Month: May 2019

The Fruit of the Spirit Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts

/ Karen / 10 Comments
Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Week 21: Peace in conflicts

Welcome to our final week of study about growing in peace. This week we’ll look at how to find peace in the midst of conflicts.

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts by Karen Jurgens
The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts by Karen Jurgens
The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts by Karen Jurgens

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV).

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts by Karen Jurgens

This week all Scripture will be woven into our lesson. To read, please click on each New Testament reference below.

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts by Karen Jurgens

“BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING…”

“‘These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’” (John 16:33 NKJV).

The peace of God is not absent from conflicts. When Jesus walked the earth with His disciples, He taught this lesson over and over. His followers were convinced that Messiah had come to establish peace on earth as King of Israel.

Conflict with His disciples

Little by little, Jesus disclosed the future to His disciples. But Peter especially rejected the Teacher’s words.

 “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men’” (Matthew 16:21-23 NKJV).

The disciples reacted to Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion with incredible surprise despite the many times He had told them what would happen. In addition to His death, He also spoke plainly of His resurrection: “Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.’ And they were exceedingly sorrowful” (Matthew 17:22-23 NKJV).

The proof of His deity as the Son of God always brought them to their knees in reverent worship and praise, both before and after His death and resurrection.

  • Click HERE to read about finding peace in the storm.
  • When the disciples couldn’t cast out demons the way Jesus had taught them, everyone despaired until Jesus revealed the remedy. Click HERE to read the story.
  • Click HERE to read about Doubting Thomas.

The disciples were anxious about many things. No matter the trials they had to endure during three years of ministry with the Lord, they always ran back to Jesus and experienced peace in His presence.  

“BUT IN ALL THINGS THROUGH PRAYER…”

Jesus continually prayed to the Father, especially in the early morning. We know that Jesus was the Son of God. So why was it necessary for Christ to pray if He and the Father were One?

As Christ demonstrated, prayer was of the utmost importance in His relationship with the Father. His prayer life is a model for us to follow. This pattern shows exactly how to commune with God and have a personal relationship with Him.

  • The Lord’s Prayer: The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. This beautiful prayer of peace is still our model today. Click HERE to read.
  • Prayer for peace in terrible, sudden tragedy: Jesus didn’t intervene in John the Baptist’s fate, but He reacted to John’s death by praying alone all night and then feeding the five thousand the next day. Click HERE to read.
  • Prayer for peace in the midst of betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane: We see Christ’s humanity as Jesus prepared to suffer and go to the cross. He asked for God’s will, not His, to be done. He sweat drops of blood in prayer while an angel came to minister to Him, strengthening Him. Click HERE to read.

“…AND SUPPLICATION…”

What does supplication mean? According to Merriam-Webster, it means:

  1. To make a humble entreaty;
  2. Especially in prayer to God;
  3. To ask humbly and earnestly.

Are our prayers humble? Earnest? Do we have an attitude of humility as we approach God’s throne with our requests? I can hear most of you respond with a resounding YES.

“WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD;”

But what about thanksgiving? Are our hearts appreciative toward God—even when His answer may be contrary to what we’re asking? That’s hard, isn’t it, when God says NO. Mature adults may suddenly turn into spoiled and entitled children, demanding their way, stubbornly asking, Why not? Or, I want it NOW, not later! Worse, some may be angry at God and turn their backs to Him. All of these reactions are wrong.

Thanksgiving means being thankful and accepting God’s answer, no matter what it is. He knows what’s best for us and will always rule in our best interest. He sees the big picture through the binoculars of eternity while we can only see a tiny corner of the present.

An Example of Thanksgiving…

One good example in Scripture is the story of Lazarus. Although Mary and Martha were extremely disappointed that Jesus had not arrived soon enough to heal their sick brother, they still accepted the fact that he was dead and thankfully would be alive again in the resurrection. They had no idea that Jesus would shortly present Lazarus alive, causing their thankfulness to skyrocket. (Click HERE to read about it during our Week 12 study or HERE to read it in Scripture.)

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts by Karen Jurgens

“AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS.”

Jesus left us with a marvelous gift—PEACE. But not the kind the world gives. It’s a gift we receive when we ask Jesus to forgive our sins and become our Savior. A supernatural peace lives inside us, not something contingent on our circumstances. It’s how…

  • a person can attend the funeral of a friend or loved one but feel peace through the sorrow and tears.
  • we can hear a dreaded health report but know “all is well with my soul.”
  • we can regard a pink slip with the acceptance that the Lord has a better plan around the corner and trust Him with our finances.
  • our personal lives can take an unexpected turn for the worse, but we trust God for a good future.

Peace is the anchor of our souls. Although life’s winds and waves try to capsize our boats, Jesus comes to us, walking on the water. He speaks to the storm. “Peace. Be still.” He climbs into our boats and we fall to our knees in worship. He is in control, not our circumstances. We can trust Him completely.

As Jesus walks with us, we walk in His peace. It is well with our souls.

Do you have Christ’s peace in the midst of conflicts?

Let’s conclude this month of study about peace with the famous hymn by Horatio G. Spafford. After losing his children, Spafford found salvation in Jesus. He composed this beautiful hymn, “It is Well with My Soul,” to testify to his salvation in Christ through the good and bad times of life.

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 21: Peace in Conflicts by Karen Jurgens

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being our peace in the midst of conflicts. May we pray without ceasing and humbly give you thanks for guiding our lives through both good times and bad. May Your peace dwell richly in our souls today and always. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Front Porch Bible Study Series Woman in Prayer by Karen Jurgens

The Fruit of the Spirit Study Week 20: Sabbath Peace

/ Karen / 8 Comments
Front Porch Bible Study Series May 20 Week 20 Sabbath Peace by Karen Jurgens

Welcome to our third week of study about finding peace. This week we’ll look at the Sabbath and how keeping it produces amazing peace in our lives.

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 20: Peace by Karen Jurgens
Front Porch Bible Study Series Topic: Finding God's Peace in the Sabbath by Karen Jurgens
The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 20: Sabbath Scripture Memory by Karen Jurgens

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:3 NKJV).

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 20: Sabbath Let's Read by Karen Jurgens

Genesis 1-2:3, Isaiah 58:13-14, Mark 2:23-3:5

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 20: Sabbath Let's Examine by Karen Jurgens

Genesis 1-2:3

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. On the first day, He created light, dividing it into day and night; the second, the heavens; on the third, the dry land, seas, grass, and trees; the fourth, the sun, moon, and stars; on the fifth, sea creatures and birds; the sixth, cattle and creeping things. His masterpiece came last: man and woman, whom He created in His own image, giving them dominion over the earth and every living creature.

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).

Isaiah 58:13-14

God always teaches by example and by precept, laying a path for us to follow. He also promises great blessings for keeping His Sabbath Day, as He outlines in Isaiah 58. “‘Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord, And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father'” (Isaiah 58:14a NKJV).

Mark 2:23-3:5

The Pharisees closely followed the Law, including the Sabbath. Since no man was allowed to work on that day of rest, they highly criticized Jesus for healing the sick. Jesus answered back, pointing our their hardness of heart. (Click HERE to read the story.)

They also condemned Jesus and His disciples for plucking heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. Jesus reasoned with them, pointing out that King David and his hungry men had eaten the showbread in the temple, reserved only for priests.

“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath’” (Mark 2:27-28 NKJV).

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 20: Sabbath Let's Discuss by Karen Jurgens

Are we still obedient in 2019 to observe the Sabbath day? And how long does it last–just until noon when the church service is over? Let’s look at God’s instruction about it through the ages.

The Ten Commandments

God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave him the Ten Commandments. The fourth one is the law of the Sabbath.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11 NKJV).

Click HERE to read the details about what God directed Moses to tell His people about the Sabbath, including the consequences of not keeping it.

A Sign of Sanctification

“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you’” (Exodus 31:13 NKJV).

What does sanctification mean? Growing in the grace of God, His blessings, His purity, and His holiness. Keeping the Sabbath has great spiritual benefits, doesn’t it?

The Fruit of Peace

Sabbath rest yields the fruit of peace. As we pause our busyness, we walk into God’s tranquility, serenity, peace, and repose. This seventh day creates something good in us by allowing the Holy Spirit to commune freely with our spirits. It transcends the natural, physical world, bringing calm and quiet to our buzzing thoughts, burdened minds, and heavy hearts.

As we set the Sabbath aside to worship the Lord, we cease, stop striving, and trust. The physical practice of a day of rest changes our hearts and frees our souls from chains of bondage.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1 NKJV).

As Jesus stated, the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath. It is God’s gift to us where we can devote that time to honor and worship Him. Let’s partition off this sacred day with pleasant boundaries to protect it. Let’s enjoy communing with God and appreciating Him.

How does keeping the Sabbath bring you peace?

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 20: Sabbath Let's Pray by Karen Jurgens

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for creating a day of rest for us every seven days. Just as we park our cars and open fuel caps to fill up our gas tanks, so may we be quiet before you. As we open our hearts, fill us to overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s truth and sweet peace as we prepare for the week ahead. We honor and praise You, giving You all the glory. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Front Porch Bible Study Series Lady in Prayer by Karen Jurgens Sabbath Peace
Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace

/ Karen / 8 Comments
The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens

Welcome to our second study about finding God’s peace. This week we’ll be exploring how to experience peace in our relationships with people. We’ll begin by looking at Moses and how he dealt with his huge assignment of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land–a 40-day journey that took forty years.

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens
The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens
The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens

“When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7 NKJV).

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens

Exodus Chapters 7-11 (click HERE to read)

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses balked. He claimed that neither the sons of Israel nor Pharaoh would listen to him due to his poor speaking skills. How could he find peace and have success in these new relationships God had thrust upon him?

“So the Lord said to Moses: ‘See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them’” (Exodus 7:1-5 NKJV).

But God had a plan. He appointed Aaron, Moses’s brother, as his spokesman. He also explained His plan from beginning to end and what Moses could expect from his relationship with Pharaoh.

Each time, Moses approached Pharaoh’s throne to make his request with humility coupled with God’s reassuring strength. God had already told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse to honor his word.

So, the plagues arrived as Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go: water turned to blood, frogs, lice, flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness– and finally– the death of every firstborn, which pried open Pharaoh’s chains and freed the Israelites.

Isn’t it interesting that God purposefully hardened Pharaoh’s heart? He tells us why: “‘…so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt’” (Exodus 11:9b NKJV). God always brings glory to His Name.

Therefore, God had a greater purpose in Moses’s relationship with Pharaoh. He also proved that He protects His children even while punishing His enemies. We witness this in two places: when Egypt was covered in darkness and when God smote the firstborn of the Egyptians. (Click HERE to read about the miracle of light and HERE to read about the miracle of Passover.)

God had forewarned Moses of His plan but also promised His peace and protection. “‘But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel’” (Exodus 11:7 NKJV).

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens

How does this lesson about Moses help us find peace today? We’re all called to be leaders, whether it’s in ministry, our jobs, or our families. No matter our title, we all must relate to someone above us as well as to those equal and below us in rank.

Relating to those superior in rank

Just like Moses approached Pharaoh, we should approach those who rank above us with respect, patience, and humility. But, in spite of our best efforts, what if our superiors treat us badly? Moses must have dreaded the job of going before Pharaoh to continuously ask for freedom, but remembering God’s promises pushed him forward.

We, too, must go forward as God directs us. If it’s God’s will, we must patiently endure harsh treatment, resting in God’s promises and the knowledge that He is in control.

Peter sums it up for us: “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (I Peter 2:13-14 NKJV).

On the other hand, God is everyone’s superior. Moses found out the hard way that the Lord has boundaries we mustn’t cross. After God instructed Moses to speak to the rock so that it would yield water, Moses struck the rock twice instead of obeying the Lord. Therefore, God refused to allow him to set foot in the Promised Land. (You can read about it HERE.)

Relating to those equal in rank

Our relationships with friends and family may be sweet one day and sour the next. These relationships may steal our peace the most. How can we learn to live without struggling against our loved ones?

Moses struggled in his relationship with his siblings, but God defended him. His older brother, Aaron, and his sister, Miriam, spoke against him because of the Ethiopian woman Moses had married. “So they said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?’ And the Lord heard it” (Numbers 12:2 NKJV). God proceeded to give the two a dressing down for judging their brother, whom God honored as His faithful servant and with whom He spoke face to face. God’s punishment slammed Miriam by making her become leprous. It was after Aaron repented and appealed to his brother that Moses appealed to God for her deliverance. (Click HERE to read the story.)

Let’s heed wise advice from Peter for finding peace: “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 2:8-9 NKJV).

Relating to those below us in rank

Do you gaze at those in charge of you and dream of future leadership? It may look easy on the outside, but the responsibility is heavy. Those who lead others at work and/or children at home must learn excellent coping skills for acquiring peace.

As the Israelites roamed the desert for forty years, Moses had a plethora of duties as he cared for the people–and no peace. He dealt with everything from their daily complaints to leading them in battles against various enemies they encountered on the way to the Promised Land. We can witness, for example, how he suffered over their demands for food (Click HERE) and for water:

“Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water, that we may drink.’ So Moses said to them, ‘Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?’ And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, ‘Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”’ (Exodus 17:2-4).

Delegating authority is a good solution to attaining peace. As Moses experienced exhaustion and frustration from dealing with the people, God used Moses’s father-in-law to help find peace through governance. Jethro recognized that Moses couldn’t bear up under such a weight of responsibility and convinced him to get help. Read about Jethro’s advice HERE.

Peter shares the recipe for finding peace in every relationship

“For ‘He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers’” (1 Peter 3:8-12a NKJV).

Throughout our lifetimes, we’ll experience different relationships with people as varied as the stars. Let’s heed the Apostle Paul’s encouragement when he says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18 NKJV).

How do you find God’s peace in your relationships?

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 19: Peace in Relationships by Karen Jurgens

Dear Father, we look to You for divine guidance and wisdom as we seek peace in our relationships. With your help, may we love one another and live in peace all our days. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens
Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens

The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Week 18: Peace with God

/ Karen / 2 Comments
Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens Peace with God

Welcome to the month of May. This month we’ll be resuming our regular Bible study on the Fruit of the Spirit as we focus on PEACE. As Christians, our peace is not of this world–ours is a free gift from God. Today let’s plant seeds of peace in our eternal souls, focusing on salvation in Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens

Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens Peace with God

Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Peace with God

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1 NKJV)

Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens

Romans Chapters 4 and 5

Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens

Finding peace with God begins with faith. We know from Hebrews 11:6 that “Without faith, it’s impossible to please God.” In Romans 4, Paul traces the beginnings of justification by faith before the cross of Christ. How were our forefathers like Abraham and King David justified in righteousness?

Peace with God: Abraham and Sarah

Although Abraham and Sarah were well beyond child-bearing years, He believed God’s promise of a son who would anchor the foundation of the Jewish race. “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). (Click HERE to read more.)

God established circumcision as the mark of faith in those days. Abraham’s justification occurred before he was circumcised, however, proving that the cutting itself didn’t result in salvation. It foreshadowed the circumcision of the heart, later established by Jesus at the cross.

David and Bathsheba

After King David sinned with Bathsheba, God sent Nathan the prophet to confront him. David repented before the Lord: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1 NKJV).

David received God’s forgiveness through faith, treasuring salvation apart from works. He sings, “’Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin’” (Romans 4:7-8 NKJV).

Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens Peace with God

The fact that Jesus died for the ungodly, even those not yet born, is amazing. Would a man die in another’s place? Perhaps one might die for a good man, but what about an enemy? “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NKJV). At the cross, we are justified through His shed blood.

Adam versus Jesus Christ

Through Adam’s act of sin, condemnation rested on all men. But Jesus’s righteous act bestowed the free gift of salvation, resulting in our justification. Adam’s disobedience produced death, but Christ’s obedience produced salvation and everlasting life. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19 NKJV).

True peace with God begins with our salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV).

Let’s join King David as he rejoices in his salvation: “I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High” (Psalm 7:17 NKJV).

Can you rejoice today because you’ve found peace with God?

Heartwings Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us peace with You through Your Son. We are eternally grateful for the blood of Christ that is our justification. May those seeking peace today find it at the foot of the cross. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens
Front Porch Bible Study Series by Karen Jurgens