Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 20:1-5
Prov 20:1-5
1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. 2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. 3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. 4 The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. 5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Rom 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Eph 4:2-3
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. NIV
God wants his children to live in peace. This begins with peace with God, which can only be found in Jesus Christ. When we come to Christ and give our lives to him, he will be in us, and we will be at peace with God. The disruption of peace is caused by the guilt of sin in our hearts. But in Christ our sins are all forgiven, so our peace with him is restored. There is no condemnation for those in Christ.
When we are at peace with God, we find that we are at peace with ourselves. This gives us a joy that is beyond description because it is deeper than what happens to us on a daily basis or the circumstances that surround us. Our joy comes from deep within and it gives us peace in the midst of turmoil, or even persecution. We have the Spirit of God in us, and he is our promise of eternal life with Christ.
Our peace is important to God. The word peace is found 94 times in the ESV New Testament. On several occasions when Jesus was reunited with his disciples, his greeting to them was “peace be with you”. Many of the books either begin or end (or both) with a greeting of peace. This is why Paul says that we are to be at peace with everybody, as much as it depends on us. In our reading, he says we are to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. In Christ we are all united in one family and it is our job to (maintain) keep this unity.
O Lord God, thank you for your love for me, for your mercy and your grace that allows me to be forgiven of my sin against you. Thank you for the joy and the peace that floods my soul when I consider what forgiveness does for me, both now and in eternity. Help me to be at peace with others by being a peacemaker and not stirring up strife. Help me always speak the truth in love. Give your peace to those who are struggling with pain, sickness, or grief in their hearts and lives. I pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Robert
