Discuss: 1) What are your thoughts about our call to help bring peace—shalom—to our world? Is it overwhelming to you or does it excite you? 2) Thank God for the gift of His peace and love. Ask Him to show you ways you can reach out to people with a heart to bring peace to your community and culture.
Introduction Peter leads a large group of disciples to an isolated (perhaps secretive) meeting where Jesus will once again give them their marching orders. Then they make their way back to Jerusalem to await the coming Holy Spirit as the movement switches into its...
Introduction After rising from the dead, Jesus appears to His disciples on several occasions. Paul lists the appearances in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. He appeared to many people individually — to His leaders on several occasions and even to a group of disciples numbering...
1) I feel both overwhelmed and excited. I’m excited because I want to see more of God’s peace around me, but overwhelmed because I feel like I don’t have a lot of extra capacity to do things outside my role as a mom and wife. But this reminds me of what my dad always said to me “It’s not that you don’t have time, it’s that you don’t prioritize it.” The Lord continues to convict me about the usage of my time now that I seemingly have less of it. What do I spend my days doing? Am I wasting precious minutes “relaxing” on my phone, when I could be doing something else that is actually more life-giving to myself and others?
2) Thank you Lord for your peace and love. Forgive me for not prioritizing spreading your peace and love. I pray that you reveal to me where I need to put my energy and time. Convict my soul and bring me to action. In your name, Amen.
I think we should be one to bring peace shalom and compassion to our world and be a light to the world. It doesn’t necessarily excite me I think it just feels very mundane. Almost boring like. Like I’m too lazy to do that. I don’t care for others that much so my heart posture needs to change. God I thank you for the love that You have provided for me. I ask that You give me a heart to love Your people more and to bring peace to everyone around us. Amen.
(from Charlie)
The few times when I actually was able to have meaningful impact in someone lives, I felt so good about it that it makes me feel guilty 🙂. If I can be in anyway a part in such work I think it would be incredibly rewarding. When I read about how others made such great impact in the world, I wonder how I can be like that but I just feel that I’m not that capable – without God help, I definitely am not able but maybe God will be graceful and grant me the opportunity to participate in His redemptive works.
Lord you are already so graceful to me and blessed me with not just earthly materials but the recent peace I feel now. Your peace is true peace beyond anything I could have gained on my own. I am trying my best to share that peace with others but even in that I need Your help. Please speak through me to those You chose so that I can bring that peace to them. I pray always for You to grant the same peace You gave me to everyone around me including my family and friends and to anyone I happened by. That peace bring true joy and I want to more than anything to share that abundance!
1. It’s really exciting to see and hear that God has chosen us to help bring peace to our world, and it encourages me to keep preaching the Gospel and being involved in the Great Commission.
2. Dear God, thank you for the peace and the love that You have given me this past year. A lot of things have happened that have been stressing me out, but thank You for giving me the peace through those situations. Help me to continue reaching out to people and the heart to bring peace to the community whether it’s through church, Cru, and evangelism. I pray all these things in Jesus Name, Amen.
I believe we are to be like Jesus. We need to be the light of the world and we are to be different. The world tells us to stand us for ourselves but we are to stand up for God. To live like Jesus with love and grace. So I would say it is more exciting than overwhelming. Lord, thank you for your peace and love for us and how we are to live it out. Please show me how to be a light to the people around me. In Jesus name, Amen
Niki
1. I like this…
“The epic story of the Bible is one of redemption and shalom. The very reason God sent His Son to Earth was to reconcile us back into a loving relationship with Him, and restore peace-shalom— in that relationship and all others. He offers us shalom within ourselves, with those around us, and with creation.” It’s a sad reality of sin and how it affects our relationships with God and others. Grateful that through Christ relationships can be restored with God and others. It is exciting to how God will restore peace through us as we mend relationships and serve to meet each other needs. Can be overwhelming and frustrating when my heart does not have compassion for others who don’t deserve it.
2. Thank you God for reminding me of your gift of peace and love. Forgive us for being comfortable and indulgent with the things you’ve blessed us with. Help me to have your heart of compassion to those who are in need. Help me to be an instrument of peace with the surrounding community so that they will see your love for them. I look forward to day when relationships are restored and we experience your true peace in our hearts. In Jesus name amen.
(Brandon)
My thoughts on being called to help bring peace to our world is it is both exciting and overwhelming. I’m excited that I’m being called to make the world a better place. It gives me a sense of purpose. I love trying to make a difference in this world. But I am also overwhelmed because I’m scared that I might fail at this and make things worse. I know that as a single person I can’t make too much of a difference but even then I can mess up the lives of others through my actions. I thank God for the gift of His peace and love. I ask that He can show me ways at which I can reach out and help others with my heart to bring peace to the community and culture.
1) I think it is both overwhelming and excites me. I’m excited because I can have the opportunity to serve God which is such an honor and privilege. However, I’m overwhelmed because I’m not sure what His Pease looks like. Only God knows and He already has a plan.
2) Dear Heavenly Father,
I am grateful for this beautiful life that you have given me. Thank you for your unwavering love and the gift of peace that comes from you. Please show me how I can reach out to people, serve them, and bring peace to their lives. Thank you for everything. Amen.
The call to help bring peace to our world sounds both overwhelming and exciting. Overwhelming in the sense of facing the sin but exciting of how we can help God’s Kingdom and help those in need, the unlikeable, the marginalized, etc. I want to be able to use the blessings God has given me to give back instead of being selfish. The question is how can I apply that action and truth as stated in the reading. Words mean nothing without action and truth backing it up. Lord please help me to overcome my old self and bad habits and strive towards You. Strive to love the ones that society rejects. To put aside my selfish desires to put myself first and give with the blessings You have given me. Please reveal to me how I can help my community and the people outside of my community. To obey and lean on You always to overcome the sin within me and in this world. Amen