Peace

Peace is the absence of conflict or hostility. God does not want us to be hostile and continually having conflicts. He wants us to have peace in our lives. God is the giver of peace.

His peace is the best peace.

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.”
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)

It does not matter what size your problem or circumstance is, God is with you and can bring you peace. Anytime, anywhere, and anyplace, God is there.

The hymn “Wonderful Peace” tells of the peace God gives to us.

Wonderful Peace
Author: W.D. Cornell – Composer: W.G. Cooper

1. Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight,
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls,
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.

Chorus:
Peace! peace! Wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above;
Sweep over my spirit forever I pray.
In fathomless billows of love.

2. What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul;
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll.

3. I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all the danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul.

4. And methinks when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the Author of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransom’d will sing
In that heavenly city will be:

5. Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept of this peace so sublime!

We can find calm in the midst of the storm through the peace of God. His security can wrap us tight and give us rest. Take comfort in the shadows of life knowing God is near.  As a child of God, we will be able to see the Author of Peace in heaven someday.

Find best peace in God peace!

Bring Christ’s peace into your home through daily reminders of God’s countless blessings with Blessings Blocks.

Sharing God’s love with children  is important. If you don’t, who will?  We need to take advantage of every opportunity to share God’s love with our own children and in those in our children’s ministry.

It is easy to miss opportunities by getting caught up in what is going on at the present time.

Stressful moments, behavior problems, trying to fit to much into your lesson, and more can cause us to hurt others rather than help them.

This article is a good example and reminder to share God’s love with others.

Effective Sunday School Teaching Starts With Love

This was written by Tony Kummer and was first published as “http://ministry-to-children.com/effective-teaching-starts-with-love/” on Ministry-To-Children.com

Johnny walks into your Sunday school class 25 minutes late. He’s a challenging kid, but you pride yourself on keeping an ordered classroom. You’ve planned your lesson very carefully. You’ve even prayed for you class this week.

You smile at Johnny, but inside your saying, “Why didn’t they just wait until church.” It’s too late to backtrack the lesson, so you just keep teaching.

Johnny is fidgeting. He is rustling through his Bible and making little noises with his mouth. He gets up to find a pencil. He gets up again to sharpen it. The whole class is losing focus.

Hand up. It’s Johnny. “Did we have snack yet?” You kindly redirect. Then he puts his head down and whimpers a little. Inside you wish he had stayed home today.

After church you corner his mom. “Mrs. Smith, I need to talk with you about Johnny’s behavior in Sunday school. He was very disruptive this morning.”

She begins to apologize. “We had a bad morning. His grandpa passed away last Thursday. Johnny has been having nightmares. I should have kept him at home. I thought it might help to keep our routine. I’m really sorry he was trouble.”

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV)

Effective teaching begins with love. Ministry is not about the lesson. It’s not about the classroom schedule. It’s about loving kids and pointing them to Jesus.

How many times have you missed your chance to love?

We cannot be separated from God’s love.

Children need to know that as a child of God He will never leave them. Use this lesson to help children understand salvation and the love of God.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)

The Love of God is HUGE. It is bigger than anything.

What are some big things?

God’s love is bigger than any of those things. He loves us so much that even though we have done naughty things, God gave His Son Jesus to take away our sin.

What is sin?

The naughty things we do are sin. Moms, dads, boys, girls, and even grandpa and grandmas have sinned. Everybody, but God has sinned.

God loves us and wants us to go to Heaven to be with Him someday, but there is no sin in Heaven. Jesus, God’s Son never sinned, died, and rose again to take away our sins.

Would you give up your favorite thing in the world for someone who was naughty and mean to you?

God gave His only Son for us because He loves us. If we pray and tell God we are sorry for our sins and believe that Jesus died and rose again, God will take away our sin and we can go to Heaven someday. God takes our sins and throws them far away where they are gone forever.

Have someone toss or roll a ball.

We can still see the ball. God loves us so much He throws our sin where we will not see it again. When we do naughty things and sin again, we can ask God to forgive us and He will throw them away.

Sometimes people who love us leave.

Does that make you sad?

After we ask God to take away our sin and believe in Him, He will always be with us. We cannot see God, but He is always there. God will NEVER leave us. There is not anything that can separate us from God’s love.

Take a piece of duct tape, fold it over, and put the sticky sides together. Set it in the sun and make sure it is stuck together tightly.

Ask a child to try and peel the tape apart.

God’s love is stronger than duct tape that is stuck together. We cannot be peeled away from God’s love.

Read Romans 8:38-39.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (KJV)

These verses mean that when we believe on God, He is with us now and when we die. He loves us and keeps us safe from things we see and the things we can’t see.

Do you know what you are going to be doing years from now?

God knows what things are going to happen to you now and in the future and He will not leave you.

Where is the highest place you could go?

You cannot get away from God’s love in the highest place or in the lowest place.

God loves you, sees you, and cares about you ALL the time!

Read more about God’s love here:  “No Love Like God’s Love”.