Happy Monday to you all. Today school began to feel the intensity of the upcoming TAKS test tomorrow. Students, teacher and administrators are most likely not sleeping well tonight due to testing tomorrow. It is truly a high pressure day. Please offer up an extra prayer for students, educators and school administrators tonight and tomorrow. Thanks!

Psalm 29:11 says, “The Lord blesses His people with peace.”

Do you know what peace is? I mean real peace. Peace is not the absence of conflict. True peace is having the assurance that when conflict, difficulty, fear and distress happen… God is there. God, in His Word, promises and assures us that He will be with us in every moment of our day. My meditation reading really helped me to understand more fully about “God’s peace.” Max Lucado says, “ worry comes from the Greek word that means to divide the mind.” Dividing our minds causes us to become “double-minded” thinkers. Double- minded thinkers keep one foot on earth and one foot in heaven. Double minded thinkers “ride the fence.”

Are we double minded thinkers? I am a double minded thinker sometimes. I am a double minded thinker when I think I can do something better than God. When I think “my way” is the better way instead of listening to my heavenly Father and obediently following His will for my life. Being double minded depletes our power source. Our strength is divided and our energy is wasted. Remember God’s efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless. Being a double minded thinker is no way to have a life filled with God’s peace.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.” Philippians 4:7 says, “And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Peace in Christ takes two parts; our part and God’s part. Our part is to stop worrying, pray and then give thanks. When we do our part we are trusting God to meet our needs and let Him do His work and will in us. We must move out of the way so He can bless us with His peace. When we do our part then we will keep our hearts and minds set on Jesus Christ. God’s peace comes to us when we empty ourselves of our worry and let God have our cares. When we empty ourselves of those things that are not godly then He can fill us with His blessings of peace. So friends, pray, ask, give thanks and receive God’s peace.

Take joy in the journey. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.