A Journey with ACTS 2:25-28

“‘King David said this about him: I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.” - Acts 2:25-28 NLT

There are so many people in this world that are shaken by the struggles that they face each day and often we forget that we aren’t really ever facing these struggles on our own. King David was a very spiritual person.

Even in the midst of all of the horrendous things he did he found himself on his knees seeking God's guidance and placing is heart in the saviors arms. He knew that it was only through God that anyone would find hope. We need to remember this in our struggles today.

When we focus our energy on giving our praises to God in the midst of our struggles, they often seem to resolve themselves. It may not be in the way that we want it to take place but the do tend to work themselves out.

We can find joy in knowing that God will never leave or forsake us and we can embrace a heart that is glad, not broken.  Let us take a few moments this week to ponder the majesty and the glory that resides within His presence.

Embrace Joy, Echo Praise and Embody God’s Peaceful Rest in your lives today, don’t be afraid to honor him in the midst of every situation that comes your way today.

I Am Sending You

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” - John 20:21 NIV

  It is an interesting thought to believe in a statement such as this. To be truthful we don’t really see things like this in today’s world. I must admit, I miss hearing things like this on a daily basis.  In my college days we heard things like this everyday and we knew that it meant something to be sent by God, into a world or darkness as vessels of light. Our struggles in college were nothing like the struggles that we face today and that was only six years ago. My, how our perspectives change in such a short amount of time. 

  When we were younger things just seemed different, but the reality is that the world is always changing. As we live our lives we encounter many different experiences that impact who we are in that present moment. 

  Those experiences change the way we look at the world and teach us something about ourselves that we would not normally have the opportunity to learn. With each experience comes another step in our journey to becoming the person we were meant to be. I believe that this happens because of bold statements like the scripture passage above.

 

God has given each of us the ability to experience certain moments in life because they are meant to show us something of who we are meant to be. In essence, these experiences ‘send us’ into the world as witnesses of his glory, and soldiers of His heart. 

  As we embrace the experiences we encounter we grow and as we grow in God we become who we are meant to be. The peace that is promised in this passage only comes through the path God has set for us. God sends each and everyone of us into the world to share the wonder of His amazing grace with a broken world.

  God, the Father, sent Jesus into the world so that he could pave the way for us to be sent into all the world as the vessels of this amazing grace. As the vessels God has chosen to share this message, it is our calling to embrace each experience we encounter as a path towards peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding. 

 

This peace is part of our inheritance as the people of God and with it we can go forth into the world leaning on the everlasting power of God’s love. In the end, we are given a foundation of grace, growth, peace and of experience that we can use to spread His love. 

  Even though the world is changing before our eyes and becoming darker everyday, we are changing too. Just as the Father sent His Son, the Son has sent us into the world and given us the foundation to change the world. So, I encourage you today to go forth, embrace your experiences and become the change that truly does make the difference.

Blessings in Christ and Thanks again for visiting us at "The Gathering Room."

"Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord." 45.3.20

M.J. Elliott