Being the Voice of Peace in 2021

Love thy Neighbor, become Peace on Earth.
Let peace begin with me as I learn to love my neighbor like Christ loves me.

I remember last New Year’s Eve. I was SO excited for 2020 to arrive. Oh, the hopes and plans I had for this year! Little did I know we would have a pandemic…

How many of your plans were derailed? Did the pain and sorrow of the year draw you closer to Him, or just bring more questions? Or did the pandemic bring a little of both, as it did for me. When the world got to be too much, that’s when I have to get out and connect with God in nature. What a blessing my solitary walks have been this year! After listening to the cries of the world, these quiet walks allowed me to feel the healing grace of God and give me time to listen to His “still small voice” and feel the mighty power of His peace.

I’ve also been blessed by some other voices from God’s chosen. Through podcasts or audio books, I’ve been listening to preachers past and present. Current preachers like Rick Warren, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, and Max Lucado help me see the current world through God’s eyes. Past works of A.W. Tozer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Norman Vincent Peale, and Charles Spurgeon helps me find a deeper understanding of my place in God’s kingdom. But sometimes even their words are too much, so I turn on my audiobook of the Bible and listen to the Word itself, stopping only to inhale the fresh air while God’s words sink in.

All these voices help encourage me to show peace, love, and kindness to my neighbor.

At times these quiet voices are drowned out by the yelling, anger, and fear from the many crisis happening in the world today. These cries for help do need our fervent prayers and helping hands, but we can’t forget the still, small voices pleading with us, “…Love thy neighbor…Love thy neighbor…”

At times these quiet voices are drowned out by the yelling, anger, and fear of the many crisis happening in the world today. These cries for help do need our fervent prayers and helping hands, but we can’t forget the still, small voices pleading with us, “…Love thy neighbor…Love thy neighbor…”

Why should we? Besides being a commandment to follow, by showing love to my neighbor, We’re giving an extension of the true, wholehearted love we have for God. The neighbor Christ spoke of in the book of Matthew is every person. As Christians, we believe every person is made in the image of God. Therefore, Jesus expects us to love every person.

If you listen closely, the quiet voices are still there, spreading the infinite love and compassion of Christ to those who don’t think like us, those who don’t look like us, and those who don’t believe as we believe. Harboring no ill will and bringing no agenda except love, these quiet voices continue to share the peace they have found. The peace that passes all understanding.

You and I can be that peace the world needs in 2021: We can choose to love thy neighbor.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. This is the first and great commandment,” He told them. “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’”

(Matthew 22:38–39)

Finding Refuge From Pain

The Lord covers us with HIs protection like a mother bird protects her young from the ravages of the storm.

Pain is a constant companion for many of us with chronic conditions. Recently I’ve learned many other alternative methods to help ease the pain most of the time. Things like physical therapy, exercise, meditation, ice, heat, and even distractions all work to some degree.

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One way I find distraction can ease the effects of arthritis, torn muscles, and nerve pain is by creating digital images from Bible verses like the one above. I then like sharing them with my Facebook followers on the Resting in the Word page.

[You can find the page on Facebook by typing @ScriptureMeditation into the search box.]

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We all have moments of suffering and I don’t think for a minute that mine is worse or greater than any others. I only know that through it all, God is there with me. I’m never alone. Neither are you.

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To all of you suffering today, either physically or emotionally, I pray you will also find relief, for our loving Father promises us that, “Under his wings you will find refuge.”

I hope you’ll join our community on Facebook where together we are blessed by God’s Word every day. It’s also where you can see more of my inspired images, if you’d like. I’d love to have you!

Thanks for dropping by, God bless you! ~Connie

This week’s verse is from Psalm 91:4. “He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge.”

Letters From Christ

Translucent heart covering image of handwritten letter signifying the letter written on a Christian heart by the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I’m just so caught up in living I forget about the big WHAT in “What am I living for?” 

This morning God used Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth to remind me of what our lives in Christ are meant to be….

Our lives are like a love letter from Christ, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God onto our hearts.

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This part overwhelms me: “Our Lives” meaning–my life? When I look in the mirror, do I see my wrinkles, faults and fears or do I see a love letter from Christ?

The awareness of my inadequacies rushes in to fill me with doubts until I cave in to the fact…it’s all true. I have faults–way too many faults to count.

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For me, to have a life that resembles a “love letter from Christ” would take a miracle. And it did. Starting a lifetime ago, when I first asked God, in Jesus’ name, to forgive my sins and create a clean heart in me.Through God’s grace, He did. The peace, freedom and love I felt washed over me like a Tsunami. I then asked the Holy Spirit to come live in my heart and show me how to live. The Spirit did. But I’m not a good listener; I keep messing up.

In fact, I’ve messed up so many times in my life, I feel like my life’s “love letter” would more likely resemble an old paper stuck to the bottom of a trash can– torn, wrinkled, and stained.

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But sometimes feelings can lie. I am a bit wrinkled, it’s true, but I know I’m far from worthless: I’m loved. So are you. We’re loved so much that we’ve been given the greatest gifts to help us through our earthly journey and beyond; God’s gifts of love, truth, forgiveness and peace written on our own imperfect hearts.

The letters from Christ? It’s our lives. WE are the living letters for all the world to see. But what if we still don’t think we measure up?

Then I pray the next time we look in a mirror, you and I don’t see the wrinkles, faults and fears that line our faces. Instead, we look at ourselves through the loving eyes of the Spirit of the Living God. Only then can we then see what God sees; the convicting truth and the purest love of all loves living inside us. When we see that, we’ll want share it; and when we share it… THAT’s our Living Love Letter for the world to see.

©2020 Connie Minnell, Resting In The Word

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“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 NIV

#verseoftheday #LifeinChrist 

Let God Lead, but…

Let God lead,

But step out in faith.

Stand strong like David,

But follow like Noah.

✨God’s plans lead us

Down greater paths

Than we could ever imagine.

If only we will…

✨Let God lead.

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Day 4: October Prayers for my Neighborhood

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

For more inspiring posts, videos and devotions, follow the Resting in the Word Facebook page here.

On Meditation, Health, and Peace

Welcome to episode 4 of Resting in the Word, a guided meditation podcast to help heal your spirit and quiet your mind. A place where you can find peace and comfort without judgment. Today we explore the three main benefits of meditating to scripture, and then relax to ten minutes of meditation highlighted with words of peace from the Bible. Join teacher, writer and host Connie Minnell and let’s begin Resting in the Word.

(Note: Do not listen to while driving, as this podcast is created with soothing words and music to help you sleep.)

Today’s scripture in order of appearance: 

Colossians 3:15 (KJV); Psalm 4:4 Living Bible (TLB); Psalms 49:3, Psalms 19:14, Psalm 136:26, Psalm 29:11, (KJV); Psalm 71:20-21 New International Version (NIV); Numbers 6:24-26 English Standard Version (ESV); 2 Corinthians 13:10-12 (NIV); John 14:27 (KJV); Philippians 4:6-7 American Standard Version (ASV); Luke 8:48 (KJV).

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Copyright Information
(Licensing agreements available upon request by appropriate entity)
All words, including words on graphic art (but excluding Bible verses,) are my own and may not be used in any part written or spoken without my permission. ~Connie Minnell

Music Used by Permission: 
Across The Waters © 2017 Jewelbeat Music Library
Sleeping Stars  © 2017 Rebecca Reads Recordings 


Scripture Used by Permission:

American Standard Version (ASV)
Public Domain

King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.