How Do We Handle Strife?

 "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people."- Romans 12:18

If you've taken a look at the news, our country is in turmoil.  So much anger, hatred, and strife.  If we look ONLY at what's happening, we can easily forget that none of this has taken Abba by surprise.  Jesus told us: "In this world you will have trouble, struggles and strife. But take hope! I have power over the world!" (John 16:33).  Abba knew we would be a troublesome bunch before He spoke anything into creation. 

Now...WE have a choice to make: 1. Take part in the chaos, or 2. Follow Abba's example.  You see, Abba told us to focus on Him and because of that love would fill us and splash onto everyone around us.  Our enemy is doing his absolute best to keep us from focusing on Abba.  When we look at all that's going on in this country and world, we will begin to fear, get angry, and fall right into the enemy's trap.  However, when we continue to focus on Abba and learn to pray for others (in spite of themselves and in spite of ourselves) we will know the peace that surpasses understanding!  

Pray!  Talk with Him! Tell Him EVERYTHING that is on your mind and heart! Empty yourself to Him! And you will find it easier to be a peaceful witness. 

Is There Peace In The Midst of Chaos?

"My soul finds rest in God alone."

Psalm 62:1

 

Today began as a typical day with my mind racing to remember what I needed to do, what to avoid, how I might be able to work more efficiently, remembering all the precautions to take in the midst of the COVID-19, and on and on.  

 

By the time I left home at 5:30 in the morning, my mind was buzzing.  I happened to look into the sky as I got into my truck and saw the full moon.  I stared at it for several minutes and felt all my anxiety begin to fade away.  God was reminding me that the moon is still there regardless of what is going on here on earth, because He's the one who put it right there where I would see it this morning.  The more I thought about it, the more clear it became: Regardless of what we see, feel, think, stress over...God is still in control!

 

Think about it, regardless of how panicked we become about the events we can see, God is still making sure the Sun still shines, the Moon still glows, the birds still sing, the flowers still bloom, and God's love is still strong.  As I drove to work, God reminded me that NOTHING can change His plans for us and NOTHING can take His love for us away.  When we focus on Him, our anxieties, stresses, worries, concerns will melt away.

 

Ponder That! 

Peace

Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Colossians 3:15 

 

Nothing really needs to be said, so I'll leave this right here for you to contemplate.

Living In Peace

When people’s lives please the Lord,
    even their enemies are at peace with them.

Proverbs 16:7

 

There's nothing I can say to make this any clearer, so I'll just leave this right here for you to ponder with me.

 

And I Am Still Breathing...

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Psalm 34:8 

The year was 2005, I had been experiencing some rather odd sensations in that my left arm would tingle when I exerted myself.  I ignored it figuring it was nothing more than a minor annoyance.  My bride and I moved into the house in which we reside now and during the moving process, the tingling turned to pain every so often.  Once we had everything in place, we decided to start walking, partly for exercise and together time but also so we could get to know our neighborhood. It was during one of these walks that my left arm stopped tingling and simply went numb.

Coincidentally, I had my annual physical the following week.  I described my symptoms to my doctor, who decided that further investigation was needed so he put me on a treadmill for this thing called a "stress test."  Let me tell you, the stress I was enduring at work during this time did NOT need testing, it was real and it was horrible.  Each day, I forced myself to go to work and could not wait to get home.  Sleep was elusive and I became grouchy (ok, grouchier) and then there were the digestive issues that came with the stress.

It was during the stress test that I heard the doctor say, "Hmmm. You're not going home." And I was driven to the hospital for a heart cath.  Now, laying on the skinny metal table with dye being injected into my arteries, two things I struggled with: 1) Not falling off that REALLY skinny table and 2) Hearing the Cardiologist viewing the monitors say, "Hmmmm."   Jump to the night before quadruple bypass surgery (at age 45), and when I was in my room in the dark praying, I honestly did not expect to come out of surgery at all.  But it was in that silence that I felt a calm come over me like I had not felt in a LONG time and I knew, whatever happened, God had everything under control.

Even when we are enduring the worst times of our lives, God reminds us that He's already brought us through every single one we've endured before.  You'd think we'd learn to rely on Him after all that, but we still struggle with that, yet God is still there to remind us that He has everything under control!

All Is Not As It Seems

So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. 

Romans 14:19

If we pay attention to the news, some might think God has taken His hand off of us and is letting evil run rampant.  However, that is not the case.  God is alive and well and still in control of ALL things (even when we don't understand what He's doing).

We strive with each other and God reminds us through Apostle Paul to pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.  The world and all its wars and chaos will become heavy burdens if that is where we focus our hearts and souls!  But God... there should our focus be!

Mind Muddle

 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:39

 

 

I admit it.  Over the last several weeks, my mind has been so filled with detritus that I have felt oddly befuddled at times.  There are many mornings when I simply have to confess to God that I don't know what to say because there's so much in my mind that I have trouble focusing.  I try to write out my prayer lists over and over, and they become just a huge jumble.  So I simply sit on the sofa and ask God to help me pray through all the internal noise.  Of course, Woody tries to be helpful by rolling over and wanting his belly rubbed.

 

Something I have noticed, you can't force prayer!  I've tried, and because I was the one trying to force the conversation, I did all the talking and none of the listening and when I was through I went on about my day without so much as a "Thanks for listening to me gripe."  And you can imagine how the day went after that.

 

When we have so much internal noise that we cannot even think straight, it's time for us to be still and confess to God that we have too many distractions.  Remember the storm where the Disciples were convinced they were all going to die?  The storm was so distracting that they forgot to consider Jesus.  Where was Jesus?  Peacefully asleep in the boat.  The Disciples panicked and woke Jesus up and asked Him if He even cared that they might die.  What did Jesus do?  The same thing He does to my over cluttered mind, He commanded "Peace! Be Still!" And my mind began to unload all of its concerns, burdens, doubts, confessions, weariness, worries, anxieties.....everything!  And then I heard these words, "My child, I love you!"

 

Peace! Be Still!

 

 

Branching Out

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city, and a huge crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him, shouting, “The Savior! God bless the King of Israel! Hail to God’s Ambassador!” Jesus rode along on a young donkey
John 12:12-14

I love History!  Yes, I am "eccentric" like that.  As this is Palm Sunday weekend, I wanted to take point out just a few things that I found interesting (and don't call me nerdy).

First, when people found out that Jesus, who had recently raised Lazarus from the dead, was coming to Jerusalem, they gather palm branches and covered His path with them.  The palm frond represented Victory, Triumph, Peace, and Eternal Life.  Waving the palm branches and covering the road with them was usually reserved for a victorious king returning from battle.  Yet here is Jesus, the Prince of Peace, receiving this victorious honor.

Second, the people were shouting as He passed by calling Him "Savior" and "King of Israel" and "God's Ambassador" all of which were titles of honor.  When a Roman General returned from a successful campaign, the Senate could honor that General with a Procession which was among the highest honors a Roman General could receive, and this is the same thing Jesus received.

Third, a donkey was considered a sign of peace while a horse was considered a sign of war.  Warriors rode horses when they went into battle and left death and destruction in their wake.  But Jesus, who is being hailed as the King of Israel, Savior, and God's Ambassador rode into Jerusalem on the back of the peaceful donkey.

Ponder this for a moment.

 

Don't Bring That In Here!

Before you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with this house.’

Luke 10:5

 

When I was growing up (and not out), my woman in my life had this inexplicable need to tell me to "Wipe your feet before you come int this house."  Don't get me wrong, I get the reasoning.  There's no telling what I may or may not track into the house given that I had been playing outside most of the day.

 

Now, here I am a few years later (stop counting), and I'm beginning to see a correlation.  When I was learning some of the very basic rules  about crime scenes, one of the first things I was taught was that when you enter a scene you bring things in from outside the scene. And when you leave the scene, you will take part of the scene with you.  And here's where the Scripture clanged like a gong with that "AH HA" realization.

 

Jesus reminds us that what we should be careful what we bring into the house, thus before we enter a home offer, "Peace be with this house" so that what we bring is peace.  Now to some, that might be like the old Southern tradition of bringing a pie or casserole, and it is similar because both are intended to soothe (except the green bean casseroles with onions and mushrooms).  What we bring into the house we will leave there.  When we leave the house, we will take some of that with us.  

 

Think about it this way:

     -If you have had a bad day and you come home angry and frustrated, what happens to the mood of the house?  

     -If you've had a great day and you come home, what happens to the mood of the house?    

 

     -By the same token, if you have an argument before you leave the house, what are you taking with you?  

     -And, if you experience laughter and love before you leave the house, what are you taking with you? 

 

Just food for thought today.

Get Smart!

God is not a God of chaos but a God of peace.

1 Corinthians 14:33a

 

If you look at pretty much any news outlet, you will see they have lots of stories about the chaos which seems to be taking over the world.  Every group seems to be protesting and people seem to be so angry at everything and everyone.  And if we allow it, we will believe that the world is coming apart at the seams and it would appear that God has lost control.

 

Well, that's what our enemy wants us to think.  He wants us to believe that the world is His and God has lost control of everything.  And that is nothing less than a lie from the pit and stinks like smoke!

 

I remember as a child watching the television show "Get Smart" which was about the ongoing struggle between Chaos and Control.  I laughed at some of the antics of the show because it was funny.  But the message was not lost on my young mind...we are in a struggle between chaos and control.  There are those who want no rules so they can do whatever their whim of the moment might be with no consequences.  Yet we know that every action is preceded by a thought and every decision will have consequences that are good or bad.

 

Yet understand, God is not a God of chaos, but He is a God of peace!  Now living in peace does not mean lay down and be a doormat. Peace comes with boundaries and rules.

 

When Do We Seek Peace?

You, Lord, give true peace
    to those who depend on you,
    because they trust you.

Isaiah 26:3 

 

We've spent a long time hearing about riots, arguing about politics, people protesting this or that.  Then the elections began NOT with "here's what we will do to bring peace" but with "I may be a horrible person, but my opponent is WORSE!"  Now that the elections are technically over, the unrest continues.  

 

Then we deal daily with "office politics"...what some call favoritism or 'brown nosing.'  It seems that every where you turn, people are unhappy and seeking to convince others to agree with their opinion by taking extreme measures.  And during all this unrest and noise, we hear no one speaking of peace.

 

Peace...TRUE peace is the knowledge that no matter what happens, God is still God and He is in control and loves us!  When we focus on THAT, then we will begin to understand peace.  You see, peace doesn't mean I'm right and you're wrong; peace doesn't mean you're right and I'm wrong.  Peace means God's plans for us will be completed in spite of all the fighting and arguing and tantrums and inattention.  God is patient.  God loves you.  God has a plan.  God is the One to Trust (It's even on our currency).

 

Step back from the politics for just one day and focus on God's love for you.  And you will begin to sense His peace fill you.

What Do You Fear?

Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; 

they cannot touch your soul. 

Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:28

 

 What are you afraid of?  When I was younger, I wasn't (am still not) too fond of heights. It was so much the falling that frightened me, so much as the intense pain of the sudden stop at the bottom.

 

When we were children, we used to fear many things:

   *  Like spiders (and some still have an aversion to them), 

   *  and clowns, 

   *  and drowning, 

   *  and alligators, 

   *  and any number of things.  

 

And as we grow up, we mostly grow out of those fears because we have new ones to replace them:

   *   losing your hair.

   *   developing a long term illness.

   *   having to speak in public

   *   being summoned to the boss's office.

   *   failing in school or in a career

 

There are those who will tell you that if you face your fears, you can overcome them.  Apparently, they have never watched a single horror movie, because when you face the critter that scares you in a horror movie, bad things happen to you.

 

Fear can paralyze us.  Fear can stop us from reaching out to someone who needs our help.  Fear can make us......well, afraid.  And then I saw a movie that I wish I could remember the title of, but the main gunfighter was facing his nemesis who was holding his weapon to the head of a hostage.  The nemesis said, "One more step and I'll kill her."  To which the hero said, "Then there will be no one but you and me."  

 

While that may sound cruel and rather heartless, think about this for a second.  Why are we afraid to speak to someone?  Because they may tell us to go away?  So what?   

 

Why are we afraid to help someone?  Because they may not want our help?  So what?

 

Why do we not pray when we're in public?  Because someone might not like it?  So what?  You don't have to bow your head, close your eyes, and look "holy" to pray.  

 

Our enemy would have us afraid of him, because he can cause our life here to be not so much fun.  But when we let God's light shine on his false "power" we will see and God will grant us the strength and courage we need.  

I Ranted And Raved And Guess What It Got Me?

The Lord will fight for you. You just keep still.

Exodus 14:14 

Last week was one of the worst weeks I have had in a long long time.  I was out of town in what was supposed to be a three-day training.  Things don't always work out the way we envision them or plan them or hope they will or even how we think they ought to go. You see, I thought I was going to have a chance to get away, learn some very insightful and useful things I could then bring back and use to help my Department, then I could come home and share my wisdom with all.  

 

But....didn't happen that way.  On day one, I was trying to answer emails during the breaks, return phone calls during lunch, and when I got back to my lodging a whole new set of issues.  I was hoping to review the material and get some rest.  There were three reasons that didn't happen:  First, hotel mattresses are almost always uncomfortable to me and no matter how much I tried, I just couldn't get comfortable.  Second, my neighbors on one side sounded like they were having quite the professional wrestling match, while on the other side the sounds and noises were, shall we say, not something I wanted or needed to hear.  Third, the air conditioning was not working.

 

On the second day of class, more of the same of answering messages during breaks and returning phone calls during lunch, until....I got the message that a dear member of our Department had passed away.  I had to read the message several times before it finally sank in.  I had just visited the dear lady and now she was gone.  So when I got back to my room, I tried to put some thoughts together to deliver her funeral message but couldn't think.  I prayed for peace and none came.  Suddenly, I got the strong need to get back home to deal with this up close.  So, I packed, got in the car, notified my instructor what had happened, and came home.  

 

On the way home, traffic was frustrating and infuriating.  At one point, the three lane interstate had been converged into a single slow moving lane due to road construction.  Not only that, but I got behind that ONE person.....you know the one....who has to keep half a mile between their car and the vehicle in front of them (and they aren't about to move).  So I was stuck behind them for what seemed like hours.

 

All this time I am letting God have it!  I am unloading a barrage of my opinions and perspectives, directives, expectations, and in language I didn't remember learning in the Army.  When I finally got home, I was still fuming.

 

I spent the night tossing and turning and, true to form, at 4:19am, I was wide awake and knew God was ready to have a chat.  I began this prayer time with my sincerest apology for my ranting and raving and for my frustration.  And guess what I got in return?  The peace that I cannot explain, the lightening of my burden because of the forgiveness I had been granted, and such a clarity that I knew what needed to be said at the funeral.

 

I wrote some things down, let the family read it, and was ready to deliver it on Thursday.  Thursday Morning, I got a call from the family asking for a couple of changes to what I had written.  Again, I prayed for focus and the help to say what the family wanted.  I jotted down the notes given to me by the family, and let God take it from there.

 

All my ranting, raving, frustration, and anger....and God reminded me to "BE STILL!"  God reminded me to let HIM do the fighting for me.  Let Him speak through me.  

 

We're never to old to be reminded that God is God and we are not!

Are You A Peacemaker?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:9

I have seen this used by Law Enforcement as one of their motto verses.  And it is true that one of the duties of Law Enforcement Officers is to make, and keep, the peace.  But guess what?  Jesus didn't say "Blessed are only the Police for they shall be called children of God."

Guess who is eligible to be a Peacemaker?  YOU!  That's right, YOU are eligible to be a peacemaker!  Just as YOU are eligible to be called a Child of God.  

Peace Makers are just that...makers of peace!  They aren't riotous! They aren't destroyers!  They don't demand their own way!  Peace Makers realize that, while each of us is different, we can all still work together and get along.  

I've watched some of the demonstrations across the country on the news.  Some are very peaceful, but some are, for lack of a better way to say it, a riot looking for a chance to explode. And when these demonstrations explode into rioting, what does that accomplish? Businesses pull out of those areas, thus jobs are lost; property is damaged or destroyed thus insurance rates go up and the cost of living also rises.

I remember watching movie about Gandhi.  He helped bring about MASSIVE change to India without riots, destruction, and violence.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped bring about MASSIVE change to the United States with his dream of people being united and living in peace.

Somewhere along the way, we seem to have lost that desire for peace.

Knee-Jerk Responses or Just Being A Jerk?

Better to be patient than a warrior,
    and better to have self-control than to capture a city.

Proverbs 16:32 

Have you ever noticed that when something happens knee-jerk responses are the first things we hear about?  Let's say, some pizza restaurant owner decides that his employees deserve to have a day off and chooses that day to be Thursday.  Within hours, there are reports and speculations as to why the owner chose Thursday.  Then come those I Love Thursday people who demand a boycott of the restaurant because they "have a right" to eat pizza at this restaurant (which they now despise) on Thursday. Then there's a call to boycott pizza! And on and on and on.....the knee-jerk responses get weirder and weirder!

Have we lost our senses?  Have we lost the ability to actually think rather than overreact?  Okay, granted if you kick me in the shin, I'm liable to say some quite unclergy things and probably kick you back.  But we, as a group, seem to want to take things to the extreme!

When does it stop?  What would have happened if, when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, God decided not only would Adam and Eve would be destroyed, but He destroyed the Garden, then the world, then the Universe?  Overreaction perhaps?

Patience is, like all virtues, learned (and not very easily, I might add).  If we took the time to think about how our actions impact, not just us, but everyone else, we would be a lot calmer.

I looked back at the Mother Emmanuel shooting and saw how the congregation members, family members, faith community members, and city members all came together in peace.  Were they hurting?  ABSOLUTELY!  But they did not encourage riots, they did not call for retaliation, they did not trash and burn Charleston.  They came together to comfort one another!  THAT takes calm.  THAT takes patience.  THAT takes love!

Take time to think! Thank about how many times Scripture states, "Peace be with you"

Simple Prayer

“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Luke 8:48

When you think of prayer, does your mind immediately go to those blustery long dust-filled speeches?  Do you remember, with fear and trepidation, when "that person" was called upon to offer the Benediction and the grabbed the pack of the pew in front of them to launch into an hour long speech?  How about the prayers where "Father God" is every other phrase used?

 

Prayer is simple.  Prayer is a conversation with the One who knows you better than you could possibly know yourself. Peter, when he walked on the water at Jesus' invitation, and when Peter got distracted and started to sink, his prayer was very simple: "HELP!"  Sometimes prayers don't even have to be spoken out loud.  Remember the woman with the bleeding issue?  Her unvoiced prayer was "If only I can just touch the hem of his robe, I can be healed."  She worked her way to Jesus, and her prayer was answered.

 

Prayer isn't about how much we say.  Prayer isn't about having perfect grammar.  Prayer isn't about saying the right magical words so God will hear you.  Prayer is not for everyone else to hear.  If we aren't careful, prayer can make us feel smug because we believe everyone is impressed with our ability to articulate for hours on end (when actually they are just grateful that the prayer FINALLY ended).

 

Prayer is letting your heart speak!  It can be a quick as "HELP!" and it can be a simple as "fill me with Your peace."  Prayer is a conversation, so talk with your Father because He hears, not only our words, but the groanings of our spirit.

UGH....Politics!

Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders;
    don’t be defiant or mutinous.
Without warning your life can turn upside down,
    and who knows how or when it might happen?

Proverbs 24:21-22 

 

Yep....it's that time again.  The gloves and muzzles come off and the mudslinging begins.  And we hear many, Many, MANY variations of "Yes, I'm awful and not very good, BUT THEY'RE WORSE!"  And then there are those who want to "speak truth" by hiding behind a mask...and we're supposed to just take their words at FACE value from a hidden FACE?

 

Let me be extremely clear: my political beliefs are mine!  I know there are those whose political views are different from mine, and I accept that.  I am not here to try to convince anyone to think as I do about politics.  I just want to ask a question: "When did being respectable get removed from the looked for qualities list?"

 

Each election we see the tantrums, we witness the disruptions, we hear the name calling, we find out the dirty laundry of the participants, and we are even beginning to hear how one candidate is the lesser of the evils running for office.  

 

Believe what you will, but know that we are commanded by the Bible, so many tout as their political source of inspiration, to RESPECT your leaders (whether you like them and agree with them or not).  We are also told over and over to PRAY for each other and to LIVE IN PEACE with each other.  My sympathy to our candidates who seem to have forgotten that, and for their supporters who embody that forgetfulness.

 

Isn't it time we return to the point where we pray for each other, our country, our leaders, and thank God for His provisions?  

Grant Us Peace!

It CAN Be Christmas!

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

~Luke 2:14

 

I don't often copy and paste someone else's work for these devotional, but this one stuck in my mind and I simply felt compelled to share it:

 

On a crisp, clear morning 100 years ago, thousands of British, Belgian and French soldiers put down their rifles, stepped out of their trenches and spent Christmas mingling with their German enemies along the Western front. In the hundred years since, the event has been seen as a kind of miracle, a rare moment of peace just a few months into a war that would eventually claim over 15 million lives. But what actually happened on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of 1914 — and did they really play soccer on the battlefield?

Pope Benedict XV, who took office that September, had originally called for a Christmas truce, an idea that was officially rejected. Yet it seems the sheer misery of daily life in the cold, wet, dull trenches was enough to motivate troops to initiate the truce on their own — which means that it’s hard to pin down exactly what happened. A huge range of differing oral accounts, diary entries and letters home from those who took part make it virtually impossible to speak of a “typical” Christmas truce as it took place across the Western front. To this day historians continue to disagree over the specifics: no one knows where it began or how it spread, or if, by some curious festive magic, it broke out simultaneously across the trenches. Nevertheless, some two-thirds of troops — about 100,000 people — are believed to have participated in the legendary truce.

Most accounts suggest the truce began with carol singing from the trenches on Christmas Eve, “a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white almost everywhere”, as Pvt. Albert Moren of the Second Queens Regiment recalled, in a document later rounded up by the New York Times. Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade described it in even greater detail:

“First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing ­– two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”

The next morning, in some places, German soldiers emerged from their trenches, calling out “Merry Christmas” in English. Allied soldiers came out warily to greet them. In others, Germans held up signs reading “You no shoot, we no shoot.” Over the course of the day, troops exchanged gifts of cigarettes, food, buttons and hats. The Christmas truce also allowed both sides to finally bury their dead comrades, whose bodies had lain for weeks on “no man’s land,” the ground between opposing trenches.
 

 So you see, Christmas is more than just a day off from work to rip open packages that will be forgotten in a few days.  Christmas is the opportunity to make changes to our hearts and lives.  Take time to let this sink in.  Do you need to make changes? 

At Peace

You, Lord, give true peace
    to those who depend on You,
    because they trust You.

Isaiah 26:3

The photo is of our greyhound, Abby.  She is a little pampered and she is at peace....content with her life.  People have forgotten what it is to be at peace and to be content with their lives.  Think about it...we spend our lives always in pursuit of more!  More stuff, more money, more space, MORE EVERYTHING!  We have lost the ability to be content and at peace!

 

Now that it has begun, look at the shopping for Christmas.  Black Friday usually brings out people who are willing to endure horrendous crowds, whatever weather in their area, and will camp out just so they can storm the stores to get more stuff.  Humans never seem to be satisfied.

 

It is the constant pursuit of more that prevents us from knowing true peace and contentment.  We want more money, so instead of cutting back on some expenses, we work more hours.  When we work more hours, we are more tired.  When we are more tired, we get irritable.  When we get irritable, we take it out on our relationships.  When we take it out on our relationships, we create a distance between us and the people we love, and eventually we will end up losing.  All because we insisted we "needed" more.  And I am guilty of this too.

Now.....look at today's verse.  God gives TRUE PEACE to those who depend on Him!  So what do you think would happen if we shifted our focus from "MORE STUFF" to more relationship with God?