Peace = Priority

Monday

Priority: Greatest Importance, the state of having most importance or urgency.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 3: 8, 9

The first thing you must do is make God number one in your mind; Just going through the motions means nothing if you don’t really believe it to be true. If you believe that you honestly want to change your ways, make a difference, live for God, (insert your goal here), then you have to know without a shadow of doubt that this is your life now.

Your new normal must include God each day.

Living for God does not mean that you have to walk around quoting scriptures and singing Hallelujahs. It does mean however that when going about your day, you focus on doing the “right thing”. WWJD – remember those wrist bands? What would Jesus do? While talking at the water cooler? While talking to a family member about a sensitive subject? While looking around on the internet? Sunday morning? With His money?

Making God a priority in your life is the first step to a peaceful life. Without inner peace, a person is anxious, confused and hurting. What do you choose? Peace or confusion?

Dear Lord, I am choosing to make You a priority in my life, please, help me to stay focused and make you a part of each day.

To read the sermon associated with this meditation:
http://www.northheartland.org/siteresources/apps/sermon/viewsermon.asp?id=75

Peace = Evolution

Tuesday

Evolution: The gradual development of something into a more complex or better form.

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalms 5:3

The process from the old you to the new you won’t be over night, but it will be real, if you allow it to be. Making a slight tweak to your life will produce the peacefulness you are searching for. Imagine an airplane that changes its’ course just a smidgen and ends up in a completely different place. All you have to do is change course slightly and you are on your way to a new and different way of life.

Directing your awareness toward God will command your attention each morning (and each evening and eventually all through the day). In the beginning, if you make a conscious effort to pray or read your bible every morning, you will be off to an extraordinary start. Mornings can be terribly busy, but what can you do the night before to give yourself just five minutes? Long enough to read a devotional pray and reflect on the day?

As you try this new way of life, you will not be perfect in the beginning, or ever. However, I assure you that as you make a concentrated effort to focus on God first thing, you will be a calmer, more peaceful version of “you”. Allow yourself, with Gods’ help to evolve to the person you long to be.

Lord, please give me the strength to continuously put Your first in my life, help me to plan each day so I will have the time to put You first.

Peace = Affirmation

Wednesday

A positive thought or statement affirming that a desired goal has been reached or is within reach.

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. Philippians 3:12

You honestly believe this new way of life is for you. You wake up each morning and look to God before all else. By doing this, you are affirming that you are evolving into a God centered person, making God the priority in your life.

Just like on a diet, if you make a mistake and don’t do exactly what you should be doing, don’t give up and don’t stop! Just start out on the right foot the next day, keeping your focus where it ought to be. The key is to do the best you can to keep the center of your life where it should be, with God.

As your soul cries out because of the hardships of life, continue to make the affirmation that God is the number one priority. As you continue to put Him first, the enemy will try to beat you down, he wants you to believe it’s not real and that your efforts won’t make a difference…..But let me assure you, your efforts WILL make a difference. Don’t stop, don’t give up, keep running the race for the One that made us.

The more you continue to affirm that God is in control, your daily life will become calmer and you will handle situations much better. The situation it’s self may not be perfect, but the way you process it in your mind will begin to take a peaceful course.

Lord, help me to look to You each day and process my issues through the view of Your eyes.

Peace = Culture

Thursday

A particular set of attitudes that characterize a group of people.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 2: 22 – 24

What is the culture in your home? Do you have any control over it? Actually, you do. You want the culture in your home and/or your work place to be one of calmness for you and those around you. If you continue on your plan to put God first, your reactions will turn into responses, clearly thought out and helpful, instead of hurtful. If you are dealing with chaotic craziness every where you turn, learn to be the calming effect where ever you go.

Changing the culture you are in is one step to living in the Peace of God, the Shalom that God intended for us to have. Your mind and your surroundings can be a tranquil place to be if you make a concentrated effort. Nope, you do not have any control over the people around you, but you DO have control over how you respond to outside influences, thus, allowing you some control over the culture around you.

Feel like screaming sometimes? The Word of God is known to give LIFE, use God’s word when you want to scream or crawl in a hole and disappear. Speak the Word of God (or life) silently to yourself and pray for God’s consoling power to replace the anger, sorrow or hopelessness that is at times, over powering. God can and will help you change the culture you live in.

Dear Lord, I long to live in Shalom, a peaceful environment. Teach me and help me to stay calm in every situation. Remind me to look to You before I respond.

Peace = Eternity

Friday

Beliefs or ideas about life that are conceived as being timeless

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

God’s plan is for us to live in Shalom for Eternity. Obviously, we can not be “there” continuously until we join Him. However, through decisions we make every day, we can choose to live a life that is closer to Shalom than we ever dreamed. You CAN do it, but you have to want to and strive to.

Commitment doesn’t always come easy. It’s hard to always do the right thing, our carnal bodies want everything OUR way and right NOW! With God’s power, you can make the right decisions.

Your eternity with God can start as soon as you choose for it to, meaning; you have the power to start living His way now. Living for God is not a casual experience that you think about “sometimes”. You have to treat God like a family member…….how often do you think of your own child/parent/spouse/sibling? How often do you think of your friends’ child/parent/spouse/sibling? See the difference? You must treat God as someone in your immediate family, always in the forefront of your mind. By doing this, your Shalom (Peace) can start today.

Dear God, I want to live for You, I choose to live for You. I love and adore you Lord and will put your first in all my days.

To read the sermon associated with this meditation:http://www.northheartland.org/siteresources/apps/sermon/viewsermon.asp?id=75