Encouragement for Today - Jan. 28, 2011

January 28, 2011
The Blessed Life
Rachel Olsen 

"For the Kingdom of God is … living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17 (NLT)         

Devotion:
With each passing year I grow ever more convinced that the life of faith is a life characterized by peace and joy.

Sure it's a life of goodness as well, that's practically a no-brainer. Ask anyone what religion or Christianity specifically is about, and you're likely to hear, "Being good." But being good is not the sum total of it.

 

In fact, simply being good—doing what is morally right—absent of a peaceful trust in God and a joyful appreciation of Him can become legalism. And few things upset Jesus more than the legalism of the religious leaders of His day.

 

Legalism is living a life of rules with little room for the very thing Jesus affords us: grace. It's characterized by self-striving. In my book, "It's No Secret," I share how easily I can overlook the fact that no matter what rules we happen to keep - or fail to keep - God provides His people with grace, mercy, forgiveness, peace and joy.

 

Some may say that if I am experiencing more peace and joy it's because I'm being increasingly good. That it's because I'm being obedient and doing all the right things—praying more, trusting God more, walking in a manner worthy of my calling, and so forth. Well, yes. And, no.

 

I've come to realize that I have no real right to extra peace or happiness just because I pause to talk with God. I have no entitlement to contentment or joy just because I submit to His commands. I pray and obey simply because God is God, and I am not. He is the creator of my life. He holds the patent. And I'm created for His pleasure.

 

Yet in His gracious, extravagant kindness, He has made it so that when I pray rather than worry, I experience peace. When I gratefully accept what He has given me, and do not wish and whine for more, I find contentment. When I give away what I have, so often I get joy in return. And when I look steadily on Him all these blessings come into view.

 

Hannah Whitall Smith writes:

 

"This blessed life must not be looked upon in any sense as an attainment but as an obtainment. We cannot earn it; we cannot climb up to it; we cannot win it; we can do nothing but ask for it and receive it. It is the gift of God in Christ Jesus. And where a thing is a gift, the only course left for the receiver is to take it and thank the giver."

 

Simply because He is good, peace, contentment and joy are available to us regardless of our position, possessions, performance or circumstances. It's His loving kindness and the empowerment of His Spirit that makes living in the kingdom of God a life of goodness, peace and joy.

 

And that, my Yahweh Sister, is a blessed life -a gift. It's what life in the Kingdom looks like. Let's share that gift by introducing others to its Source.

Dear Lord, thank You for the grace afforded me. I so desperately need it, and I so deeply appreciate it. Please blanket me in the blessing of Your presence and guide me in Your will. Let me walk in goodness, peace and joy today, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

To learn more about living as a modern woman in the Kingdom of God, get a copy of Rachel's book It's No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know

Visit Rachel's blog today for a chance to win a copy of her book It's No Secret.

Application Steps: 
Pause and thank the Giver!

Allow your God-given blessings to come into view.

Reflections: 
Would those who know me best use the words "goodness," "peace," or "joy" to describe my life?

What can I do to set my mind on peace and joy today?

Power Verses:
Luke 17:20-21, "Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,' or ‘There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst.'" (NIV)

Isaiah 55:12, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." (NIV)

Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (NIV)

© 2011 by Rachel Olsen. All rights reserved. 

Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org