Intimate time with God leads to a Peaceful Mind.

Peace is the Love of God and the receiving of the Grace of God.

Finding this peace can sometime be quite a feat.

James 1:21 tells us - "So get rid of all uncleanliness, and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness and in a humble spirit receive and welcome THE WORD which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to Save Your Souls.

Back to the word.  The only way to learn it  is to get those Bibles out and study the word.  It doesn't even have to be a specific part of the Bible.  Maybe you want to study a particular topic - use the guides that in the back of the Bible to help you do that.  Either way read the Word daily.  I like to use a daily scripture book by Joyce Meyer to start my day,

The Word can save.  I wish I would of known this so may years ago, I believe my life would of been so different.

Take this scripture - James 1:19 - Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to take offense and to get angry.

I should say this scripture over to myself every day - I am so quick to anger sometimes.  Lately I have been getting better.

Plant the word deep in your heart and water it daily and let it grow!


Prayer:

Dear God:  I  have made a decision that whatever it takes I am going to have peace in my life.  Help me find it and hold on to it.

 Amen

Which is first THOUGHT, WORD or DEED

Last week our Pastor gave a sermon on doing good deeds - the point being that a Christian should be doing them as a result of being a Christian and not doing the good deeds to become a Christian.


This morning I meditated on What is a Christian -  thought, word or deed.  Years ago I use to say that I was doing "all this" (activities at church, helping or doing service) to get a plaque until I read a very good article in The Upper Room that said it wasn't about the plaque, the awards or the picture with your name under it.

So, I thought, what is it - Are you a Christian in thought, word or deed?

First there is the word - Christian - meaning: of, relating to, or professing Christianity or its teachings.  So if you believe is Jesus, and that through Him as your savior you have eternal life with Him in heaven, you are a Christian.

But now the thought.  What does being a Christian  mean in your everyday life.  Do just attend church when it is convenient or on a holiday? or do you go every Sunday?  Do you study the Bible at home? Attend a Bible study?  Do you pray?  These are the thoughts that come with being a Christian.  It doesn't stop at the door on the way out of church on Sunday.  It continues into your everyday life.  I personally love Lenten or Advent books that I can read daily during those special times.  I keep them on my kitchen table to read with my morning coffee and barrage of morning medications.  I got so use to them that I usually have a book on my table all year long that I can read or study from when I get that moment of quiet.  Something precious in our very busy daily lives.

Now for the deeds, they should come naturally. If you see someone who needs help it should be automatic for you to stop and help them.  A smile should be on your face to strangers because an unhappy Christian is an oxymoron.  The deeds do not have to be big at all, just being nice to people, pray for them and being a positive happy person should radiate out from you and infect others.

You should be able to joyfully give of your fruits to others who do not have.  We should be happy to donate to the food banks or shelters and not judge those in need.  

I don't need that plaque anymore, I still hope that the room Jesus went ahead to prepare for me is beachfront; but I find more joy in helping than a piece of wood could give me any day.  

Prayer  -Lord God, may we be grateful for out lot, and compassionate towards all those who are suffering every kind of distress at this difficult time.  May we hold back nothing and hasten to be the ministers of prayer and mercy, like the disciple of HIM who went about doing good in times of need - Amen.