1 00:00:02,650 --> 00:00:13,460 Speaker 1: Life Audio Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We're glad to 2 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:17,580 Speaker 1: have you listening with us. Today's topic is Pausing for Peace. 3 00:00:18,390 --> 00:00:20,950 Speaker 1: We'll return with the devotional after a brief message from 4 00:00:21,010 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: our sponsors. Pausing for Peace. Written and read by Megan J. 5 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 2: Connor. 6 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,190 Speaker 1: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. 7 00:00:43,210 --> 00:00:46,030 Speaker 1: I do not give to you as the world gives. 8 00:00:46,350 --> 00:00:48,470 Speaker 1: Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not 9 00:00:48,510 --> 00:00:54,350 Speaker 1: be afraid. John 14, 27, NIV. It was a lovely 10 00:00:54,410 --> 00:00:56,530 Speaker 1: summer day when I had the opportunity to take a 11 00:00:56,550 --> 00:00:58,630 Speaker 1: day trip to meet up with a co-worker in a 12 00:00:58,670 --> 00:01:01,950 Speaker 1: city several hours from where I live. I had numerous 13 00:01:02,030 --> 00:01:04,150 Speaker 1: reasons to rush to the event in order to get 14 00:01:04,190 --> 00:01:06,590 Speaker 1: back to my desk and make up for the loss 15 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: of productivity that evening. However, something prompted me to slow 16 00:01:11,260 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: down and take advantage of the day away. After the 17 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,539 Speaker 1: lunch meeting with my colleague, she recommended a trail nearby 18 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,459 Speaker 1: that I might enjoy before I had to get back 19 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: on the road. Nature is very much my happy place, 20 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,700 Speaker 1: especially if it includes forests or water. So when she 21 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: pointed me in that direction, I went along readily. With 22 00:01:30,180 --> 00:01:33,030 Speaker 1: each step down the cobblestone path, my soul breathed a 23 00:01:33,050 --> 00:01:36,810 Speaker 1: little easier. Covered by a canopy of lush green trees, 24 00:01:36,970 --> 00:01:40,750 Speaker 1: the atmosphere was almost magical. As my attention was focused 25 00:01:40,850 --> 00:01:42,890 Speaker 1: on the beauty surrounding me, the weight of my worries 26 00:01:42,950 --> 00:01:46,220 Speaker 1: seemed to slip away. I became more and more present 27 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:49,300 Speaker 1: in the moment, rather than consumed with all the concerns 28 00:01:49,340 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: of the past or the future. There really was nothing 29 00:01:52,820 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: else to do but be. Be in the moment, be present, 30 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:03,510 Speaker 1: and be at peace. In our fast-paced, achievement-driven, bigger-is-always-better modern culture, 31 00:02:04,030 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: many of us are burdened by overwhelm. Our minds race 32 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,340 Speaker 1: just as fast, if not faster, than the breakneck speed 33 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,779 Speaker 1: of life around us. As such, it's so easy for 34 00:02:13,860 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: fear and stress to engulf our hearts and minds, drawing 35 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,540 Speaker 1: us deeper into self-dependency and further away from the one 36 00:02:20,700 --> 00:02:24,460 Speaker 1: true source of our peace. Jesus reminds us in the 37 00:02:24,500 --> 00:02:27,700 Speaker 1: scripture provided today that he has not only extended his 38 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: peace to us, but that through him we do not 39 00:02:30,380 --> 00:02:33,940 Speaker 1: need to be afraid. Peace I leave with you, my 40 00:02:34,020 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: peace I give you. I do not give to you 41 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be 42 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,340 Speaker 1: troubled and do not be afraid. John 14, 27 NIV 43 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,590 Speaker 1: In a very practical sense, Jesus also addresses our tendency 44 00:02:47,630 --> 00:02:50,910 Speaker 1: towards worry in Matthew chapter 6 when he illustrates how 45 00:02:50,970 --> 00:02:54,770 Speaker 1: God provides for the needs of his creatures. Therefore I 46 00:02:54,830 --> 00:02:57,090 Speaker 1: tell you, do not worry about your life, what you 47 00:02:57,110 --> 00:03:00,020 Speaker 1: will eat or drink, or about your body, what you 48 00:03:00,060 --> 00:03:03,060 Speaker 1: will wear. Is life not more than food and the 49 00:03:03,100 --> 00:03:06,070 Speaker 1: body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. 50 00:03:06,450 --> 00:03:09,150 Speaker 1: They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, 51 00:03:09,290 --> 00:03:12,250 Speaker 1: and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not 52 00:03:12,310 --> 00:03:15,630 Speaker 1: much more valuable than they? Can any one of you 53 00:03:15,690 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6, 54 00:03:18,950 --> 00:03:24,950 Speaker 1: 25-26 NIV If the Lord is willing and able to 55 00:03:25,050 --> 00:03:27,670 Speaker 1: so abundantly care for the birds of the air, is 56 00:03:27,730 --> 00:03:31,270 Speaker 1: He not also able to care well for us? Of 57 00:03:31,330 --> 00:03:33,829 Speaker 1: course He is. Why then do we have so much 58 00:03:33,889 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: trouble believing in this provision? Because we do not allow 59 00:03:37,740 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: ourselves to pause long enough to look up and look 60 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,500 Speaker 1: out at the blessings all around us. We keep our 61 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: eyes on the prize and our hands to the plow, 62 00:03:46,100 --> 00:03:49,020 Speaker 1: never stopping long enough to realize there is a better way. 63 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: The way is Jesus. John 14, 6 There is something 64 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,100 Speaker 1: so pure and so beautiful when we intentionally choose to stop, 65 00:03:58,580 --> 00:04:02,010 Speaker 1: to be still. In the quietness of moments like the 66 00:04:02,110 --> 00:04:04,910 Speaker 1: one I mentioned earlier, we recognize our Creator in the 67 00:04:04,970 --> 00:04:09,410 Speaker 1: midst of His creation. We rediscover hope, we step into peace, 68 00:04:09,930 --> 00:04:12,310 Speaker 1: and we surrender to Him who is able to provide 69 00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: all that we need in trust. Ephesians 3, 20-21 No 70 00:04:18,779 --> 00:04:21,280 Speaker 1: matter how busy your life seems or how many outside 71 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,650 Speaker 1: voices clamor for your attention, may I encourage you today 72 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 1: to simply stop. Even if it is just for a 73 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:31,380 Speaker 1: few minutes each day, I strongly recommend you prioritize pausing 74 00:04:31,460 --> 00:04:35,159 Speaker 1: for peace. There really is respite for the worried and weary. 75 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: You simply have to be still. Intersecting Faith and Life 76 00:04:41,020 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: Do you struggle with worry or weariness? Do you feel 77 00:04:43,740 --> 00:04:46,660 Speaker 1: like the demands of your job or other responsibilities don't 78 00:04:46,700 --> 00:04:50,330 Speaker 1: allow for seasons of rest and stillness? If so, how 79 00:04:50,380 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 1: does today's devotional offer you an alternative viewpoint? If you 80 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,860 Speaker 1: are willing, decide on one practice you can employ every 81 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: day to set aside intentional time to pause and be still. 82 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: Whether it is first thing in the morning, an alarm 83 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: you set as a reminder on your phone, or maybe 84 00:05:07,339 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: even an agreed upon time that you and a friend 85 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: decide to commit to, I challenge you to prioritize incorporating 86 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:17,010 Speaker 1: some sort of pause throughout your day to stop everything 87 00:05:17,150 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: and simply be. Be present, be still, and receive from 88 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,310 Speaker 1: God the gift of peace. For further reading, take a 89 00:05:25,330 --> 00:05:33,990 Speaker 1: look at Isaiah 26 3-4 and Psalm 29 11. 90 00:05:34,950 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 3: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what 91 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 3: you heard today, we want to make sure you know 92 00:05:40,100 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 3: about our sister podcast, Your Daily Prayer. When you follow 93 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,380 Speaker 3: Your Daily Prayer in your favorite podcast app, you'll get 94 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,550 Speaker 3: a brand new prayer and devotional each day so your 95 00:05:50,570 --> 00:05:54,210 Speaker 3: days begin in conversation with God. 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