Advent: Peace: Thursday

Peace

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile towards God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are not controlled by sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dad will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” – Romans 8: 5-11

We now know we are to move beyond our emotions and seek peace through prayer and meditation; the challenge now is to keep our minds steadfast on what the Spirit desires. Our sinful nature is constantly at war with the Spirit. But Christ living in us gives us victory over that war, enabling us to live in righteousness. Day by day, moment by moment we can choose to live by the Spirit, resulting in the presence of His peace. And just as Christ’s body was raised from the dead, our bodies will also be rise because of the indwelling presence of the Spirit.

Oatmeal Christmas Cookies

What you’ll need:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup M&Ms
Hungry bellies
Helping Hands

It’s time to have a family bake night!

Preheat the oven to 350⁰. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, stir, into the sugar mixture. Stir in the rolled oats and M&Ms with a wooden spoon.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons, two inches apart onto an ungreased cookies sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes until light and golden. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container or enjoy with milk or hot cocoa while watching an old Christmas movie.

Dear Lord,

We pray for the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ that gives life and peace and the promise resurrection. In your Son’s name we pray.

Amen