In Jesus' name...

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"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with all of you."
~ 2 Thessalonians 3: 16
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So much of the time we end our prayers by proclaiming, "In Jesus' name I pray..."

We forget that often whatever we do in the Name of Jesus, we must always keep the presence of Jesus in our hearts.  There was a time not that long ago that WWJD bracelets and bumper stickers showed up everywhere and everyone seemed to be asking, "What would Jesus do?"

When Jesus sends his disciples out to preach the Gospel, he says: "Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone worthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you" (Matthew 10:11-13).

Today the greatest challenge is to keep the living Christ fully alive within us.  With all the things that challenge us in this world, it is easy to become angry, bitter, spiteful, manipulative or even vengeful.  All these situations tempt us to take our peace away.

Taking time to ask Jesus, not what would "he do?"  Instead, may we offer ourselves to live in the Name of Jesus and strive to live through these situations with the peace of Christ so that others might witness the alternative.

Praying we all embrace the Name of Jesus as we remain in God's grip each day!

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While Lord, I know that there are things that tempt to remove the joy from my life, help me to remember that when I seek to ask for things in Your name, that I am also inviting You to be part of my life.  Amen.

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