March2020 | Kristi's Morning Devotional

With everything that has been in the news lately about the coronavirus and the stock market some have found it very hard to sleep well and maintain their peace.

Peace of mind – tranquil thoughts – going to your happy place! Generations have sought peace, inner peace, as if it were some sort of illusive butterfly! This isn’t something that is unique to the American populous and it has a been a problem for thousands of years; the prophet Isaiah talked it about long before Christ was born.

There is only ONE place where we will find real and lasting peace. When we focus our thoughts and attentions on God and His love; His provision and His strength, we find peace.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” Isaiah 26:3-4 KJV

Some key words in this verse; keep, stayed, trusteth. Keep – to hold on too; to preserve; to value. God is the one who does the keeping. Stayed – fixed; focused on; established; single-minded – we are the ones who are responsible for the staying. Trust – to believe in; confidence; hope; assurance; intimate knowledge – we are also the ones who do the trusting. However, the trusting part comes easier the more we keep our minds stayed on the Lord.

Another translation puts it this way:

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. 4 So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].” Isaiah 26:3-4 AMP

The long and short of it is this – is our mind at peace? Then we’re trusting God. Is our mind worried or in turmoil – then we’re not trusting God. It’s an easy thing to ascertain. The more we walk with God the easier it is to trust.

Maybe today we need to say like the man who wanted Jesus to heal his son. Jesus asked him if he believed and he answered “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” This father had so many years of “experience” with his son’s illness that he found it hard to believe but He also knew that Jesus was able to do miracles so he CHOSE to KEEP his mind STAYED on what God could do.

Peace is God’s gift to us. Once we receive it I guarantee we will be sleeping like a baby!

P.S. Just as a side note – I had this all written and ready to publish and it disappeared! I had a wonderful opportunity to “stay in peace” and I almost failed. Don’t let circumstances steal your peace – stay focused. God is faithful!

It takes time to build a relationship. Getting to know someone is an act of love; it is a commitment to hear their heart and give them a safe space to be who they are without criticism.

Do you have relationships like that? I hope so.

Think about the relationships you have built over the years. The ones that have stood the test of time and those that have failed. What is the difference between the two? I generally say it is the length of time and our ability to listen more than we talk.

I try to remember little things about my friends. Since one of my ways to build relationships is over food I try to remember the little things. The way they like their coffee (or if they like coffee at all), some friends don’t like green vegetables and others don’t like raw onions. Some are vegetarian and others only like meat and potatoes. That’s all surface stuff but when we listen to those things we prove that we are interested in them and they will open up and we can learn more.

We can learn things in casual conversation but it is in the deeper quality time that they can share their heart. Do they face struggles with self-esteem and worthiness? Are their issues from their past that still hurt today? Why do they pull back in certain situations and seem to withdraw for weeks at a time? Greatest joys and worst fears, when we are trusted with these we know we have reached their heart and we need to protect that confidence that has been placed in us.

At the same time, a good relationship is never one-sided. We have to be able to open up and share our hearts too. When we lived in Montana I had a friend and we did what we called a “walk and talk”. We were neighbors on a country road and we would walk a couple days a week and talk. In Iowa, I had a friend that shared morning prayer time with me; I loved that time. I have another friend that shares “morning coffee” with me even though we live 1400 miles apart; we email each morning and have for over nine years.

That’s why I enjoy my morning quiet times so much. It’s my time to “sit and talk” with my very best, life-long Friend. He and I talk, sometimes for hours, each day. I ask Him questions and He answers from His word. I learn about Him; his joys and his sorrows. He tells me honestly when I need to change or correct things that I’m doing. He’s always there no matter what. I love our times together – any time I want to talk He’s there.

“Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ ⁹and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. ¹⁰All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life.” Philippians 3:8-10a CEV

I encourage you to develop a “walk and talk” of your own. Deepen your friendship with the Lord and as a result, your other relationships will be strengthen as well.

Category: March2020

Sleeping Like A Baby

Building Relationships