Just a Minute Devotional #25
Cultivating peacefulness
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, NIV)
In the book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of the time she and her family were put into a concentration camp for hiding Jewish people during the Nazi Holocaust.
The faith exhibited by Corrie left an indelible impression on me. Like a modern-day Paul writing from a prison cell, through hunger, suffering, humiliation, and pain, there was an underlying strength of peace in her heart.
Could we learn a lesson?
Are you going through a difficult time? What is robbing you of joy?
When we constantly live in fear, hate, lust, defeat, or cynicism, to name a few, it strengthens those neuro-pathway patterns in our brains.
How can we break this chain and cultivate pathways of peacefulness?
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 is the clue for breaking that cycle. Yielding our hearts to God in thanksgiving, prayer, and rejoicing, we nurture those pathways in our brains more, and the more we nurture those pathways, the more they grow.
If we lack the faith to do this, ask the one who is greater than all your pain. It may not be easy initially, but we must remember that . . .
This is God’s will concerning you!
Give thanks and get peace! We may still have turmoil, but the turmoil will not have us.
Prayer:
In this challenging time, Lord, help me to have a spirit of thankfulness. Amen
