40 Days of Peace: Day 32
Week 7
Tuesday, September 29
Day 32
Peace with others
Focus of the Week: Loving others brings God’s peace
Please read Philippians 2:3-8
"…Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…"
Philippians 2:6-7
Yesterday, Madelaine led us in our devotion where we focused on how choosing to forgive can bring God’s peace to others. Today, we will see that choosing to serve can do the same thing. Loving someone by serving them most often speaks louder than words. Jesus is our perfect example. He willingly left his royal throne in heaven to walk beside his brothers and sisters on earth. Scripture tells us: the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.
Just like many of you, I love to serve!! However, as we make our plans to serve let’s make sure that we are not always just staying in our comfort zone and serving those we want to serve because it’s convenient or because we like the person/group of people. Let’s first ask God to show us who it is that He wants us to serve in love. It’s important to remember that sometimes He may call us to serve our “enemy” in order to bring peace. Is there anyone in your life that is difficult to work with or anyone in your family that is difficult to get along with? There may be someone that you interact with at a school, store or restaurant that is difficult to deal with or doesn’t act the way you think they should. Maybe this is the person to serve in some way today. Again, Jesus did this very thing when He chose to serve sinners. He is the ultimate role model for serving!
In His great instruction for us to love our neighbors as ourselves, God doesn’t necessarily mean that we are called to love and serve the person who lives in our neighborhood or the person we call friend. It’s about our willingness to be a good neighbor and obey his call to love and serve ANYONE. Serving like this is not always easy on our own…. But, keep in mind that when we die to self, His Spirit then lives through us. We are the “hands and feet” of Jesus! We can love as He loved. We can serve as He served.
We are called to bring peace to others—peace where there is no peace. Just like Jesus, who lovingly chose to serve sinners, let’s choose to serve even the difficult people in our lives today. Who can you serve? Maybe even consider the person you are choosing to forgive (from yesterday’s post).
For further reading: Mark 12:30-31; John 13:12-17; Hebrews 6:10; 1 Peter 4:10
Dear Heavenly Father,
My desire is to love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength AND love my neighbor as myself. Please show me the “neighbor” who you want me to serve today in order to bring peace. Help me to recall your words that “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). I truly do not want to close my heart to those who are in need. Please move me in compassion and consume my soul with kindness to cast away all negative notions and ultimately spread your peace as you desire. In your son’s name I pray. Amen.
