John 8:31-32 In God there is peace and protection from the evil that seeks to destroy our humanity..

John 15:7–8

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Jesus, the word of God, made flesh. In Him we find the truth of the Godhead and we are set free from the cultural expectations of our world. Freed from sin we can live and breathe in the unity of Holy Spirit. Without love and gratitude for our salvation we just make noise. For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that in Him the world could be saved from the evil that seeks to destroy them. Love lasts for eternity. In our triune Godhead there is peace! Carla

John 8:31-32

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  NKJV

Abide means to remain, to continue. A believer who continues to obey the Word is a disciple, a learner. One who abides in the Word of God knows the truth (verse 31; 17:17). 

The word free refers to freedom from the bondage of sin. Obedience to the Lord means fellowship with Him, protection from sin, and experiencing His love. The NKJV Study Bible

These disciples have agreed in principle with Jesus’ teaching, but their perseverance in following His teaching will reveal whether they are genuine disciples. The truth  likely invokes the Old Testament concept of truth, referring to a dependable foundation for building a way of life (Psalm 26:3). Knowing the truth about Jesus is a sign of spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin (John 8:34). Faithlife Study Bible

John 8:36

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

Galatians 5:1

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

We are wired to want lives that matter. To have an impact. To be connected. To make a difference. But we sure go about it in an odd way. We have forgotten Albert Einstein's reminder that “not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

Not that we don't try. This is from Hillary Price's comic strip, Rhymes with Orange.

First character, “I've done it all—the 12 steps, the 7 habits, the 4 agreements.”

Second character, “And what'd you learn?”

First character, “Happiness is rarely numerical.”

Perhaps we are distracted by the notion that there is a ‘can’t miss’ way. I guess it all depends on where I'm looking.

This week in Sabbath Moment we’re talking about what really matters. When we live as if reality is determined only by circumstance, and we forget that we have agency.

We have the capacity to make choices about what matters.

We get to say how the story ends.

And let us carry this prayer into our week.

“Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth;

lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust;

lead me from hate to love, from war to peace.

Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.”

(Universal Prayer for Peace prayer)

Sabbath Moments