want these few days we spend here to mean something. We want some sort of impact. Well, brother and sister, if we really want impact, we’ve got to allow the amplifying power of the Holy Spirit to work through us—by being willing to act in faith. When we act alone (as we so often do), we do so with our own strength. But when we act in faith, our actions are amplified by the strength of a great and powerful God. Men and women acting in faith have “stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight” (Hebrews 11:33-34).
The surprising thing about acting in faith is that—unlike when we act alone—it’s not our skill, nor our cleverness, that determines the magnitude of impact. When the Apostle Paul worked to start the church in Corinth, he spoke “in weakness and in fear,” lacking “plausible words of wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:3-4). He must have doubted whether he’d had any impact at all. But the church was established nonetheless. “God’s Spirit and God’s power did it,” through Paul’s seemingly unimpressive actions, taken in faith (1 Corinthians 2:3-5 MSG).
Just do something. Choose something practical, something that fits within the great commandments (Matthew 22:36-39), and something that’s too big. Go ahead and get in over-your-head. Tackle the problem that’s been on your heart. Tell someone about your faith. Help that person who’s hard to love. Things might not turn out as you expect, of course—or with the timing you’d like. Trust, though, if you do act, you’ll begin to have the impact for which you’re meant.
Have a blessed Friday
God's blessings.
Priory of St.Miltiades
Freedom in Christ
If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed—Luke 17:6
We want our lives to matter. We want these few days we spend here to mean something. We want some sort of impact. Well, brother and sister , if we really want impact, we’ve got to allow the amplifying power of the Holy Spirit to work through us—by being willing to act in faith. When we act alone (as we so often do), we do so with our own strength. But when we act in faith, our actions are amplified by the strength... moreGood day Templar family
If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed—Luke 17:6
We want our lives to matter. We want these few days we spend here to mean something. We want some sort of impact. Well, brother and sister , if we really want impact, we’ve got to allow the amplifying power of the Holy Spirit to work through us—by being willing to act in faith. When we act alone (as we so often do), we do so with our own strength. But when we act in faith, our actions are amplified by the strength of a great and powerful God. Men and women acting in faith have “stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight” (Hebrews 11:33-34).
Have a blessed Monday and week ahead
God's blessings.
Priory of St.Miltiades
Freedom in Christ
CAA Daniel Robinson
Priory of Saint Helena
"Post Tenebras Lux" Light after Darkness