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Overview
Jesus wants you to know peace—every day.
Deadlines and bills, illnesses and fears about the future, frustrations with others and ourselves . . . there’s enough going on in our lives to make us feel overwhelmed and anxious, if not panicked! But Jesus said that we could expect this, that trials and sorrows are simply part of life on earth, and He offers an amazing gift that changes everything: His peace. He tells us, “The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 nlt).
Bestselling author Sheila Walsh wants to guide you in worrying less and letting your heart be settled. Each reading includes messages such as:
Gratitude opens doors out of bitterness and doors into joy.
God loves you for who you are, not what you do.
Resting in the purpose and presence of God brings peace.
It’s amazing what God will do with a broken life when we give Him all the pieces.
No matter how big the storm, God is bigger.
The 5 Minutes with Jesus series is the perfect way to start your day with peace of mind and a peaceful heart.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780718032562 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Nelson, Thomas, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 03/08/2016 |
| Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishing |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Sales rank: | 869,744 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Sheila Walsh is a powerful communicator, Bible teacher, and bestselling author with almost six million books sold. She is the author of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess series, It’s Okay Not to Be Okay, Praying Women, Holding On When You Want to Let Go, and more. She is cohost of the inspirational talk show Life Today with James and Betty Robison, which is seen worldwide by a potential audience of over 100 million viewers. Sheila lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Barry, and son, Christian, who is in graduate school.
Read an Excerpt
Peace for Today
5 Minutes with Jesus
By Sheila Walsh
Thomas Nelson
Copyright © 2016 Sheila WalshAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-3256-2
CHAPTER 1
Knowing Where to Look
I am not a natural athlete. To be more accurate, I am not any kind of athlete. And that became uncomfortably clear the first time I went skiing with my family.
Although Christian was only ten, he took to it immediately. I, however, spent the first two days on the bunny slopes — and I would have happily stayed there the whole week if my pesky instructor hadn't insisted that I was ready to move up.
Now I had imagined that the ski lift would be like an elevator: it would stop, the door would open, and I'd have a good ten minutes to get on. Not even close! It was a continuously moving row of seats that didn't stop — the lift barely slowed down — and I had to shuffle like a geriatric wiener dog to line up and then sit down. All I could hear in the background was my son calling out, "Mom, don't look down!"
Peter could have used such advice.
Matthew 14 tells us about a truly terrifying moment for the disciples when they looked up from their wind-buffeted boat in the dark of night to see a figure gliding across the water toward them. They thought it was a ghost! Scripture tells us they "cried out in fear" (v. 26). Jesus quickly identified Himself (the disciples were not seeing a ghost!) and let them know they were safe. When Peter heard this, he made a remarkable request: "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (v. 28). Jesus simply responded, "Come" (v. 29).
Peter gingerly slipped over the side of the boat and lowered his foot to the raging sea. It held firm! Then he looked toward Jesus and, step by wondrous step, began making his way toward the Savior.
If only Peter had kept his eyes on Jesus! Instead, the fierce wind caught his attention, and as his gaze shifted from Jesus to the tempest that raged around him, Peter began sinking. In his terror, he cried out for Jesus to save him — and Jesus "immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him" (v. 3i).
We are guaranteed moments in this life when the winds of adversity rise, when our boat seems way too small for so vast an ocean, and when we can't bail water fast enough to stay afloat. We gaze into the fearsome storm that rages all around us and realize we can't navigate it on our own.
In such moments, what can save the child of God? What will bring her peace? Peace comes when we remember whom to call and where to look.
Is a storm raging in your life today? Don't look down. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus.
When the storm is the fiercest, fix your gaze on Christ alone.
Five Minutes in the Word
My eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Psalm 141:8
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1–2
"I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27 NLT
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NLT
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Isaiah 43:1–2
CHAPTER 2Sowing Seeds of Peace
Some of God's most faithful servants had shown up prepared to do the work of His kingdom. The field for their labors was a courtroom in Charleston, South Carolina. They came bearing seeds of peace that they would sow and then water with tears.
The young man being arraigned had admitted to taking the lives of the people they loved most in the world, an act he had hoped would begin a racial war.
But God had sent these servants to the courtroom armed with only one weapon — the only one they needed: the love of Christ.
The judge turned to the victims' family members and asked if they had anything to say before he made a decision about bond. One by one, each person addressed the young man who had taken so much from them: "I forgive you," and "May God have mercy on your soul." The moment was truly awe-inspiring.
The wisdom of God doesn't look anything like the wisdom of the world, which advocates self-promotion and vengeance. When the world sows these seeds, a crop of division and hate results.
Scripture tells us that God's wisdom, however, "is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness" (James 3:17–18 NIV).
I think the important thing to remember both from this verse and from the example of our brothers and sisters in Charleston is that joining God in the work of peace can be difficult and costly. Fulfilling our God-ordained roles as peacemakers requires action and often sacrifice on our part, but we can be confident that our labor is never in vain. God will honor it.
Psalm 126:5–6 says, "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them" (NIV).
When we join God as peacemakers, doing the difficult work of scattering seeds of peace in our sin-broken world, we have the beautiful hope that we will one day be singing with joy as we witness the harvest God produced in part because of our faithful service.
Followers of Jesus who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Five Minutes in the Word
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:10–12 NIV
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:13–15 NIV
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NLT
Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:18 NLT
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9
CHAPTER 3No One Prepared Me for This!
When I think back to the forty (which felt more like 423) weeks of being pregnant with my son, I'm sure I must have purchased every single book on the market related to child-rearing.
How to Raise a Godly Child
How to Raise an Independent Son
How to Raise a Future Leader
In retrospect I think I should have written one: I Should Have Slept More the First Forty Years!
There's a lot of great material available to walk you through the different stages from baby to toddler and all the way through high school. But before any dust can settle on your child's high school diploma, you suddenly realize that nothing prepared you for the next season: for letting go.
Christian was accepted into Texas A&M for the fall of 2015. The pile of his going-to-college stuff got bigger and bigger as the stifling heat of summer intensified and The Day got closer. When it finally arrived, we packed as many boxes as we could into his car and the rest into the SUV we had rented for exactly this purpose, and we hit the road. It was 105 degrees when we arrived in College Station. I have never sweat as much in my life as I did that day when I carried sheets, towels, pots and pans, boxes of protein bars, and enough popcorn to fill a bus up three flights of stairs.
Finally, he was all settled in, and it was time for us to leave. I will never forget that moment. Christian walked us out to our car. He hugged me for a long time, then looked me in the eyes and said, "Thank you" He did the same with his dad, and then we watched him turn and walk into all that God has for his life. I cried all the way home.
There are so many stages in life that little can prepare you for:
The death of a spouse
The loss of a job
Your daughter getting married and moving across the country
Your darling, only son heading off to college just as you prayed he would, but you had no idea how much it would hurt.
Where is the peace Christ promises in those moments when there is nothing you can do but sit in your new reality? For me, peace comes after admitting to God that I'm not in a good place. Have you noticed, in Scripture, how often peace comes after a storm? The great news about God is that you don't have to pretend to be where you're not.
If you're mad, be mad ... then receive His peace.
If you're sad, cry till you have no tears left ... and then receive His peace.
Peace is not something we can lose, because Christ Himself is our peace.
Five Minutes in the Word
[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 NIV
"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." Matthew 5:3 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2–3 NLT
You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Psalm 56:8
CHAPTER 4You Have Known the Distress of My Soul
It was like trying to fill a bucket that has a hole in it.
For twenty-five years she had weathered an emotionally abusive marriage. She had tried to help her husband, but she never could do enough or give enough. She had forgiven and forgiven, granted countless second chances, and patched her broken heart back together over and over again.
Then one day she found she couldn't go any further. At last, the two of them found themselves in the office of a very good therapist. During the many months she spent there, she learned a lot and healed a lot. Then, in one of her last sessions, the therapist admitted to her that a couple of times her husband had actually succeeded in causing the therapist to doubt himself. "If he can do that to me," the therapist said, "I can't even imagine what he does to you."
"In that moment," she said, "I broke down in tears because, for the first time ever, someone truly understood."
Knowing that someone truly understands the deepest wounds of our souls is a powerful source of healing. That heart connection speaks peace into the fiercest storm and is salve for the most wounded heart. Having such a connection with another human being is truly wonderful, but Psalm 3i reveals the even sweeter truth that God Himself knows and understands our most desperate sorrows.
Listen to the psalmist in verse 7: "I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul." The Hebrew word translated rejoice here means, literally, "to spin around." And — I love this — the term steadfast love can be translated "merciful kindness." When we put it all together, the verse comes out like this: "I will spin for joy and be glad because of Your merciful kindness to me, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul." The psalmist found great comfort in knowing that God understood his pain — and that the One who understood him was mighty to save. That is indeed a reason to spin for joy.
God sees you, knows you, loves you, and is mighty to save.
Five Minutes in the Word
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. Psalm 56:8 NLT
In my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. Psalm 18:6 NLT
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24–26 NIV
CHAPTER 5Show Me Your Glory
Moses never really wanted the job. He tried to talk God into picking someone else to lead the people out of Egypt, but God didn't take no for an answer. So Moses did what God asked: Moses went to Egypt, dueled verbally with Pharaoh, and then led God's motley crew of followers out of slavery.
But now, in the middle of nowhere, God was fed up with the Israelites' insolence and was threatening to abandon ship! "The Lord said to Moses, 'Depart; go up from here. ... But I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people'" (Exodus 33:1, 3).
And however dumbfounded he was initially, Moses had a response to God's resignation speech: "Look, you tell me, 'Lead this people,' but you don't let me know whom you're going to send with me. You tell me, 'I know you well and you are special to me.' If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. ... Don't forget, this is your people, your responsibility" (vv. 12–13 THE MESSAGE).
God relented: He assured Moses that He would indeed accompany Israel on her way, but Moses wasn't convinced and asked again. And again God promised Moses that, yes, He would go with His people. But apparently Moses had been pushed too close to the brink. He needed more reassurance than God had yet offered. "Please show me your glory," Moses asked the Almighty (v. 18).
You've undoubtedly experienced moments in your life — I know I have — when none of the usual comforts bring peace. We need something bigger, truer, surer. We need a fresh glimpse of the One who holds our world in the palm of His hand. Peace comes to us in those darkest of nights as we cry out, like Moses, "Show me Your glory!"
Have the circumstances in your life pushed you to the brink of panic today? Get alone with God. Let Him remind you that nothing you face is bigger or more powerful than He is. And listen to Him whisper over you one more time that He will indeed go with you along the way.
Let God's presence be bigger than your panic.
Five Minutes in the Word
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3–4
"I pulled you in from all over the world, called you in from every dark corner of the earth, telling you, 'You're my servant, serving on my side. I've picked you. I haven't dropped you.' Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you." Isaiah 41:9–10 THE MESSAGE
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Peace for Today by Sheila Walsh. Copyright © 2016 Sheila Walsh. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
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