Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please take the time to take in the lyrics and beautiful and pertinent song, sung by the group, Hillsong, singing a contemporary version of the old hymn It Is Well With My Soul. … reminding us of the peace provided by our God in spite of any/all troubles.
Highlight Passage #1 - NKJV 1st Samuel 16: 23 … David gave peace to Saul with the playing of God’s music on the harp
23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.
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Highlight Context #1 - 1st Samuel 16: 14-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … David’s pacifying influence on Saul
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Reference Passage #1 - NKJV Isaiah 26: 3 … God, through Isaiah, one of The Lord’s prescriptions for peace to God’s people …
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, … Whose mind is stayed on You, … Because he trusts in You.
Reference Passage #2 - NKJV 2nd Timothy 1: 7 … Paul on the peace provided to the heart by one’s abiding relationship with Christ …
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 4: 6-7[NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … God’s prescription for peace through Paul
Reference Passage #4 - Hebrews 13: 20-21 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK … A benediction from the “God of Peace” to those of the New Covenant
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!!! PROMINENT REFERENCE PASSAGE !!! - John 14: 25-27 [NKJV] … Jesus trying to calm His disquieted Disciples with the truth of His grace to come in His Holy Spirit …
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, … He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. … “
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry, authored by Jennifer Benson Schuldt, told an interesting true story to illustrate her teaching point today. She writes [take a peek at the attached photo]…
" Amani, which means ‘peace’ in Swahili, is the name of a Labrador retriever pup that has some special friends. Amani lives with two young cheetahs at the Dallas Zoo. Zoologists placed the animals together so the cheetahs could learn Amani’s relaxed ways. Since dogs are generally at ease in public settings, the experts felt that Amani would be a “calming influence” in the cheetahs’ lives as they grow up together. "
I think we’d agree that there are certain people or animals or even habits in our lives which have a peace-giving influence on our soul. In today’s highlight passage, the ODB author calls our attention to the time when King Saul was troubled and called for David to play his harp, which gave the King a soul-refreshing respite. And if you read and meditate on the reference Scriptures provided above, I’m sure you will be given much peace in the realization that God has given us His peace to all Christians through the reality of His Spirit abiding in our lives.
When Jesus addressed His troubled Disciples, in what we know of as “the Upper Room Discourse” (see John, Chapters 13-16), He told them of sending a “Comforter,” Who was/is to be The Holy Spirit, to provide them [and us] with God’s presence and His power as they moved forward to witness to God’s New Covenant Gospel message. They didn’t really understand it at the time; but later, as Paul wrote, in Phil. 4: 6-7 and 2nd Tim. 1: 7, Christ’s disciples don’t need to have a spirit of fear. No, … we have God’s love and His power in the presence of God’s Spirit in our hearts to proclaim His truth to others.
I pray we all live, move, and have our being in the realization of living with God’s Spirit in our hearts as born-again believers.
My Prayer for Today … Lord, … Your power and peace are mine! Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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