Tomorrow is worship with Children's Church at 10 in person and on Zoom. Who is God stirring you to bring along? Call them up and invite them!
The Rally Day envelope will be used to fund our new "IN" Fund. This replaces the Sunday School Fund (which is depleted) and will be used to purchase curriculum, books, studies and for supplies and food for our "IN" gatherings like Wed nights and our Zoom huddle. They will be received until Nov 5th. Thank you!
Good Morning Peace-Filled Shalom Bringers! Peace. Peace. God's peace...sing it! Believe it! Receive It! Share it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySPQcp5hIqM
God highlighted the word Peace/shalom to me this morning. I awoke at 2 am with great peace. Unable to sleep I came to my office and started meditating on and studying the word peace. Maybe some of you need God's peace today? Ask for and receive it as you sit in His calming presence. Be still and know is a command. Maybe you know someone that needs to find the peace only Jesus can bring. Pray for them and share the peace you have from Christ. Keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem, the Ukraine and other areas of conflict, turmoil, and disaster around the world. Give God all your anxious thoughts, concerns and troubles in exchange for His promised peace and receive His rest, all you who are weary and carrying many burdens. (Check out the UR and ODB below speaking about peace, shalom and rest) What's God saying to you???
I started practicing the "Turn Off the Noise" Challenge over two years ago. I let go of my battling people on social media and in person to try to win them to my way of thinking. I stopped getting all riled up over things that I have no control over and started giving my concerns to God and letting the one who oversees the universe handle things. I have come to know such peace and joy! PTL! He is faithful to take care of things and has promised to and is working all things together for the good of those who believe. I believe and in my stillness and trust I have found much joy and shalom. God is faithful and trustworthy and is carrying out His plans for me and for our flock and for the world. My task is to pray and trust Him. In return I have the gifts of peace, joy, mental health and physical rest in Christ! Try it! Turn off the noise and tune into God! He is faithful! (I didn't even know about the Israel things until someone told me. I can't do anything about that, but God can. So, this week I still don't know much but continue to pray for God's will to be done and let Him handle things. Why do we need to keep watching these things and being filled with the anxiety and propaganda from sources that only exist because we keep giving them a voice in our heads. Turn off the noise! Know peace!)
ODB uses John 14 today. We will read that in a few weeks. This week we read John 9 and 10 and next week John 11. In John 10, Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. He is our Good Shepherd who leads us to calmness and takes care of our needs, even in the darkest valleys. PTL! We all have that head knowledge, but to experience it, we need to ask Him to shepherd us and allow Him to do so. He is our model and example as He rested often as He trusted God to restore His soul and carry on His plans while He rested. In John 14:27 Jesus promises to give us His peace. He reminds us that the world can never give us that kind of peace. Then He commands us to not let our hearts be troubled and not to be afraid. He is always with us and at work. He is waiting with open arms to receive us into His rest. Let go. Be still. Know Peace and rest! Amen! Choose to do this! And then be equipped and prepared to go share that rest with others and the rest one can only find in Christ. He is our Salvation, Good Shepherd who brings peace and rest, and our Helper and Friend that we can trust always! Amen.
Turn off the noise on this stormy day and spend some time worshiping, meditating on and receiving Shalom. Here's one more song to pray through. Be still and know peace! And be a peace bringer too!
Peace Be Still: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsIpGiz3SfQ
Shalom! (It's available for the choosing! PTL!)
Our Daily Bread:
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I was elated to find the perfect gift for my mother-in-law’s birthday: the bracelet even contained her birthstone! Finding that perfect gift for someone is always an utter delight. But what if the gift the individual needs is beyond our power to give. Many of us wish we could give someone peace of mind, rest, or even patience. If only those could be purchased and wrapped with a bow!
These types of gifts are impossible for one person to give to another. Yet Jesus—God in human flesh—does give those who believe in Him one such “impossible” gift: the gift of peace. Before ascending to heaven and leaving the disciples, Jesus comforted them with the promise of the Holy Spirit: He “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). He offered them peace—His peace—as an enduring, unfailing gift for when their hearts were troubled or when they were experiencing fear. He, Himself, is our peace with God, with others, and within.
We may not have the ability to give our loved ones the extra measure of patience or improved health they desire. Nor is it within our power to give them the peace we all desperately need to bear up under the struggles of life. But we can be led by the Spirit to speak to them about Jesus, the giver and embodiment of true and lasting peace.
By Kirsten Holmberg
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has Christ brought peace to your life? Who might you introduce to Him?
Jesus, thank You for the comfort of Your enduring, unfailing peace in my life.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In John 14, all three members of the Trinity are mentioned, and Jesus is the uniting factor. The Father sends the Spirit in Jesus’ name; the Spirit teaches and reminds the disciples of what Jesus said (v. 26). Jesus leaves His peace with the disciples (v. 27) and does as the Father commands (v. 31). The Father is “greater” than Jesus (v. 28), and Jesus loves Him (v. 31). These verses paint a beautiful picture of how the triune God cares for us: the Father sends the Son (3:16), who gives us peace; the Father sends the Spirit in Jesus’ name, who reminds us of what Christ has said and done.
J.R. Hudberg |
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Upper Room: The Gift of Peace
I will lie down and fall asleep in peace because you alone, Lord, let me live in safety. - Psalm 4:8 (CEB)
I frequently fall asleep while praying. I used to feel guilty, but I’ve decided to look at it a different way.
My job demands that I be on call 24 hours a day, every day of the year. I could be at home making dinner or on vacation when I receive a work-related call, text, or email. This constant connection to the workplace can have long-term effects and often leads to exhaustion. At the end of a hectic day, bedtime prayer can be a way to decompress, discuss the day’s challenges with God, and enter into a time of rest and reflection.
So instead of feeling guilty, I’ve decided to embrace the blessing that rest can be. Rest has many benefits for physical, mental, and spiritual health. Jesus took time away from the crowds and his followers to find needed rest.
Just as hard work honors God, so do our times of rest. Words from Psalm 23 tell us that God wants us to enjoy quiet moments: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul” (vv. 2-3). Let’s not feel guilty when rest presents itself but recognize it for the spiritual gift that it is.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, lead us to adopt the model that Jesus set for us. Help us to seek physical, mental, and spiritual rest and to welcome your restoration of our souls. Amen.
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