We’re two weeks into the year, and many of us are back to our regular, busy schedules.  Even though we told ourselves to slow down this year, be more intentional, leave margin in our lives, be more present, and spend more time in Scripture, it’s so easy to fall back into our default state — busy.  Can Jesus relate? He spent a short time on Earth.  He had a lot to do.  He was surrounded by needs everywhere, but He was never in a hurry and always on time.  What can we learn from Jesus and can we do the same? 

The new year is a time to reset.  We reflect, we plan and we take action.  But how about starting 2022 with something different — repentance? Taking time for confessions seems like a lost spiritual discipline these days. The heart and act of repentance that should follow takes humility and courage.  It’s hard but worth it.

We are well in the swing of the Christmas season.  For many, that means a daily crush of gift buying, holiday parties, Christmas cards, the end of the school semester and on and on. It’s all part of that relentless rush of life, but God intends for us to honor the Sabbath and to trust Him with our time – it’s His gift to us. We must allow God to guide us in incorporating rest into our lives intentionally. This includes seeking His presence, rejuvenating relationships, and finding mental and emotional rest. Lionshare’s founder and president Dave Buehring preached this sermon at Northway Christian Community in Pittsburgh on how God wants us to live and lead in peace, joy, and health, with a deep sense of His presence and purpose in our lives.

Books mentioned:
“Margin” by Dr. Richard Swenson
“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer

Being known as a peacemaker is a profound honor in heaven, signifying a threat to evil and earning the proud recognition of God as His son or daughter. We are not supposed to be the cause of conflict. Peacemaking requires a meek, merciful, and pure heart that prioritizes God’s glory and the well-being of His people over selfish concerns or earthly prestige. Jesus concludes the Beatitudes by moving from peacemaking to persecution; from reconciling relationships to experiencing rejection and hostility. Blessed are the persecuted for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus says the pure in heart will see God, but purity seems like a very high bar. We know God sees into our hearts because it reflects the “real me” and the “real you.”