Good morning and a most blessed Thursday to you. Today, in our time of devotion, together, we are going to take three seemingly random things and bring them together to see how God works in the bigger picture and through, through his Spirit. 

So the first word that we're going to think about is "blessed." The second word is "peace."  And the third word is "kingdom."

Okay. So recently,  I was meditating and thinking about how blessed I am. And it's not because I'm a millionaire, because I'm not. And it's not because I'm famous, because I'm not. And it's not because of anything to do with me. But really, I am so blessed because of the people that God has brought into my life, the people that I get to cherish and love. And chances are you are one of those people I appreciate so much and am so blessed to be able to be a daughter, a sister, a mom, a wife, a pastor. I thoroughly, thoroughly am grateful and enjoy the life that God has blessed me with. 

The second word that we're going to talk about is peace. In Wednesday night alive this year, we are talking about the fruit of the Spirit. And one of the fruit is peace.  We have that great peace from God. And as Christ says that it is a peace unlike the world can bring. It is a peace that only God can provide.  And as Paul writes, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "it is a peace that passes all understanding." It is a peace that is only found in God. And it's a peace that is a fruit of the Spirit. It's that peace from God that we then get to share with our neighbors, whether they are believers or not. We can be at peace with them. We can be kind to them. We can be gentle with them. We can have a forgiving and loving attitude toward them.

The third word is kingdom. Now, we are right at the end of America's political season for this round. And we are not going to talk politics here. But we can be tempted to get really wrapped up in politics and in the matters of this world.  And Jesus talks about kingdoms. He talks about his own kingdom. He was facing Pilate. Pilate was questioning him. And then Pilate went out to talk to the crowd. And then he came back into the room with Jesus. And this is found in the gospel of John in the 18th chapter, where Pilate comes in. He enters the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews." Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?"

Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew. Am I your own nation? And the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." 

I want to encourage you to take a moment to thank God for the life that he has given you, thank God for the many blessings that he has poured out upon you, and thank God for continuing to bless you in a variety of ways. If you can't think of a blessing right off the top of your head, then take a moment. Think about what God has provided for you. He has provided the breath that you breathe. He has provided the beat of your heart. He has provided your community of faith, your family of faith. He has provided food for you to be nourished with. He has provided his own body and blood to nourish you and sustain you as you receive the tangible forgiveness of his grace.

And think about the peace to which we are called to live in, the peace that comes only from God. And as we are finishing this election season, whether it is conversation online or it is conversation in person or over the phone, when you get into conversation with someone that you might disagree with or if anything goes not the way you would choose, pray for that Spirit of peace. Pray to be a bearer of the fruit of the spirit, that you would find that peace in God and share that with the ones that you may disagree with. And remember that regardless of what happens here, it is a matter of the world. And we belong first and foremost to the kingdom of God.

We belong in the kingdom that Christ has called us into by his own sacrifice and by his own righteousness. And so even if you feel flustered, even if you feel frustrated, even if you feel downright angry, regardless of which way you may think politically, you belong to Christ and you belong to his kingdom. And that is where we rest. We know that he is greater than any. He is sovereign, and he sits even today on his throne.

And so we rejoice knowing that we are blessed by him, that we have peace in him and that we will be with him eternally in his kingdom. 

Heavenly Lord, we thank you so much for your grace. We thank you for your love and we thank you for the lives that you have granted to us. We ask that you would make us a people of peace, that you would use us to deliver your Word of love and peace to everyone, regardless of if we agree or disagree with them about worldly matters. Lord, let us cling to the promise that we have that we are citizens of heaven, that we are part of your kingdom, and that we are promised to be in your kingdom, in your presence eternally. We thank you for this promise. We thank you that we live in this truth and we ask that you would help us and guide us to be the deliverers of this truth to everyone that we meet. This we lift to you in the blessed and holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have an amazing rest of your week. I very much look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday and until then, God bless.

Pastor Malinak