23 September 2018
Two-Minute Features | 30 September 2018 | 16 September 2018

Peace Means Not Being Anxious About Life (TMF:985)

Friday, September 28, 2018
Peace to Live By: Peace Means Not Being Anxious About Life (TMF:985) - Daniel Litton
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       By being kind to our enemies, we work peace where there should have been the opposite. We work good out of a bad situation. And, over time we may even win them over to Jesus. We overcome the evil that Satan wanted for us with the good that God wants. Recall also what the writer of Hebrews has told us, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:14, 15, ESV). We can also have peace in the negative situations that come to us in our lives, those situations we have no control over which come to us. Again, the Apostle Paul has given us great advice. He said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, 7, ESV). What a good promise for us from God’s Word.

Kindness to Our Enemies Works Peace (TMF:984)

Thursday, September 27, 2018
Peace to Live By: Kindness to Our Enemies Works Peace (TMF:984) - Daniel Litton
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       Remember Jesus told us to turn the other cheek when wrongs have been done against us, and certainly this is a hard thing to do. But when we do this, it causes peace in our minds and it begets peace with the person who is hurting us. Consider what the Apostle Paul told the Romans, in Romans 12. He said, staring in verse 19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (19-21, ESV). By being kind to our enemies, we work peace where there should have been the opposite. We work good out of a bad situation. And, over time we may even win them over to Jesus. We overcome the evil that Satan wanted for us with the good that God wants.

Following the Spirit Gives Us Peace (TMF:983)

Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Peace to Live By: Following the Spirit Gives Us Peace (TMF:983) - Daniel Litton
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       It is only through following God’s ways, which yields peace in our minds, that brings about good things in our lives. We get good things because God’s ways are always the best ways of doing things. In other words, God knows best. He leads us down the right path in whatever situation we are thinking about or going through. Plus, when we walk in God’s ways, in obedience to him, it is only then natural for him to reward us in the here and now. A parent will reward his child for good behavior. A grade-school teacher rewards his class when they perform well. And so it is with God. And really, we don’t even have to wait for his rewards for us to get a reward, for the peace he gives us in our following him is a great reward in and of itself. Having peace of mind is a gift, and it’s something that most other people in this world don’t have. But we can have it anytime and all the time, really. We can also have peace in our lives with people who don’t like us, whom we might call our enemies. Proverbs 16:7 states, “When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (ESV).

Following God's Word Gives Us Peace (TMF:982)

Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Peace to Live By: Following God's Word Gives Us Peace (TMF:982) - Daniel Litton
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       You see, there is peace that comes naturally from God for us. We receive this peace when we are close to him and when we are walking in obedience to his Word in our lives. Following the what the Word of God says—following the Bible’s way of living—gives us peace. When we go our own way and do our own things, often times there isn’t a blessing from God on it. We are just working through our own flesh—our fleshly efforts instead of by God’s power and anointing—and before long we will realize this. We need the power of the Spirit of God to help us in our lives. He helps us with our weakness, that of dealing with our human flesh which is still corrupted by the sin nature, and he helps us by giving us needed strength. So, when we follow God’s way and do things through His power, we have a clear conscience which yields peace of mind. When we follow God in our lives which gives us peace, this leads to us obtaining the things we really want in and out of life. Job 22:21 tells us, ““Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you” (ESV).

We Have to Choose to Have Peace (TMF:981)

Monday, September 24, 2018
Peace to Live By: We Have to Choose to Have Peace (TMF:981) - Daniel Litton
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       So, the final Fruit of the Spirit we are looking at today: peace. Probably one of the greatest things people lack in their lives is peace, whether peace of mind or external peace in our situations around us. But really, for the Christian, this should not be the case. God wants us to have peace in our minds and in our lives, but often we have to chose to have that peace. The Prophet Isaiah has told us, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3, ESV). And what a great verse that is; what a tremendous promise. Indeed, at the foundation of peace, whether internal peace or external peace, is our trust in God, our trust that he is working all things in our lives for the good because we love him and are called according to his purpose (see Romans 8:28, ESV). Paul did say that God is the one who gives us our peace in our lives. He wrote to the Thessalonians, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, ESV).