ADVENT CANDLES - PEACE

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

A heart at peace gives life to the body. Proverbs 14:30

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace. Micah 5:4-5

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

ADVENT CANDLES - PEACE

The Advent candle lighting service is used in many churches and we do this in our home. Around the base of our candle ring are the words Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. My blogs in December will be based upon these four words. Four simple words. Four extreme goals.

What peace the scriptures give. Peace just a five letter word that completely changes our lives. When the heart has peace, the body has life. A peaceful soul would make the body relax. There would be calm in the eyes and breathing would be deep and easy. Yes, life just springs forth when the heart has peace.

It never ceases to amaze me how the scriptures interweave. How one book ties into another. Isaiah 9:6, long before the birth of Jesus, told of a child. A child that would be called the Prince of Peace. Peace - always, from the beginning, a part of God's plan.

Also in the Old Testament, the prophets knew. Micah told of a shepherd who would "stand in the strength of the Lord and the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And this shepherd would be our peace."

Prince of Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, because he was at peace with the plan God had for his life. And the peace, given by our Shepherd, is a lasting peace. This lasting peace is not like the short-term peace we feel from earthly pleasure.

Jesus offers peace so our hearts will not be troubled and we will not be afraid. This peace is forever! It is strong! It is ours!

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

The big question is where do we find peace? Are we at peace when we have oodles and oodles of money? Or someone to love us? Are we at peace when we have children? Or when we have a job? Or enough to eat? Or a place to live?

Yes, these all give peace. Sort of. The peace these give can so quickly be taken away or lost. If these are the only places, we find our peace, what happens when any of them fail?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

Dear Prince of Peace, I want the peace you offer at all times and in every way. _(ask for peace in your own words)__ Amen