That was Freckles. Wasn’t she cute? She was such a cool cat – a weird cat – aren’t they all, but cool. Freckles showed up at our house years ago with a too tight collar around her neck. It took weeks to coax her to come close enough so we could grab her and cut the collar off. It then took more weeks and free food to get her to let us get close to her again.
She was a very loving cat, as far as cats go, but she was the most skittish cat we’d ever met. One minute she was on the porch eating and the next thing you know she was running like a mad-cat because we opened the door, because a car drove by, because we spoke in too loud a voice, because we looked at her. She was the most jittery cat, you know, afraid of her own shadow, a true scaredy cat. I felt bad for her. When she was not sleeping, she was apprehensive, anxious and, yep you guessed it, nervous as a cat. You wouldn’t know from that peaceful position what was really going on inside that tiny cat brain. I’ve said before people are a lot like chickens, we’re a lot like horses, we’re a lot like the worst-best, and I’ve decided people are a lot like Freckles. We’re skittish, fearful, anxious, apprehensive, nervous-nellies, all the while our façade, our outward appearance, is confident, calm, peaceful.
Peace is not the outward opposite of the inward anxiety.
Next on our journey through the fruit of the Spirit is Peace. Do we have a Spirit of Peace or a Spirit of Frantic, a Spirit of Turmoil, a Spirit of Anxiousness, a Spirit of Unrest? This one is a toughy. Let’s explore. What does peace mean, what is peace, what does peace look like, where do we get us some of that? We know the answer to that, right? The only right answer when you don’t know the answer and even when you do – Jesus! Let’s check out the red letters.
I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27
Well, there’s the answer to all those questions, right? Isn’t it funny sometimes when we get answers to our questions and we still don’t understand the answer? We don’t quite grasp the idea? We have trouble envisioning it much less obtaining it, right? We all want to be peace-filled and feel peaceful, right? So much so that we try a zillion different things to obtain it. We’re anxious, we buy. We’re anxious, we eat. We’re anxious, we over schedule. We’re anxious, we talk too much. We’re anxious, we spend too much. We’re anxious, we over habit. We’re anxious, we over hobby. We’re anxious, we overindulge. Here’s our problem – us! We think peace is something we can obtain, we can make happen, we can think positive enough about and it comes into being, and we just can’t. There’s only one place to get peace – Jesus – always the right answer. Look at John 14:26.
…the Holy Spirit –
he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.
That’s what Paul was talking about in Galatians 5:22 – when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, the fruit of peace is produced. Peace can only be produced by the Holy Spirit living within us. Any attempt by us to try to satisfy our overwhelming desire for peace is futile, temporary and sinful. When we try to satisfy our own aching desires for peace, we’re relying on self and not on God. Peace can only come from Jesus.
Wednesday
Read Matthew 28:9 from the Good News. Spend time today in peaceful prayer at the feet of Jesus. Confess to God the ways you’ve been trying to obtain peace on your own. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and teach you and fill you with the full measure of God’s peace.
Thursday
Read Philippians 4:6-7. What is Paul’s solution for worrying less? Write down ways to stop the worry before it starts. Write down a description of the kind of peace that God gives. What does transcend mean?
Friday
Read Isaiah 55. What is the theme of this Chapter? What does the Word of the Lord produce? Look at the figurative reaction of creation. What do the mountains and the fields do?
Saturday
Read Isaiah 48:17-18. Peace and righteousness are linked together in these verses. Do we have peace like a river? Living in a right relationship with Jesus produces peace. How so? Look for scriptures that describe the results of a right relationship with Jesus.
Sunday
Read 1 Peter 5:7. We carry so many things around in our backpacks that weigh us down and prevent us from the peace that can only come from the Spirit. What are we carrying around that prevent us from having the complete peace that God intends for us? What do we need to get rid of – confess, forgive, move on, let go, let God?
Monday
Read 2 Corinthians 4. List some of the ways we are pressed, we are knocked down, and we suffer, Check out verse 18, specifically. What are we to fix our eyes on? What are we to focus on? How is our desire for peace satisfied? A beautiful reminder on how to never lose focus.
Tuesday
Read Psalm 29:11. Where does our strength come from? Where do we get Peace?