Peace comes from building a relationship with God. This daily devotional looks at how nothing else in heaven or earth can provide us the peace that God can.
Nuggets
- Having a relationship with God brings us peace.
- Nothing on this earth is as important as God.
- God gives us strength.
- God is our portion.
Devotions in the Peace Leads to Tranquility series
I know what you are saying. This topic again?????
If we know that our peace only comes from God, why don’t live like that? Why do we try to depend on ourselves?
We are going to be looking at different verses in this devotion. Let’s see what we can add to our knowledge.
Let's Put It into Context
We’ve talked about peace several times. Peace is an inward tranquility or composure of the mind resulting from a balanced life with spiritual order, equity, and truth.
Glossary
Peace isn’t just the absence of conflict. It is a positive condition.
God wants disciples of Christ to experience peace in the midst of conflict. We can do that when we put our faith and trust in Him.
Having a Relationship with God Secures Peace
“Who do I have in heaven but you? …” (Ps. 73: 25 CSB)
Our priority should be building a relationship with God. Having that relationship will bring us peace.
I love how this verse starts. Who, not what. It isn’t what we do. It is Who we know and love.
Having a relationship with God brings us peace. Who do we have in Heaven but Him?
I love what Maclaren said. He wrote, “God desires no vacuum in the heart into which He comes. He does not ‘make a solitude and call it peace.’” God don’t want us to be an empty shell. He gives us the real thing – peace.
Resource
Only God could — and would — love us enough to devise a plan where our sins could be forgiven.
Prioritizing Heaven over Earth
“… And I desire nothing on earth but you” (Ps. 73: 26 CSB)
God wants us to prioritize Him over all other things. We must choose to make Him a priority in our lives.
Nothing on this earth is as important as God. Think about it. There are a lot of things going on in our lives. There are a lot of things going on in this world.
Nothing on this earth is as important as God. He loves us. He gives us peace. He provides for us.
God is in control of all the things that happen to us. He is the Great Physician when we are sick. He is our Counselor when we are down.
When this world pulls us in a multitude of directions, we know we can find peace with God. God gives us unity.
Nothing is more important in Heaven than God. Nothing is more important on earth than God. But we have to choose to believe that.
God is not a dictator. He is not going to force us to believe in Him. We will suffer the consequences of not believing in Him, but it is our choice.
Ooo, baby. Tillotson made me think. He wrote, “Man himself is not sufficient for his own happiness … Man, therefore, needs a source of happiness outside himself.”
Resource
Hmmm. Think about all of the evil in the world today. It is easy for almost everyone (because I don’t think I can say all) to agree this world is filled with evil.
The thing I am not sure the worldview people understand is that evil is equated with sin because it is that which goes against God and His purposes.
- People are saying that we need to deal with the injustice in the world. Injustice is the opposite of “The second [greatest commandment] is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ …” (Mt. 12: 32 ESV).
- People are saying we need gun control. Guns are used to break the sixth commandment: “Do not murder” (Ex. 20: 13 CSB).
Worldview people think we need more laws and more love to combat evil. No. We need God.
God Gives Us Strength to Promote Peace
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart …” (Ps. 73: 26 CSB)
Strength comes from God. That strength promotes peace.
Oh, wait. This isn’t bench-press strength.
It is strength of our hearts. Hmmm. We keep saying we have to get things to the heart level — our obedience, changing our character.
We have to remember what heart meant to the Hebrews. Liddon stated that the heart was “… the centre or inner seat of life, whether physical or spiritual. … More commonly it is the centre from which the life-stream of thought and feeling pours through the soul.”
Resource
That tells us how important our hearts are. It is what we consider our moral seat.
Our hearts have to be strong to keep us strong when Satan is tempting us. Without God, we don’t have the strength to battle Satan and win.
Hmmm. It is interesting that Liddon said that the heart is the center of thought. Maybe that is true since we have to believe in our hearts something our mind is telling us.
What Does Portion Mean?
“… my portion forever” (Ps. 73: 26 CSB)
We read in the Scriptures about how God is our portion. But what does that really mean?
Portion means, according to the Holman Bible Dictionary, “allotment, allowance, ration, share.” It is the amount that is going to come to us.
Resource
It is also said that the number of years that we live is our portion of life. Also, we are God’s portion.
Think about what God has given us. Light gave us a list.
- His grace
- Pardon of sins
- Righteousness
- Inheritance
- Himself
Resource
How do we get this peace? By believing and confessing that God is Sovereign God.
Spurgeon warns us what will happen if we oppose God. If we do not admit that we are separated from God, believe Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, confess a God as our Sovereign Lord, and demonstrate that commitment by living our lives in a relationship with Him, we will pay with our lives.
Resource
“And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 15 CSB).
That is the opposite of peace.
Look at what Hill said. He wrote, “The Psalmist had ascertained what the nature and properties of an adequate portion for man must be.” We have to look at our portion from God’s perspective.
We can’t think that we are entitled. We can’t think it is means prosperity.
But what if we think of it as God is our portion?
Hill and Bordman told us why God is the only adequate portion. He said that God is
- All-sufficient
- Unchangeable
- Pious
- Absolute, eternal good
- Infinite
Making the Connections
It all boils down to the fact that we have to seek God. It is easy to find Him, but we have to put forth the effort to prioritize Him in our lives.
Maclaren told us why we need to seek God. He wrote, “To seek for anything else than God is to lay up for ourselves sore hearts some day. To seek after Him, and Him only, is to secure blessedness in the search, and blessedness in the fruition.”
Resource
Liddon showed us why seeking God is important. This world isn’t going to last forever. Eternity will.
Resource
It is sad that some people believe that they can’t love God. All they see is the lost of do’s and don’ts and think, “No one is going to boss me around.” They don’t see the love.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Peace only comes from God. We need to accept that and accept the gift of salvation.
How Do We Apply This?
- We meditate on what God is calling us to do.
- We diligently work on our self-control.
- We seek to grow our relationship with God.
- We consistently choose God over Satan.
Resource
God is waiting to provide us with peace. We have to ABCD and make Him the priority in our lives.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Father. You have given us so much. When we admit we are separated from You, believe that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, confess You as Sovereign God, and demonstrate that commitment by living our lives to reflect You, You will provide us a peace that passes understanding. Lord, help us to keep our focus on You when Satan throws this world at us. Amen.
What do you think?
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