Peace

"Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt?  Who am I that the bright and morning star would choose to light the way of my ever wondering heart?  Who am I that the eyes that see no sin would look on me with love and watch me rise again?  Who am I that the voice that calm the seas would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me?  Not because of who I am, but because of what you’ve done, not because of what I’ve done, but because of who you are!"   Casting Crowns

The Importance of Peace

Ah peace.  It's what everyone scrambles to achieve really.   What can one say about this wonderful characteristic of God's Holy Spirit?  It is the ultimate state of mind, the state in which our parents prayed for when we each were born, and the state in which we pray for ourselves when we are on death's step.  But as we all know, peace can be very illusive.  Wealth, riches, time and effort have been spent in pursuit of it.  Histories have been formed and rewritten because of it.  And relationships have been destroyed due to the lack of it.  Peace!  It is what we all seek.  

Here's what we know about this particular characteristic of God's Holy Spirit.  For Christians, it means to have that settled state of salvation, that faith that we are counted in Heaven's numbers, a child of God, heir to the throne of Heaven.  According to the definition of peace it is;   "of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is."  Strong's Concordance

Paul wrote of peace as that important ingredient that facilitates spiritual growth needed for maturity.  He writes:

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.   Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."   Philippians 4:7-9

Paul plainly believed that it was because of God's peace within our heart that gives us the ability to have a thought process spoken of above.  This is a key point!  If we have any expectations of having a Godly composition, or state of mind I should say, we need that peace that passeth all understanding!  And, that can only come from God.  That state of mind will only be available through God's loving grace. It is why we see Paul praying for grace and peace for those he ministered to.  I would argue that this is the constant state of prayer spoken of in the New Testament.  

The Practical Application

 As I opened this topic, I quoted one of my favorite songs written and performed by the Christian music group Casting Crowns.  It's a wonderful piece music and points out that even in the midst of crisis, God has the ability to "calm" the storm within us.  The practical uses of Peace is the ability to fight anxious, doubting thoughts, to battle fear and worry.  This is why Paul called it "peace that passeth all understanding.  How can this be?  It's the workings of Christ within us.  He will shield us from these types of issues storming within our minds.  

Do you worry for tomorrow, for food on the table, for gas in the car?  Do you fret over what someone has said to you or something you said to them?  Do you get angry easily in traffic, impatient, maybe even rude as you defend your position on the highway?  Pray for peace.  Pray for it often.  This characteristic of His Holy Spirit will get you through the bumpy roadway of life.  

As Paul wrote in Colossians:  

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.   Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.  Colossians 3:15-17

But Bob, praying for peace will not put food on the table, or gas in the car!  Well, I get that, but what it will do is give you a calm state of mind that will allow you to focus on the issues at hand.  This in turn will give you an upper hand to clearly problem solve the issue.  This will allow you to balance the emotions and the intelligence of your mind that will facilitate a well thought out answer, or at least options.  And that my friends, is HUGE especially when crap hits the fan.

I pray for you the same as Paul prayed for the Colossians above.  May God richly fill your hearts with Peace to help weather the storms of life.  Here are a few verses to consider for your personal quiet time on this topic.

Luke 1:79                    John 14:27

Acts 10:36                   Romans 8:6

Romans 10:15             2Corinthians 13:11

Ephesians 6:13-17

The Sermon on the Mount: The Workings of the Inner Man

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Matthew 5:1-11


 In the past few weeks, we have touched on a few characteristics of God's Holy Spirit, and we will continue to do so for the next foreseeable future.  But, this week, I want to bring attention to one of the inspirational passages that is the impetus behind my thought process on the workings of the Holy Spirit.  According to Ecclesiastes  there is nothing new under sun.  So for me to say all these things are my idea would be insidiously false.  Indeed, all that I have was given  to me by another throughout my life.

 Each of us have a world view and a philosophical concept as to how life is, how it works, and yes what is right and wrong.  As was mentioned last week by Seeker in his comment on Discernment, our concept of what is right and wrong is in a large part based on our culture, our upbringing, but more so our surroundings and educational opportunities.  We truly are what we "eat" or take in mentally, meaning if we believe miserable thoughts, we are miserable.  If we believe healthy thoughts, we will be mentally healthy.

For these studies, I am basing what I share on my conceptual grasping of the Bible, how it "clicks" in my head.  Essentially, how I "understand" or see it. So, let's take a moment and contemplate the passage above, one of my favorites in the Bible.  I hope it blesses you as preparing this lesson has blessed me.

 The Setting:

According to the previous chapter, they were in the highland area above Galilee.  It was after the tempting of Jesus, the time commonly considered the beginning of Jesus ministry.  We find the Master surrounded by "multitudes" who he was ministering to.  He withdrawals into the "mountain" to teach his disciples.  It is one longest passage of teaching, if not the longest, recorded in the Gospels, and is thought to be connected to the passage in Luke, aside from the parts of the Jewish laws quoted in Matthew 5.

The lesson:

If you look closely, all of the "blessed are(s)" appear to be a positive concept specifically pointing to either the lack of evil spirit, or the abundance of Holy Spirit.

Poor in spirit:  Isn't it interesting how the Master opens?  He is recorded in saying. "Blessed are the poor in Spirit..."  I have heard many interpretation, mostly pointing to being meek, or somehow connected to money.  Well, the word "poor" refers to Strong"s Concordance #G4434 which suggests that a person is lacking in something..."lacking in anything  a) as respects their spirit".  This begs the question "what should we be lacking in, in regards of 'spirit'"?

As we read in so many places, God wants us to be full of His Spirit, to be rich in Spirit.  So, why are the "poor in spirit" being blessed by Jesus?  The only viable answer is to interpret this as those that are poor in evil spirit.  There are many passages in the New Testament that refer to the idea of getting rid of evil spirit, and to "put on the new man"

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 

Mourn: refers to one that laments. There are times in the Bible that mourn is replaced with the word "bewhail", the same meaning, which shows humility, compassion and pity, as Paul writes; 

	[And] lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and [that] I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.  2 Corinthians 12:21

This suggests that to mourn means to suffer over those that are not saved, to mourn over lost souls.

Meek: to be humble, poor, lowly.  Again the idea of bringing one's self to a place of subjugation, lacking in evil spirit, and willing to be led.  The meek shall inherit the earth.  Many suggest that this is some sort of apocalyptic promise, but it is simpler than that.  If we break it down in a simple manner, to inherit means to obtain, or receive;

Specifically according to Strong's Concordance it means

1) to receive a lot, receive by lot   a) esp. to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance  b) to be an heir, to inherit

2) to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession

3) to become partaker of, to obtain

The meek shall inherit the "earth".   This is not complicated either.  Jesus refers to our minds where God grows His word in the parable of the sower as the field Matthew 13:24, and again as the "kingdom of God is within you" Luke 17:21.  The meek, poor in spirit, shall inherit the kingdom of God, or earth.

Hunger and thirst after Righteousness:   This obviously refers to those that want to know the Word and Spirit intimately.  God promises to fill us with that which we seek.  this is a key verse in this passage, because as we continue to meditate on this passage, we will see all these blessings are speaking of the same person(s).  The most common verse that speaks of these things may be Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Merciful:  Comes from the Greek root word eleeo (G1653) meaning those who feel sympathy with the misery of another, especially such sympathy as manifests itself in act, less frequent in word.

Pure in heart:  The heart is used often when speaking of the mind and our thoughts, and pure speaks of being without evil spirits.  The writer of Hebrews encourages us with these words;  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  Hebrews 10:22

Peacemakers: Those who love peace.  It may be argued that this means physical peace as in against war, or pacific...one who is referred to as a pacifist.  But using the rest of the verses in this passage as a guide, you will notice all these things refer to a state of mind and spirit.  This is the only verse in the Bible that mentions "peacemakers" and can be arguably defined as one who grows the spiritual characteristic of peace within their mind.  We will cover peace as its own study, but simply put peace generally refers to the state that is experienced once one has been sealed with the promise of salvation.  So, peacemakers may be described as one who bring others to Christ.

The last two verses that refer to "those who are persecuted" for righteousness sake again deals with the issue of torment for the good works of God within ones mind.  As we continue to do God's work, inevitably there will be problems within and without us.  We battle daily with what we know is right, but we are hell bent to do those things which is wrong, When we do the right thing, thoughts may hit us with all manner of things, judgement thoughts, self righteous thoughts, and we have to battle those too.

The Practical Application

This has been a bit longer than I normally write, but I hope it helps to understand the importance of the inner man, or Christ within us.  When we meditate on what this passage means, we can see that Christ was simply trying to convey that we must work our inner man towards meekness, peace, and being poor in spirit, or to become holy, sanctified, perfected.

Essentially Christ was speaking of the process of being a child of God.  As chapter 5 continues, we see that Christ uses many examples to bring home what he is speaking of, using phrases such as "you are the salt of the earth" and "but if you think of such a thing"and whosoever is angry without cause...".

All these things direct us to work on the mind, the Spirit within the mind, and the Word that governs the thoughts of our heart.  He finishes this chapter with a commandment to be perfect as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect.  The only way we can attempt to become perfected is to allow the Holy Spirit to weed out that patch of holy ground within our minds and grow the Word and Spirit in its place.

We must continue to work on recognizing the Spirit's work and leading, the Word's instruction and meaning.  These two things are of the utmost importance to God, His Word and Holy Spirit.  Listen to your heart, and know what God says, and all else will follow as it should.  May God richly bless you as you grow his Kingdom.  Here are a few scriptures to consider for your daily quiet time.

Job 8:6                         Psalm 1:1-3
Romans 8:4,5              1Peter 2:9
Colossians 3:12,13      Colossians 3:16,17
Hebrews 2:16-18

Discernment

For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

There are many times in life that we struggle with what is right and what is wrong.  Of course this pertains to the big questions, but today I'd like to emphasize the every day things, such as when your kids don't do their chores, or a fellow worker or employee has issues at work.  What do you do then.  Which course of action do you take.  How can your Christian philosophy help determine the answers.  I know, in my life, that when a stressful moment comes flying into my face, I have choices.  I can react as I always had in the past...probably not the best choice...or I can determined the right and wrong way of responding based on what I've learned about trying to live a godly life.

The Importance of Discernment

Many years ago there was a movement, What would Jesus do (WWJD).  They had bracelets, wrote it on billboards, had Bible study materials written about the topic.  But what was amazing to me was how fast it traveled across the Christian world.  This concept essentially emphasized the ability to discern right from wrong.  And, the main tool used to receive the answer was the Bible.  But the Holy Spirit gives us the understanding of the Word, and this in turn gives us the ability to "discern" the spirits"  or in other words, right from wrong.  You see, there are only two ways to do something, right and wrong. There are only two types of spirits...good (God) and not good (Evil) spirit.  Everything start from these two colliding powers...everything. But Bob, not everything is black and white!  Well, it sure seems that way, doesn't it.  The toughest times in life seem to revolve around those "grey areas" of life, don't they.

The writer of Hebrews exhorts us with this:

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.  Hebrews 5:14

In nearly all references on discernment, the emphasis is to choose the right coarse of action.

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?  1Kings 3:9

  

And they shall teach my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.  Ezra 44:23

Discernment works hand in hand with Wisdom and Understanding to help us get it right.  The importance of discernment is to judge what is right and wrong, what is good and evil.  It is ultimately the ability to determine the "spirit" behind the thought, motivation, and decision.

The practical Application of Discernment

It is important to get this point, to discern right from wrong is to determine the spirit behind the issue.  Let's say where you work, someone asks you to buy an item which they will then buy from you in order to get them an employee discount.  It's a small thing, right?  Who's really getting hurt?  Is the spirit behind it godly or ungodly?  Would Christ ask to do this?  Would God be pleased with the intention of the act? 

 The scripture we opened with suggests that the Word is a "a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  Because the decision making process is weighed by our internal ethical philosophies, we will base our actions on what we "feel" is right and wrong.  The Word of God helps us here.   If we don't use the Bible, we will use something else as the authority  of right from wrong.  What do you use as an authority?

This week I will ask each of us to give some thought as to what type of spirit drives our decision making process.  I want each of us to try to determine the motivation behind our actions.  If we get caught in a situation that gets us all tied up in knots, try to "discern" the intent of our actions.  Is it because we want to be right?  Is it based on our wanting to fit in?  Will we act out of a godly conscience, or out of a self-righteous motivation?  May God bless us with a discerning spirit.

Here are some scripture to consider for your daily devotions.

1Kings 3:9, 11                            Job 6:30

Ezra 44:23                                           Jonah 4:11
Malachi 3:18                                      1Corinthians 12:10
Hebrews 5:14

Understanding

OK, I got a question.  Have you ever had a misunderstanding with someone?  I’m not talking about just the small, “oh, you didn’t want cream in your coffee, oops” kind of misunderstanding.  I mean a “what the heck do you mean by that” or “Oh, hell no, I won’t take this sitting down” kind of misunderstanding.  Then after you responded…poorly…you have to grovel all over yourself to fix the situation.  Maybe your response was so strong that you lost your job, lost a relationship or lost something really hard to get back…TRUST! 

The Importance of Understanding

On the Spiritual side of things, the Spiritual characteristic of understanding helps to fight these types of situations.  Ultimately, we want to be at peace within our minds, right?  We want to be able to go to work, do our job, have pleasantries with our neighbors, love our spouses, raise our children, and mow our grass…low stress kind of life.  Ok, to be able to do this, the spirit of understanding is very important.  It goes hand in hand with Wisdom (another post for another week), but wisdom, like discernment, peace, etc, etc, are much more effective with understanding.    

Solomon wrote:

Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7

You see, the spirit of understanding gives us the ability to “get it”.  We may have head knowledge, but to have that “ah ha” moment takes understanding.  In the parable of the sower, Christ explains it this way:

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.  Matthew 13:19-21

You see, that guy didn’t “get it”.  He received a good word, didn’t understand it, and it was lost.  Then there was the guy that did receive it, was happy for a time, but it didn’t sink in to make it a usable word for those tough times in life.  But we don’t have tough times today, do we?

Paul, one of the most prolific writers of the New Testament gives us this piece of advice on understanding:

For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.  Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that [by my voice] I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an [unknown] tongue. 1Corinthians 14:14,19

What he means here is, praying in tongues may be a good thing, but if I or you don’t understand what we are saying, how is that useful?  It may bless the spirit, but how does it edify us or those around us?  Another real concern pertaining to prayer is to understand what to pray for.  Have you ever wanted to help, but didn’t know what was the best course of action.  I have, and more often than not, no action was taken.  The same is true with prayer.  If we can have an understanding of what is needed, wouldn’t our prayer life be a little more practical, maybe even a bit more productive?

The Practical application of Understanding

In today’s digital world, miscommunication is even more a concern, because this form of communication has the challenge of understanding in a huge way.  It is harder to “see” or “feel” what the messenger is conveying.  This is a really big problem with social network sites  and the quick comments we all make.  It is easy to misunderstand the meaning that leads to possible irrational thoughts, spurring on more comments made in the wrong spirit.  And the cycle goes on and on.  You know this cycle must be broken if we plan to work on that “low stress” lifestyle mentioned above.   Understanding will fight against miscommunication.

So, we should pray to God for understanding.  One of the biggest favors we can do for ourselves is to continue to read God’s word daily, making every effort in personal study to “get it” so we can have it in a useful format.  We don’t want to just read, then forget, or worse, read and not understand what we are reading, then get bored and not read any further.  Just like our muscles, our brain needs to be worked too.  Part of understanding is to stop and listen, look around, assess the situation, derive the most plausible action, and then we can act with faith that we made the right choice.  And it all starts with…understanding.

 Here are some scriptures you may find helpful in your daily devotions as we strive to be filled with the spirit of understanding.

Ephesians 5:17               Proverbs 11:12

Proverbs 15:14               Isaiah 40:28

Colossians 1:9                Colossians 2:2

1 John 5:20

Love

Are you Real?

Indulge me as I share one of my favorite passages of a beloved children's story, The Velveteen Rabbit.   The setting is in the 1800s at Christmas time.  The velveteen rabbit was merely a stocking stuffer, not good enough to be placed under the Christmas tree, because it was made of a cheap fabric, stuffed with sawdust.  It didn't even have legs, just a roundish body, head with ears and stubs for front legs that were more like arms.  We find the rabbit conversing with the rocking horse in the nursery.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
 
The Importance of Love

I love this story because it speaks of "becoming real" the author's way of speaking of "eternal life" in a sense.  But what makes this so special is the power that causes this change to occur.  It was love.  You see, the boy who owned the rabbit loved the rabbit fiercely, slept with it dragged it to the garden, had tea parties with it.  You know, spent every waking hour with this cheaply made, anatomically incorrect, stocking stuffer.

We've all heard stories, sermons, read books and talked amongst ourselves about love.  But do we really believe in it?  I know, what a silly question, right?  But let me ask you this.  Where does love start?  Does it start with God?  Of course(1 John 4:10), but what if we don't think we are worthy of His love.  What if we've seen the bumper sticker "John 3:16" so many times that it becomes a bit cliche?  Listen to me carefully here.   God really does love us, each one!  But unless we believe it, practice the faith we learned about last week, it won't matter much...will it?  Because life hurts.  Life runs us down.  Life sometimes simply sucks.  And when we let those moments become our control factors, it chokes the ability of the Holy Spirit to work in and out of us.  It's times like those when we need to crawl into Abba's lap and pray..
     
          Hear, oh Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.  When    thou saidst, "Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger; thou has been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation."    Psalms 27:7-9

When we get to that point, and are able to believe that God will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), then we can truly begin to do an amazing thing, to love ourselves!  What?  Love ourselves?  Yes, it is key to truly grow in the Holy Spirit.  What I mean by that is if we allow God's love to work in us, we will be able to withstand anything in life.  We will begin to live our lives in a way that will protect our minds, our bodies, and in turn protect those around us, at least to a point.  This is a sweeping thought, I know, and a bit simple minded.  But, nevertheless it is true.

The practical application of Love

The two greatest commandments according to Jesus is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, then to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37,39).  Then He continues in saying on these two things hang all the laws and the prophets.  What he means here is,  there is no law higher than love (Galatians 5:22-23).  That if we love God, others, and ourselves, we will act, think and live accordingly.  Without this love, only possible through God, we cannot do holy things, think holy thoughts, pray holy prayers, live a holy life.

What is Real?  It happens when you are loved unconditionally, to the point of sacrifice.  As  the author of this wonderful story puts it..."once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."   We have someone that took care of that part (John 3:16...I know, I couldn't help it), now what we get to do is reciprocate that love by learning God's word, growing and using the Holy Spirit in our minds, and lives.  And pushing those actions out to those around us.  If we can really get the feeling of what Paul means in I Corinthians 13:1-13, we will be able to truly move spiritual mountains, be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves, and have a prayer life that won't quit. 

This week, I am going to ask each of you, myself included, to choose one of the items in I Corinthians 13 and practice it.  For example, out of God's love, watch your communication towards others.  Be mindful of what type of example you are setting at work, practice mind control...meaning, when an angry thought comes into your mind, refocus that thought.  If we get that "who does he/she think he/she is" remember, we don't know what hell is going on in their mind, so pray for mercy and peace for yourself and the person involved.  I'm not asking you to be a soft hearted "God bless you" kind of person.  I am asking you to "think" about what is going on, how you interact with others, and practice controlling those harsh thoughts that may come and go day to day.  One week.  Let's try it together.

Oh, and the story of the velveteen rabbit.  The rabbit did get to experience what real was, despite of his cheaply made, shunned self that became worn, ugly and finally thrown away as garbage to be burned.  As the conversation above was ending, the Skin Horse made a wonderful comment.  The rabbit asked...

          "I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.  "The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again.  It lasts for always."

Let's practice being Real.  I pray you will be filled with the Holy Spirit of Love this week.

Here are some verses to consider for our daily devotion time.  I know there are more than 7, but there are soooo many to choose from, ha ha. 

1 John 4:10-12                John 15:19
Romans 8:38-39            2 Timothy 6:10,11
2 Corinthians 6:3-7       Galatians 5:5,6
Philippians 1:8-11          Colossians 2:2








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