Issue 1422 – Pepin Brook – April 15, 2024
On Saturday, Kathy and I took some time to visit a local area garden centre and then a local park for a picnic. We have a standing joke about picnicking in the car because often when we travel for a picnic, we encounter bad weather and end up enjoying our meal from the front seat of our vehicle.
Saturday was a beautiful exception. The skies were clear and sunny while we dined … outside. We carry folding chairs in the car so that we can stop and sit anywhere we choose, but we were even blessed to have an available picnic table so we didn’t have to dig the chairs out.
Pepin Brook is a little stream that runs through the park and a spot where the roadway crosses over it. Nothing is unique about it; it is like any of a myriad of little brooks and streams in the area. Still, every time we visit, I stop to enjoy the brook. There is usually plenty of birdlife at the place, and the sweet gurgle of the brook calms my mind.
Saturday was no exception. I just stood at “my” little spot and absorbed the peace. I think of it as my spot on the bridge, even though tens of thousands of others stop and do the same thing.
Moments of peace in our hectic lives can seem few and far away. Those with newborns or growing families can find them even more challenging to find than retired folk like me.
As grateful as I am for those quiet moments, I am even more thankful that I am not dependent on my circumstances for true peace.
Our true peace is found in Christ in this temporal world and beyond.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
Paul doesn’t stop there, he continues to say
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
The Spirit gives us peace, and we find it in gratitude, joy, prayer and meditation on the truth.
While moments of peace such as enjoying “my” brooks are a gift and delight, the peace of God is a more significant gift yet. With the practice of some basic spiritual disciplines, it can be our joy and attitude.
I pray that you draw ever closer to God and that His peace becomes a foundational part of your daily life, no matter what you face.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)