In the last few weeks we have blogged and joyed in Hope and Love. Now, we are going to, hopefully, make our Joy theme circle complete with Peace!
I have ever so enjoyed making a part of my devotional time in the last few weeks a creative art in drawing my three foot circle with deeds soaked in hope, love and now peace to ingnite the count down to lighting the JOY TREE! Earlier we have called our Joy Tree the Jesse Tree found in Isaiah 11. AKA The Tree of Jesus.
As I contemplate thoughts of Peace and pray to know and give peace I find myself in sensitivity training. I find among friends I am often time rebuffed with my new points of interest in my three foot circle. It’s a delight really to see and hear the rebuff. I seem to know I’m on the right round about.
To give peace I must have empathy in my quill and to have empathy I need to salvage sensivitity from a source? Thinking thoughts; need met with emotions! Not, pity, arrogance or pride. But, a sincere heart infusion of another’s plight. We so often hear of one receiving a heart stint to give better health to the heart. Great! But, we at times hear about one receiving a new heart. Awesome! Now, a part of heart health is acquiring peace and it may be found when the mind is enjoying tranquility.
My Christmas Peace is taking me on a sensitivity journey. Why, should I give a man shoes when he needs food? Or, food when he needs shoes? A song of dance when she needs a song of rest? Words when one needs mute? Or, mute when one needs words? A big one, give what I want to give away for a feel good of having gotten rid of my clutter when they don’t need my excess but a new coat? An aging loved one cake when they need Boost? A pink dress, my taste, and frill and they love brown with no frill? I think I’m about to get my own point!
Yes, let there be peace on earth and let it begin in my three foot circle of hope, love, peace so others as well as myself will know JOY! Have you experienced any peace heart changes in your thinking, giving, caring, sharing or being?
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“Why, should I give a man shoes when he needs food? Or, food when he needs shoes?”………
Sara, your words seem to encourage this scripture??…read with me Luke 11: 11-13 (NLT) “You fathers–if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” The footnotes for verse 13 says: “Even though good fathers make mistakes, they treat their children well. How much better our perfect heavenly Father treats his children! The most important gift He could ever give us is the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), whom He promised to give all believers after His death, resurrection, and return to heaven (John 15: 26). Now that should give us peace, knowing we have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Sara & TH….I read in my devotional this morning…. ‘to give like our Heavenly Father gives’. It is to contribute to a Need! That seems to confirm your above comment and the Scripture that TH quoted.
The devotional went on to say….to give lovingly, thoughtfully, prayerfully and unselfishly to others’ needs…..not because they deserve it [although they might or might not….that’s none of our business] but solely BECAUSE they have a NEED. And our God rains on the just and the unjust. “And my God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus’….and it is the Hands of the Church, His Body of Christ through which ALL these needs will be supplied. Isn’t it amassing and wonderful that we have the opportunity to act like our Heavenly Father and to be HIS instrument through which He supplies the needs of His people?
When we do this we practice PEACE with GOD the Father through the auspices of the Holy Spirit the dove of Peace and Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace with God.
MG, don’t you love the symbolism of the Dove!
Hey, Tammy, I had that scripture in my mind to add and got busy and didn’t do! How cool is the Holy Spirit and those that allow Him to flow freely to bring on the joy!
This scripture gives such value to giving. Many times I have tied this scripture to my wants and thought to my needs but failed to use as a guideline in giving to others.
” Have you experienced any peace heart changes in your thinking, giving, caring, sharing or being?”
I never thought about peace being related to sensitivity until reading this blog. And I think I see a little clearer why peace is part of hope and love and that you can’t really have one without the other.
The scripture below for John 14:27 took on a little different perspective for me when reading ‘peace on earth’ and ‘heart health is acquiring peace”.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”
Hey Debi, seems like your scripture says someone gave me a gift of peace. Now, where would I store my gift? I’m thinking its in my heart?
“Now, where would I store my gift? I’m thinking its in my heart?”
Yes, Sara, I think that is the place. If it is stored there, then spoken words, like you wrote about in the blog (and in ‘caring and sharing’ too) should bring peace to others.
“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Matt 12:34
And, Debi, how sweet can it be to acquire, store, share and restore! MG speaks above of the scripture to speak our Peace and if receiver dosen’t receive if has a way of returning to you!
Say, Sara. You truly answered your own question at the top of this blog. If we store up peace in our hearts we have enough to give of the OVERFLOW to others. Jesus told His disciples that when they went out to preach and stayed in certain homes in certain towns….to let their peace be given out. If their peace was received & rested on the people then the people would receive. But if their peace returned to them then those people were not ready nor would they receive the Word of God.
I get from this that out of the overflow of peace in our hearts we may give to others. This is a thrilling promise in itself.
God watches over His Word to perform it . And Psalm 89:34 says, ” My covenant will I not break nor ALTER the Word that goes out of My mouth.”
So the peace we receive from the Lord and that peace which we give out to others will comfort and strengthen not only ourselves but others…. That is exciting!!
MG looks like we are reading from the same page! When we piece the Word together with the needle of peace we have something valuable to share. So many ways to acquire peace. You gave an excellent way…give the Word in truth and spirit and peace is the overflow or/and result if received? If one dosent like the brand of peace it returns to giver. Hooray! Now, let us glean other easy to receive peace….
I would like to offer another way to acquire peace. “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:6 Whoa mind control for peace!
This prayer I pray for each of you just as Paul prayed. It sums up the essence of this blog! “May the God of hope fill you all with joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
I may be found guilty of not having world peace. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. “1Timothy 2:1-4
I came across a Scripture that I believe is a clue tucked into one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. I think it must be an indicator from the Holy Spirit that would lead all mankind to world peace but especially God’s people. The Scripture is in 1Corinthians 10:24…..and reads, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the OTHER’S well-being.” [my caps emphasis]
Oh Father in Heaven! That each of us could have the mind of Christ to bear with one another’s oppressive little faults and to look after one another’s welfare, ‘loving our neighbor as ourselves.’ That’s a tall order, Lord.
And, Sara, this reiterates what you wrote above in your 4th paragraph. It reminds me of the Christmas hymn we have sung in the churches and that my Choruses have performed many time in the Christmas Programs at school…..part of the song you mentioned above. Peace on earth???? Let it begin with me!
This blog as well as many others we share on the daily lily are such Christmas and daily fun as well as peaceful to me when copied, clipped ✂️ and pasted in a non-lined journal 📒 with art, (I use stickers) color pens, ✏️ crayons and highlighters. Finding all the peace, love, hope, words, how and where they connect and connecting them in action to others with words of encouragement, prayer, writing or just singing 🎵 them in the atmosphere and knowing they will fall like a snowflake ❄️ somewhere.
I count my blessings for being an artist 🎨 of words that penetrate 📡the atmosphere to change the atmospheric levels from gloom to bliss, sadness to joy, despair to Hope. My art will never hang on the walls of a NY museum 🗽 but 👀 🔎🔦 your 💜 and you just might find one hanging there! 🌈