Morning Devotional 092623 Peace Is Available

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

September 26, 2023

John 20:19-23

19 It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”

Good Morning. Peace be with you!

After restless nights of sleep, we long for the peace that releases us from our worries and our fears. Our worries and fears can consume us. They take up so much room within us. Jesus is with us, waiting for us to surrender our worries and fears to him. When we let them go, this big void that remains will be filled with peace.

Notice that Jesus said these words twice. Even the disciples who spent all their time with Jesus during his earthly ministry needed to hear those words more than once to believe. When we share the word as we are called, it often takes more than one encounter for the words to take hold.

The first time is like planting seeds. Some of the seeds take root and grow right away, and other seeds take longer to sprout. Seeds left unattended grow spindly and die, so we must nourish and nurture the seeds we plant. Given time, these seeds can grow into fruitful plants. For each seed we plant, love will sprout and spread through the world.

Loving God, We love you! We are spindly and without a strong foundation. Thank you for taking a chance and providing nourishment for us. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Each act of love is a building block in the kingdom of God.

Accept the peace that Christ offers! Pastor Liz