peace

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

- John 14:27 (NKJV)

 

It has been a crazy week; I am happy to see Saturday arrive.
Over the years, Saturday mornings were my favorite time because I could wake up without an alarm, grab a cup of coffee and settle in to just soak in the peace.
Peace can mean different things, it can be quiet in a world of turmoil, it can be freedom from the pain of disease or addiction, it can be a simple touch when we are lonely.
For some, peace is a secluded spot on a sandy beach, listening to the waves crash on the shore.

For others it is deep in the forest where birds can be heard singing and calling.

I am at peace when I feel safe, warm, quiet.
Life can be stressful at times; it can be very overwhelming. 

Some people look for peace in their friends or family, or they immerse themselves in their work.

But they don’t find peace there.
With our cell phones, social media, and the constant availability of news, we can quickly lose any peace that we have.
But the kind of peace that Jesus is talking about in this verse is a little different.

In the time that Jesus walked the earth, when you said your goodbyes to people, it was essential that you also wished them peace.

So here we have Jesus, He has just told His disciples that He would be leaving them, so really, He was saying goodbye, yet comforting them.

You see, “peace” of the world kind of means lacking conflict – those quiet secluded places that we run to? We go there because there is no conflict.

The peace that Jesus offers is forgiving and protects us while we are in a world full of conflict.

Jesus tells us that He will give us peace, and with that we have nothing to fear.  

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

freedom

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

- Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

 

I have used this verse on July 4^th for several years.
It seems fitting that while the United States is celebrating 248 years of independence from England, we look at a verse about freedom.
First and foremost, let me remind us all that freedom isn’t free – thank you to all Veterans for fighting for our country.
Thank you to the ones who came home to find a changed world that did not appreciate their service.
Thank you to the ones who came home with anxiety or PTSD from the things they saw while serving.
Thank you to the ones who didn’t come home at all or came home to realize that they could no longer deal with their demons.
I appreciate each and every person that served, that sacrificed for our freedom. 
But are we truly free? 
In my honest opinion, we are not, things have changed drastically in the past 248 years.
The United States is no longer under the rule of the King of England, but we still seem to have a tyrannical government in place.
 According to Britannica dot com, “The best-known definition of tyranny comes from Aristotle’s Politics: ‘Any sole ruler, who is not required to give an account of himself, and who rules over subjects all equal or superior to himself to suit his own interest and not theirs, can only be exercising a tyranny.’”
Obviously, our government doesn’t have a sole ruler, but I sure see a lot of leaders that are not required to give an account of themselves.
We aren’t even truly free in the Biblical sense, because even in the U.S. we are still being restricted on sharing our faith.
We no longer pray in public. 
We no longer display any kind of faith in our communities. 
We no longer have the right to make decisions for our selves or our families without fear of retribution from the government or the masses of people that disagree with our choices.
We no longer have the freedom to stand up and show the world who we are. 
I believe that we have sadly become burdened again, but this time it is a different yoke of slavery.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

good leaders

If a man cannot be a good leader in his own home, how can he lead the church?

- 1 Timothy 3:5 (NLV)

 

There are leaders everywhere, at our work, in lines, in traffic, in politics in family, in businesses and in the church.
Organizations thrive under good leadership, and they fail when they have bad leadership.
I remember growing up my mother’s famous phrase was “if <insert name> jumps off the bridge are you going to follow?”.
You would be surprised at how many do follow bad leaders, on the internet there is a list of history’s five worst leaders and they all had a huge following.
When people apply for a job, the hiring manager will go to great lengths to find out what kind of person the candidate is, both personally and professionally.
It’s too bad that the candidates don’t have the same luxury of finding out what kind of leader they will be working under.

If you are in leadership, I challenge you to look around.
If you are a leader in business, are your people happy or have several people left since you took your leadership role?
If you are the leader in your family, is your home a pleasant place to be, do people want to visit you, or do they stay away?
How about your church, has the attendance dropped significantly, or do visitors join shortly after their first visit?
What about the organization that you lead, is it thriving and growing, or is membership on a downward spiral?
Churches, businesses, restaurants, organizations all have leadership and if that leadership is poor, well, people will avoid them.
If you aren’t a good leader, maybe you should step down and let someone else take the reins.

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

into the fire

If we are thrown into the fire, our God Whom we serve is able to save us from it.

- Daniel 3:17a (NLV)

 

How is it that people are able to praise God through some of the roughest and most terrible times of their lives?
I’ve watched close friends and family deal with job loss, relocation, medical issues, tragic accidents, all sorts of craziness.

And still they worship God.
They stand strong in their faith and they tell everyone what an amazing God they serve.
Outwardly they do not show signs of not trusting Him, because inwardly they trust Him with everything.
To have faith and trust like that is truly amazing. 
Tasha Layton and Chris Brown released the song “Worship Through It” this year, it kind of hits the nail on the head.
This looks impossible

But You're the God of impossible

And I've seen your faithfulness all over my life

I need a miracle

And You're the God of miracles

Some way, somehow You come through every time

I know my God can do it

So, I'm gonna worship through it

Before I see my breakthrough

I'm gonna choose to praise You

I will sing hallelujah to the one

Who can do what the world says can't be done

I know my God can do it

So, I'm gonna worship through it

In the middle of my no way out

In the middle of my don't know how

I hear You whisper to me peace be still

This is why I believe

You will deliver me

You always have and you always will

You always have and you always will

I won't wait til the rocks cry out

I'm gonna praise You

I won't wait till the walls come down

I'm gonna praise You

(Gonna) Lift my hands right here, right now

I'm gonna praise You

Oh God I praise You!
Dude. 
Worship through the pain, worship through the sadness, the sickness, the grief and the disappointment.
Worship through it. 
You may not get the outcome you wanted, but God will carry you through. 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

I’m disappointed

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth — praise to our God; many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord.

- Psalm 40:1-3 (NKJV)

 

It’s disappointing when things don’t go the way we wish they would go.
This past Friday morning I washed my cell phone – literally, I put it in the washing machine, and it went through a wash cycle and had started the rinse cycle before I realized where it was and retrieved it.
How I did not destroy my phone, I will never know, I am chalking it up to the grace of God.
Honestly, that should have been my first clue that the day was not going to go according to my plan, but then who am I to make plans anyway?

I needed to leave my house at 1pm for an event a few hours away, but again, I kept hitting roadblocks and did not leave until two hours later.
I never made it to my destination. 

Road construction on the interstate had us delayed by at least another hour as we sat in non-moving traffic.
Finally on the way, we had an hour and twenty minutes left of our drive and “pop”, we blew a tire on our RV.
It wasn’t just the tire though, it never is with an RV, the pieces of tire pushed off the panel where our electric hookups are, completely separating the wiring from the housing.
It was the trip that would not happen. 
I was so disappointed; I was looking forward to the adventure with a group of friends exploring an area on our ATVs.
So, I did what I always do, I used Google to find comfort in the Bible. 

“Come to Jesus Christ with your disappointment, trusting Him to meet you and change your heart”.

This wording referenced Psalm 40:1-3.
I tried very hard to not let the disappointment overtake me, but it was tough. 
In my mind I heard all the quotes about how things happen for a reason, and how God had other plans, but it didn’t make me feel better, I was still disappointed.
I knew I’d be fine, that I would move past it, but for the rest of Friday and most of Saturday, I was just disappointed.
Fortunately, things turned around and Saturday night, while not what I had planned, we had fun with a different group of friends and Sunday we were able to celebrate the 7^th birthday of a very special little girl.
It just goes to prove that we should indeed trust God, He did put a new song in my mouth.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

hurt people

So then, stop doing anything to hurt others. Don’t lie anymore, and stop trying to fool people. Don’t be jealous or say bad things about others.

- 1 Peter 2:1 (ERV)

 

There is not one person out there that has not heard or experienced someone being mean, sometimes we have been the mean one.

Women can be especially guilty of falling into the “mean girl” role, the thought that tearing another down would elevate themselves, this started a horrible trend.

Over the years I have come to realize that when we are hurt, it is in our nature to lash out and hurt others.
Dave Frey from Sidewalk Prophets said this in an interview: 
“It’s easy to fight hurt with hurt. We sometimes hide behind our tough words, sarcasm, pettiness, and meanness. But all these responses steer us away from what we really want — HEALING. Hurt people, hurt people, but only the grace and love of Christ will heal our hearts”
Sidewalk Prophets released their song Hurt People just this year:
Aches & pains, we pass them on

Kids in school, dads and moms

Sharper words, the swords we draw

Pointing out each other's flaws

We give our all, try and fail

Busted dreams, empty sails

Force a smile, pretend we're strong

The war inside keeps marching on

I know, oh oh

Hurt people

Hurt people

Broken hearts

Break hearts

Life bruises unequal

Everyone fights a battle that's hard

Grace where grace is needed

No matter who you are

Hurt people

Hurt people

But love will heal our hearts

We carry all our bitterness

And crave to know what better is

Compassion, just a little bit

Opens a mind, and changes it

Oh God, help me see now

Hurt people

...

I'm sorry

For the way I've been

I'm sorry

For the words I said

And things I did

Forgive me

Hurt people

...

But Love will heal our hearts

We all struggle, we all face challenges and I think we have all been in a place where others have hurt us.
But we don’t have to hurt others in return. 

When we walk the “mean girl” path, we are closing ourselves off from walking in the fullness of God, and why would we do or say something that would prevent us from knowing and loving Him fully?

Stop the trend, don’t be mean.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

my plans

We were already chosen to be God’s own children by Christ. This was done just like the plan He had.

- Ephesians 1:11 (NLV)

 

I love planning.
To clarify, I love having a plan that organizes me and provides me with steps that need to be accomplished to meet a goal.
I think this was instilled in me as far back as middle school when teachers encouraged us to create or buy planners to keep track of projects and assignments that were due.
My love for planners was deepened when I participated in a Franklin Covey training course that focused on time management and the essential organizing tool – the planner.
I have evolved over the years from the middle school student planner to a blank notebook, and yes, a Franklin Planner, to the electronic planner that I use now.
I don’t think that God has a planner where He records His daily tasks (although that would be cool to look at), but I do believe that He has a plan for each of us.
As a matter of fact, I know this to be true, because He tells us several times in the Bible that He knows why He made us and what He has in store for us.
God chose us, we have His great love throughout our lives on earth, He is working things out in ways we do not see.

God planned on us, we were pre-planned, His perfect creation.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible