John 15:4
4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
God loves us, and He longs for us to be at peace with Him and His ways.
In His Word, our heavenly Father reminds us of the many vessels He uses to bless us with peace…
Peace, in the eyes of the homeless when, as purpose driven volunteers, we serve them a hot meal.
Peace, in the joyful tears of a foster child after their first touch down.
Peace, in the eyes of a fellow believer.
At a time when uncertainty and anxiety rule the earth, peace has become a rare commodity.
Do Not Be Anxious
In the verse above, God tells us we should not let our hearts be troubled or be afraid.
Why does God warn us specifically about stress and fear?
For starters, stress (anxiety) and fear (panic) actually have a physical effect on our hearts, including heart palpitations.
These heart palpitations are the kind of heart reflexes that cause myocardial infarction (heart attacks).
Plus, when we feel anxious, our brains activates a fight or flight response which increases our heart rate.
Anxiety and fear are negative emotions that have no place in our lives.
In His Word, and through the people He places along our path, God gives us peace so our cups are full when we need an abundance of peace to overcome challenges in our lives.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
There’s a lot more to being a Christian than going to church on Sundays.
First and foremost, being Christian involves believing in Christ.
To be Christian, one must believe in Jesus, in His supernatural creation, His perfect life, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead and His ascending to Heaven.
But that’s only the beginning!
Believing is the first step along the path that leads to Heaven, the place where all believers are secure and where each one of us gets to rejoice with God, forever.
Other important steps to being a Christian are dwelling in Jesus, in His Word, under His tutelage, around His people and immersed in worship that glorifies Him.
In His Word, God renders judgment, makes bold promises, offers rewards and inheritances of eternal consequences. God also gives out commands for believers to obey and guidelines for us to follow.
Under God’s tutelage, believers are set straight, and they are showered with love, grace and mercy. When we allow God to rule over our lives, we can more easily keep our focus on Him, on our mission.
Through godly relationships, believers sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. Fellowship is key to spiritual growth.
And, in worship, we offer God our voices as living sacrifices.
While listening to Christian music is certainly an act of worship, because it keeps us in the light, singing songs of worship to the Lord is a powerful channel by which we can directly interact with God.
So when we dwell in Jesus, we literally live in Him and rely on Him, just as fruit needs its branch to feed its growing needs, from flower to harvest.
God didn’t just create us for fun.
He made us so we could serve Him with hearts filled with joy. He’s given us the tools we need, He places the right people in our lives and He creates challenges for us to overcome.
As we go through each day on this Earth, all of us will be blessed with opportunities to bring glory to our Savior.
In plain English, the more time we spend dwelling in Jesus, the better equipped we will be when challenges pop up… 🙂
Were you able to glean and grow from this message so God can be further glorified and His Kingdom magnified? If so, I would love to hear from you. Follow this link to get in touch… Let’s pray!
Father God;
We thank you for your presence in our lives,
We praise you Lord for the wisdom found through John,
And we ask you Lord to help us find joy in your perfect plan.
Allow us to praise and love each other through faith in you Jesus,
Shield us from evil through your Word, salvation and prayer,
Guide us to abide by the truth as we spread the good news to one and all,
And lead the lost to You.
God we pray that you will continue to bless us,
To bless our lives and fill us with hope.
We ask you Lord to guide our footsteps and lead us to the way everlasting,
Through faith in you Lord we seek salvation and our place with you in Heaven
According to your ways, your everlasting wisdom and strength.
May your will be done, here on Earth and through the vast Universe,
May our hearts be filled with your everlasting love and grace.
Praises to You God, Amen!
This message was written by Daniel St.Pierre
