The Path to Peace

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification. – (Romans 14:19, NIV)

So let’s try as hard as we can to do what will bring peace. Let’s do whatever will help each other grow stronger in faith. – (Romans 14:19, ERV)

So then, make it your top priority to live a life of peace with harmony in your relationships, eagerly seeking to strengthen and encourage one another. – (Romans 14:19, TPT)

 

If we each were to make living a life of peace and harmony with one another our priority, eagerly seeking to strengthen and encourage each other, imagine the communities in which we would all live. The beautiful thing about this decision is that it begins with us, individually. When just one person makes an intentional choice to operate out of a space of love, their approach is contagious to all whom are touched by their life. Though I am one, I know that I will try even harder to live life accordingly. Life is precious, and not one of us knows the number of our days. Every single day matters, and bad moments do not need make for bad days. Yes, there are difficult seasons, as my present one has been one of the most challenging of my life so far, yet there has been joy in every day, and blessings that have unfolded before me. God is good, even in the trials, and our charge is to love and encourage those around us. As we take our eyes off of self and look outward, suddenly we are better able to see the beauty all around us. He knows, and His design and intention for us to live at peace, in harmony with each other, is how the world is meant to work best. May we ever seek Him to grant us the grace and strength to encourage and strengthen those around us, choosing peace and kindness over the desire to be “right”.

As for mom, yesterday was an extraordinarily busy day of visiting and “farewells for now”. The morning began with a visit from two dear friends from church, who helped begin her day with sweet encouragement as they shared life together. Shortly after they had gone, mom’s best friend June, arrived with lunch and gorgeous photos of her brand-new grandson to share. I know the time went far too quickly for mom’s liking, but she did show June her hall-walking and her new mastery of the front porch steps during her visit, as she was strengthened and encouraged in her presence. Then, a mere twenty minutes after June had gone, a terrific pair of mom’s neighbors arrived for a bon voyage visit. They came bearing snacks and gifts, and added to the encouragement for mom. By the close of our time together, mom was ready to relax and retreat a bit. Seated in the living room with her feet up, she simply smiled and soaked it all in as she half-watched a movie. We continued to work on items on her checklist to prepare for her time in Oregon, which I believe is bringing more peace in her heart about the impending move. Though she wishes she could remain in her own community with her friends, she knows that she needs to gain strength in order to return to independent living. My sister, brother-in-love, and nephews, are working tirelessly as well, to ensure that their home in Oregon will be a place of peace, encouragement and strengthening for mom.

May we ever seek our Savior to empower us to live at peace and in harmony with one another, granting us the grace to encourage and strengthen each other, so that all of us might be our best selves unto the world.

 

May we choose seek peace,

Photo by Dee Jones of Open Door Photography ❤

Live in harmony;

Prefer each other,

Exist lovingly.

Use encouragement,

Whenever we can;

Seek build others up,

For it is God’s plan.

In all things choose love,

It is the best way;

We’ve been created,

To give love away.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You call us to a life of peace and harmony with one another. Thank You that You instruct us to encourage and strengthen each other. Thank You that You have the perfect design for how we ought to live. Forgive us for every time that we have chosen anything that strays away from Your design. Teach us to trust and rely on You to lead us to live a life of peace and harmony with each other. Show us how to love those around us in a way that strengthens and encourages all whom we encounter. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You to lead us in a life of peace that builds others up around us. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Hope Overflows

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, NIV)

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in Him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. – (Romans 15:13, ERV)

I pray that God, the Source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power of the Holy Spirit.  – (Romans 15:13, VOICE)

 

God, who is our hope, is the giver of joy and peace as we trust in Him. The more we trust, the more His hope flows through us to pass it on. Hope can be contagious. As His hope is made evident in us, others too, discover hope to which they may hold. May we ever pray that He who is hope, will infuse the lives of those around us with abundant joy and peace, so that they too may lay hold of the hope that is found in Christ alone.

 

Let hope fill our hearts,

As great joy and peace;

Come forth as we trust,

His grace is released.

We’ll find more and more,

Our loving God gives;

Hope overflowing,

All we need to live.

And not to survive,

But in Him, live well;

Hope in abundance,

While in Him we dwell.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the God of all hope who grants us joy and peace as we trust in You. Thank You that hope is contagious. Forgive us for not digging in when hope is difficult. Teach us to trust You more, so that we may ever be holders of hope. Show us how to love those around us in a way that extends the glorious hope that we know to all. May many come into a lasting relationship with You, recognizing the joy and peace that accompany Your hope alone. Be glorified O God, as we hope in You forever. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in You. – Psalm 25:21

 

 

Conveyors of Calm

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – (Colossians 3:15, NIV) 

Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful. – (Colossians 3:15, ERV) 

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. – (Colossians 3:15, MSG) 

 

We need God and we need each other. Humans are not created to take on the trials that life brings on our own. God grants us His peace as we seek Him and provides people to walk beside us if we choose to invest in community as we are called. Additionally, one of the greatest conveyors of calm in the midst of chaos is to begin to express our gratitude for the good in our lives. Suddenly, even in the middle of a storm, we find our hearts holding peace. As we set our sight on that which is secure and He who endures, the temporary trials become less overwhelming. May we seek the Lord and His peace as we walk in gratitude together with the people He has purposefully placed in our lives. 

 

O Lord let Your peace, 

Photo by Dee Jones of Open Door Photography ❤

Come reign in our hearts; 

Lead us side-by-side, 

As strength You impart. 

Help us to give thanks, 

Despite what we see; 

For true gratitude, 

Sets anxiousness free. 

Help us to trust You, 

On Your strength depend; 

Walk with each other, 

And Your peace extend. 

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You rule in the hearts of all who seek You. Thank You that You call us to peace together as one body. Thank You that we were created for community. Thank You that gratitude combats fear and anxiousness and sets our hearts on what truly matters. Forgive us for allowing what we see to dictate how we respond, rather than trusting You and what we know to be true. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would walk together in gratitude, ever pursuing Your peace. Show us how to love those around us well, so that peace and thankfulness become contagious. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You thanks that You are the God of peace who rules in our hearts and provides us with community and reason to give You praise for all of our days. Amen. 

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness. – Psalm 145:7

Let Love Prevail

And do everything with love. – (1 Corinthians 16:14, NLT)

Do everything in love. – (1 Corinthians 16:14, ERV)

Love without stopping. – (1 Corinthians 16:14, MSG)

Let love prevail in your life, words, and actions. – (1 Corinthians 16:14, VOICE)

 

Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians is a call that is still asked of us today. Now, more than ever, we need to operate out of a place that is motivated by love. If love alone were to determine what we do and say, imagine how much gentler and kinder our surroundings would become. This should not merely be something to imagine, rather it needs to be something that we bring to fruition. It begins with a choice. One word. One deed. One intentional action motivated by love, rather than by selfishness. As we operate out of selflessness, and choose to see the needs of others first, the atmosphere of an area begins to change. Kindness is contagious, and love extended, often comes back in a gentle return. May we choose to do everything in love, for His love shall prevail in our lives, our words and our actions, as we seek the Lord to direct our steps.

 

May all that we do,

Be done with His love;

There’s nothing greater,

To help overcome.

So let love prevail,

In life, word and deed;

Love without stopping,

Help give where there’s need.

In places of hurt,

Still governed by pain;

Gently extend love,

So they’ll rise again.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You call us to love as we are loved by You. Thank You that You love us without ceasing. Thank You that You do not call us to do anything that You are not also willing to equip and empower us to do. Forgive us for withholding love or for placing conditions on who, when or where we choose to give love. Teach us to trust You more, as You ask us to love without stopping, just as You love us. Show us how to love those around us with our life, words and actions, so that they may know the depth and breadth of Your love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we look to You to let love prevail in our lives, words and deeds. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

When times are good, be happy. – Ecclesiastes 7:14

Go Shine

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness. – (John 12:46, NIV)

I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in Me won’t stay any longer in the dark. – (John 12:46, MSG)

 

Without Christ, we are stuck in the darkness of our own sin. Christ came so that we might have Light and life and truth. When we believe in Him, darkness must flee, for light and dark cannot dwell together. Light illuminates the darkness. Just as a small nightlight can make a world of difference for a little child on a dark night, so too can one person who bears the light of Christ, in a dark world. When we let our light shine, darkness disappears. Kindness, goodness, generosity and grace are contagious. One spark of compassion can ignite an entire community to do likewise. May we go forth in His light and be sparks, allowing His love to fan our words and deeds into a blaze.

 

May we seek to be,

Sparks that fan to flame;

As we honor Christ,

Glorify His Name.

Light dispels darkness,

In practical ways;

With kindness and grace,

That we give away.

Our great example,

Known throughout the earth;

Chose to love and serve,

And grant us great worth.

May we do likewise,

Go forth and be light;

Love as we are loved,

And choose do what’s right.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You sent Your Son into the world to be light and life and love. Thank You that through Him, we can have life abundant in You. Forgive us for remaining hidden in the darkness of our own shame and sin, rather than allowing Your light to shine into the dark spaces to bring light and life where it is needed most. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would invite You to shine brightest in the places that are the darkest. Show us how to love others well, so that we may shine the light of Your hope before them through our kindness and care. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we allow Your light to shine through us wherever we go. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness. – Psalm 145:7