Tag: peace

The Longing to Belong

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Belonging Gives Rest

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15:19 

“And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” Romans 1:6

At our core, we long for belonging. This longing transcends culture, status, and age; it’s woven into our very being.  Yet Scripture tells us that we do not belong to this world.  And when we seek to belong in the world – through people, subcultures, niches, or worldly pursuits – we will inevitably find them insufficient to fulfill our longings.  Why?  Because first and foremost, we were created to belong to Christ. In Christ. With Christ. 

Once we settle this truth deep in our hearts and minds – that our ultimate place of belonging is in Christ, it changes everything.  We can stop searching for fulfillment, validation, assurance, identity, and affirmation in anything and everything.  We can simply abide in Christ and be His beloved child, wherever we are, whoever we are with.  In Christ, we find all we need.  Our restless souls can finally be at peace, secure in being known, seen, and loved by Him. The search is over.  In Him we find rest.

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A Soul at Rest

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“He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, now you have returned to the Shepherd & Overseer of your souls.” I Peter 2:24-25

“All we like sheep have gone astray” Isaiah 53:6

We all, like sheep without a Shepherd, were going astray. Before Christ saved us and gave us a new heart and new life…. we were wandering, seeking, soul-thirsty, headed for ruin, unprotected, exposed, and lonely.

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Fighting Discouragement

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As we get older and experience more of life, even the most idealistic personalities among us can be tempted to be truly cynical about people, the fight against sin, the world, the state of the American church, and our country. Truly, evil and injustice are rampant, and deception and darkness covers the earth… BUT we must remind ourselves that the Lord warned us about these things and HE is where we rest our hope.

But how do we overcome the heavy-heartedness and burdened mind that can descend upon us when the darkness seems to be overwhelming, when people shock and disappoint us, or when it seems that there’s really no point in even trying to do and be good — because you’re still not as mature as you think you should be, you don’t see the fruit of your faithfulness, people don’t seem to listen to the Spirit of the Lord in you and instead very quickly listen to worldly ungodly voices, and the gap between what IS and what COULD BE in Christ seems to only widen?

Of course, the answer is to “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” Hebrews 12:3

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Rest Your Hope

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“Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober-minded, rest your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” I Peter 1:13

Where do I rest my hope?

Recently I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to set my hope on life hacks, routines, and daily habits. Being a good steward of our time, money, bodies, and relationships truly does take order and intention every day… but as we get older we realize we can stop thinking that eventually we are going to figure it all out. “If I could just get all my routines down and follow them… if I could just conquer all the problem areas I have and break them all down into daily steps… then I can be healthy, happy, really start living, and start blessing others”. Wrong. Life is always changing. Schedules are always changing. What worked one month won’t work another. We’re never going to figure it all out. And anybody that looks like they’ve got it all going on? They don’t. There are weak areas and they also need constant correcting and re-balancing too. They’re never satisfied if they’re looking to be satisfied in themselves.

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Remain

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Sometimes it’s very apparent when we have to “gird up the thoughts of our mind”. The thoughts have become so plentiful or negative, that we are tripping all over the place or we are truly “stuck” by them all and we are unable to move forward. We can thank the Holy Spirit for those “wake up call” times and for helping us recognize the danger we are in. We can dramatically “gird up” all the worries and cares and bitterness and negativity we have let fester and can have renewed, sharpened focus on Christ & His Word. But girding up the thoughts isn’t only a re-active action step when we’re already in danger. It is a pro-active one to too.

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Breathe

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Jesus is the source & sustainer of life.  

When He, the Creator, breathed life into Adam (Gen 2:7) it was not only the beginning of humanity but also a foreshadowing of the divine plan He had prepared for His children.

In John 20:22 …He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”… This sacred breath that gave Adam physical life also breathes into us new spiritual life, sustaining us moment by moment. Every breath we take physically can be a reminder of His constant presence and the eternal life indwelling in us.

Whether we feel His presence or not…whether we feel fully alive or feel lifeless… Christ is sustaining us, always! His Spirit within us is a constant blessed assurance that we are alive in Him – not just now, but for.ever. He holds our faith together, unshaken and eternal!

He doesn’t want us to worry about how many breaths we will take on this earth. He knows exactly every breath He has for us and has hidden that from us. We are called to trust in the one who has numbered them all. Let each breath we take be a reminder that He is with us and HE IS life itself.

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Detox from Mind Junk Food

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Recently I noticed I was really behind in my book count for the year, which made me assess why I wasn’t reading as much. It was not because I had a major downward shift in my free time. (Opposite in fact, we are in summer mode with MORE free time!) It was not because I was in a book desert and there were no appealing books on the horizon. (Opposite in fact, I have SO many great books gathering dust, crying to be read.)

When I thought about it, I realized I had also felt very distracted recently and had been having a hard time focusing for extended periods. Oh man, signs of too much technology started jumping out everywhere: high stress, high anxiety, high distraction, low focus, high comparison to others, low contentment and low peace. BUMMMERR.

But thank you Jesus, He helped me recognize what was going on and get on my knees and confess and ask forgiveness for wasting His time that He gave me, not taking care of my mind that He created, and asking for His grace and help. As always, His grace and forgiveness poured out and I was so grateful for His loving care and reasssurance.

The very next book I picked up after that confession was Jackie Hill Perry’s, “Upon Waking” and it was a divinely orchestrated moment:

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Pruning

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I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you John 15:1-3

Today is Maundy Thursday in the traditional church calendar. Where we, as Christ’s followers, remember that upper room discourse and Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, eating the Passover meal with them, and praying for them before His great passion suffering.

Today in North Carolina it is a perfectly rainy day to spend time, even if it’s not until tonight in the quiet, to allow the Lord to wash away all the “dirt on the feet” that we have picked up in our walk. Any impurity of thought or body or heart – and allow Him to refresh us anew and remind us that we ARE already declared clean! Thanks to His suffering.

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Guard Your Heart

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“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

But how, Father? There’s so much evil, misinformation, deceitfulness, confusion, and turmoil in our country right now. I know we must be on guard against the pervasive darkness and wickedness that’s spreading. I want to “guard my heart above all else”. But how!?

I’ve found my answer:

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Psalm 131

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My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. Psalm 131

There’s a lot of things going on in our country and in the world that are alarming and attention-grabbing. But the Lord not only gives us permission to be at peace and not worry…He desires it for us! Every day, we must take the time to be at peace and relinquish all worries to the Lord’s hands. This week I have practiced visualizing myself crawling into Abba’s lap, being still, and not moving from that stillness until I feel totally content.

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