HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 250
page A248
Peace continued
There are many ways to have short-term contentment, or what we think is contentment,
but genuine peace is found only in a trusting relationship with the Lord.
• J O H N 1 4 :2 7 | “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give
is a gift the world cannot give.”
Peace of mind and heart come from inviting God—the source of peace—to live in you,
helping you to understand that this world is only temporary. Then you can navigate through
any chaos, because you know God is ultimately in control. To find this harmony with God,
you must ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and make you clean in God’s sight.
• 1 T I MOT H Y 6 :6 -7 | Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we
brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us
when we leave it.
Peace comes from a proper perspective of eternity. It is not how much you accumulate on
earth but how much you send ahead to heaven. Who you are goes with you to eternity;
what you have stays here. When you realize that there is more to life than your time on
earth, you approach your life on earth differently.
• PSA L M 9 0 :1 4 | Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to
the end of our lives.
Real peace comes from the assurance that God loves you unconditionally. Nothing you do
can make him love you more and nothing you do can make him love you less.
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• H E B R E W S 1 3 :5 | Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
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Peace settles in your heart when you meditate on God’s presence in your life and commit
yourself to his priorities. The richest people on earth, in material terms, are impoverished
if they do not know God or have not experienced the blessing of a personal relationship
with him.
• G E NE S I S 3 3 :9 | “My brother, I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for
yourself.”
Forgiving those who have wronged us is a key to peace and contentment.
• PH I L I P P I A NS 4 :1 1 -1 3 | I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know
how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in
every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can
do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
When contentment depends on things going your way, you become unhappy when things
don’t. When contentment comes from watching Jesus meet your needs, you are secure
and happy because he is teaching you to discern the valuable things in life from the
distractions.
• L U K E 1 4 :3 3 | “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”
• MAT T H E W 5 :3 | “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the
Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
Peace comes when you are willing to give up everything for God. Only then are you truly
free to rest in the peace and security God offers. Contentment is not how much you have;
it’s what you do for God with what you have.
How can I make peace with God?
• PSA L M 3 4 :1 4 | Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
• R O MA NS 2 :1 0 | But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good.
• L E V I T I C U S 3 :1 -1 7 | “If you present an animal from the herd as a peace offering to the
Lord . . .” (See note on page 93.)
Peace with God comes from living the way you were created to live. That happens when
you develop a relationship with your Creator and live by the standards he has written in his
Word, the Bible. When you set aside your sinful lifestyle and work toward a godly lifestyle
and loving others, you will experience God’s peace as your mind, heart, and actions get
into sync with his.