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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Phillipians 4:6

“It IS the peace that only the Holy Spirit, sent by God, can give ?.  It is a Peace filled with Joy.  The kind of Joy that fills our entire being!  Quiet and sure, it can not be touched or lessened by anything in this world!

It’s our Father’s way of lifting us up and out of our troubles.  It’s our Savior’s way of walking with us-every step of the way until we come Home.  And it’s the Holy Spirit’s way of sharing God’s Great Love for us ?

And it is there, waiting for each of us, whenever we are in need.  Whenever our heart hurts or we are afraid.  And to reach it, to have it fill our hearts with Peace & Joy, all we need to do is ask our Father to send His Holy Spirit in the name of His Son Jesus Christ.

And our Father will do so, because He Loves us ?

Have you ever driven to work or school on one of those really dark days, when the sky is just filled with storm clouds?

And then, all of a sudden see the sun come out and light up those very same clouds with a light that transforms them into something so beautiful that is literally lifts you up and out of all that burdens you?

It almost feels as if God just gave you a Hug. God just did 🙂

One of the things I have learned over the years is the value of penance. It’s not a word often used these days. Even the use of the word “sin” seems to be a rare event. But we all sin, whether we acknowledge it or not.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us…. If we say that we have not sinned, we make [God] a liar, and His word is not in us” – John 1:8-10

The best description of sin that I ever heard was from our Pastor at our home church in Ohio. He said that we “sinned” anytime we failed to love God as we should or love others the way Jesus loves us. Well, we all fall short on that definition :).

Another reminder he made about “sin” is that it is not just the “sin” we commit. It’s the things we failed to do (omit)-that we should have done. Such as helping another human being. We’ve all, I am sure, helped many people along the way, but I think if we are honest, we know that there are at least a few times that we walked by people we could have encouraged or helped!

Christ calls upon us all to “repent”. To love God with our whole heart and soul and to love others!

And that brings me to Penance. An old fashioned word to be sure. What is penance. It is anything we do to make amends for the times we have “fallen short” of Christ’s Great Commands. Sometimes it’s prayers such as an Our Father or Hail Mary or a prayer that we speak from our heart and in private. Sometimes it’s a sincere apology to God. For some it’s going to confession. Sometimes we take extra actions to help others, to make up for the times we failed to do so. Sometimes it is all of those and more! But it is a prayer for forgiveness and we always make it in Jesus’ Name 🙂

Personally, I have found Penance to be a great help to me :). For while I am sure that Jesus forgives me for the times I fall short, I sometime find it harder to forgive myself. We can be our own worst critics, lol. Perhaps that is why our Lord created penance, because He knew it would help us. God is good like that 🙂

For me, prayer and penance are a way to begin again with a clean slate. To be free! An opportunity to have my heart renewed and at peace. For it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we can receive the Peace & Joy that transcends all 🙂

A friend of mine sent this, it was so comforting I just had to share 🙂

“Abba: The God Who IS Our Daddy”

“God is referred to by a number of names in the Bible – not just a single name. Each of these names has a great significance. Each one tells us something important about God, His character and how He relates to us. Abba is the name Jesus Himself used for His Father when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, captured in Mark 14:36. In Aramaic, it is the familiar name small children use for their father–Daddy.”

“Jesus prayed, “Daddy, all things are possible for You.” Abba expresses all the love and affection of a small child for their father. It’s not only Jesus who can call God the Father, “Daddy.” The Bible shares in Romans 8:15, that God has adopted you as His Child and that now you may call Him, “Abba, Father”. The Great God of the universe invites you and me to call Him, Daddy! You can come to Him as a little child comes to his dad. In His Arms you are able to be secure.”

“When this life on earth just seems to throw at you, or ones you love, more than are able to cope with, there IS the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constantly leaning your way. This is due to the anticipation of your request of His Healing Power and Touch, Mercy and Grace, Strength and Courage, Compassion and Caring for His children, His Love, Joy, and Peace. What an Awesome God we have, Who cares SO much for you and Who wants and needs you to be with Him now, forever and ever. What a Blessing, that no matter what hardships, trials, temptations we go through, for these moments granted on earth, there IS Love like no other available, just for the asking, 24/7!! “

“My thoughts and prayers are that you take Daddy up on His Offer to you! That you release ALL of your burdens to Him, Who has had VERY much practice in doing this and helping His Children. That His angels are sent to help and protect you from harm and evil. In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen. Peace.”

Can we pray when we are busy, “on the run so to speak”?  Of course!  I talk with Jesus all day, as many do!  And Jesus is happy to hear from us, because He loves us so!

But if we really want to build a genuine relationship wth Jesus, it takes more than prayer “on the run”.  It takes time spent together, really together with Jesus, our Father and the Holy Spirit.

I always wondered how exactly to do that?  The thing that has really helped me is something a wise man once said, “Think of Prayer as a Place”.  A Place where only you and our Lord go.  Picture it, imagine it.  And close your eyes and go there, and spend time with our Lord.  For He can’t wait to spend time with us!

The Rosary is a “Place” too.  If you want to deepen your relationship with our Blessed Mother Mary, go there ?

I have been truly amazed at what a difference that has made both in my prayer life and in my relationship with our Lord.  I hope it helps you too ?

^“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

I wish there was a way that I could share with each of you just how “easy” it is to follow Jesus :).

With Jesus, we need only give our best effort, for the results will always belong to our Lord! And our “best” is always enough :). Jesus already died for our sins. He paid the price for them so that we wouldn’t have to because He loves us!

But the world, the world cares only about the results. It does not care how much we try or what we give of ourselves, it just wants the results (success)!

And success is measured incorrectly in this world! Too often the world measures success by how much wealth we have accumulated; but Jesus measures it by whether we are following Him. Jesus measures “success” by how much we love God and how much we love each other 🙂

When Jesus said His “yoke is easy; His burden is light”, He meant it. He loves us, and because He paid the price, our “best” is enough. Always!

Following Christ is easy. It’s the world that is difficult. Thank goodness, dare I say Thank God, with Jesus, our “best” is truly and always – enough :).

We can rest in the Lord and on God’s Promises 🙂

Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The below devotion was written by George Whitten for Worthy Devotionals. Worthy Devotionals are wonderful and have taught me so much! You can sign up for them here :). A word about God-Incidence. God is with us ALWAYS. We just need to look for Him 🙂

“His nightmares began each day when he awoke. James Stegalls was nineteen. He was in Vietnam. Though he carried a small Gideon New Testament in his shirt pocket, he couldn’t bring himself to read it. His buddies were cut down around him, terror was building within him, and God seemed far away. His twentieth birthday passed, then his twenty-first. At last, he felt he couldn’t go on.

On February 26, 1968, he prayed for it all to end, and his heart told him he would die before dusk. Sure enough, his base came under attack that day and Jim heard a rocket coming straight toward him. Three seconds to live, he told himself, then two, then…

A friend shoved him into a grease pit, and he waited for the rocket to explode, but there was only surreal silence. The fuse malfunctioned.

For five hours James knelt in that pit, and finally his quivering hand reached into his shirt pocket and took out his New Testament. Beginning with Matthew, he continued through the first 18 chapters.

“When I read Matthew 18:19-20,” he said, “I somehow knew things would be alright.”

Long after Jim returned home, as he visited his wife’s grandmother, Mrs. Harris, she told him a night years before when she had awakened in terror. Knowing Jim was in Vietnam, she had sensed he was in trouble. She began praying for God to spare his life. Unable to kneel because of arthritis, she lay prone on the floor, praying and reading her Bible all night.

Just before dawn she read Matthew 18:19-20. Then she immediately called her Sunday school teacher, who got out of bed and went to Mrs. Harris’ house where together they claimed the Lord’s promise as they prayed for Jim until reassured by God’s peace.

Having told Jim the story, Mrs. Harris opened her Bible to show him where she had marked the passage. In the margin were the words — “Jim, February 26, 1968.”

I don’t think we are nearly aware enough of how crucial our prayers are for the lost and hurting. Sometimes we don’t get to see the fruit, but God hears and answers our prayers! Don’t be discouraged today — keep lifting your voice in intercession and expect great things! There’s so much work to be done!!”

Devotional Source: Jim L. Stegall, “Hardly a Coincidence,” Changed Lives: USA Testimonies.

The below devotion was written by George Whitten for Worthy Devotionals. Worthy Devotionals are wonderful and have taught me so much! You can sign up for them here 🙂

“When Jim Burke became the head of a new products division at Johnson & Johnson one of his first projects was the development of a children’s chest rub. The product failed miserably, and Burke expected he would be fired. When he was called in to see the chairman of the board, however, he met a surprising reception. “Are you the one who just cost us all that money?” asked Robert Wood Johnson. “Well I just want to congratulate you. If you are making mistakes, that means you are taking risks, and we won’t grow unless you take risks!” Apparently Mr. Johnson wasn’t joking! Years later, Johnson & Johnson remains one of the largest multi-national manufacturers of pharmaceutical, disgnostic, therapeutic, surgical, personal hygiene, baby and biotechnology products.”

“Likewise, we believers are called to take some risks so that God’s Kingdom may grow! So often, we cower at the opportunities He makes available because we are too afraid things won’t go the way we hope and others might be disappointed or sneer at our failure. But God wants us to go forth boldly, sometimes taking a risk or two, so that we may accomplish great things for Him! Yes, sometimes we’ll get it wrong and there may be a hard lesson to learn. But we will learn–and eventually great things will happen as a result of our courage and persistance!”

“My Friends, the time is short and there is so much work to do for the Kingdom! We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines any longer! Let’s ask the Lord to cause us to have some courage and go in boldness! God’s Kingdom won’t grow unless we start taking some risks!”