BH Bulletin - Monday 20 April 2020

​Thought for the day by Katy Lambert (Member of BH)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. 
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27

(picture Jack E. Dawson-Peace in the midst of a storm)
For many of us at the moment peace may feel like something we want but can’t grasp.
Maybe you long for peace & quiet as you juggle working at home and trying to keep the children occupied & up with their schoolwork.
Maybe you are home alone and although it may be ‘quiet’ you don’t feel peace as the isolation leaves you lonely with too much time to think & worry.
Maybe you are ‘front line worker’ and have had people shout at you for having to queue or are in the very thick of it working in a hospital dealing with the reality of this disease first hand, going home exhausted & devastated at the loss of life you’ve witnessed.
 
You might experience moments of ‘worldly peace’ when you get a rare break at home, a phone call from a friend, a thank you from a customer or see someone you’re caring for recover & go home. These are all good things & encourage us, but they are temporary & not the real peace that our hearts are seeking.
If we’re honest the peace we long for is not so much in our circumstances but in our hearts & minds.
 
The peace Jesus offers us is not just the opposite to what the world gives, it is the antidote to our troubles & fears we experience in life. The peace He offers is not just a short-lived break from those, it’s His peace that He leaves with
us.
His peace is not more ‘peace & quiet’ or the absence of war or momentary contentment, but His peace is the permanent reconciliation & restoration of our relationship with God, so much so that we can call Almighty God, Father.
 
This promise from Jesus comes near the end of a conversation with his followers where He has already promised that He is going to prepare a permanent home for them with the Father, that he is The Way that they can be with the Father and that the Father will send His Holy Spirit to counsel & teach them when He has gone.
His peace is not dependant on circumstances, how we’re feeling or what we’ve done but is given to us as a gift out of the perfect love relationship of Father, Son & Spirit who invite us to join with them in that.  (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 2 Corinthians 13:14)
 
It is a peace that brings us total security; we can never lose the Father’s love or our permanent home with Him.
It is a peace that brings us total significance; whatever our character, circumstance or life choices we have a purpose to love God, love others & show them Jesus.
It is a peace that brings total satisfaction; however much we enjoy the good things of this world they don’t last; they are not enough. But the joy we have in our relationship with Jesus will never run out & He promises that He Himself will be our forever spring of living water (John 7:37, Revelation 21:6).
His peace He gives us & leaves with us, so we have it, even in those times when it doesn’t feel peaceful, so let’s keep encouraging one another to take time to be with God & ask Him that we will know & experience His peace whatever our day entails. 
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13​

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Lockdown Praise Up​

​Lockdown, praise up! are short videos aimed at young people but suitable for everyone to get our hearts and minds looking up higher.

Everyday at 10.15pm there will be a brand new video up on our YouTube Channel.
Lockdown Praise Up! 10 minutes a day from the book of Isaiah.
Please click on the link below.
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCLfW_6eqLlfr82_QD0JVsGw
​

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Books Alive

Books Alive is still operating taking phone and email orders and posting them out.  So if you are ordering a Christian book please don't forget them. Contact them on 01273 738818 ​[email protected]​

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And finally...