Sheila Walsh - 5 Minutes with Jesus

Five Minutes with Jesus

2015 Sheila Walsh

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Cover design by Katie Jennings Design

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. HCSB from Holman Christian Standard Bible. 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Broadman and Holman Publishers. All rights reserved. NASB from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. NIV from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. NKJV from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. The Voice from The Voice. 2008 and 2009 Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-7180-3253-1

ISBN: 978-0-7180-3254-8 (eBook)

15 16 17 18 19 TIMS 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

I dont know where you are in your journey, but I know this: you are busy. You have a list of twenty-five things to do and time to do about five of them... on a good day! I get that. I know what its like to rush out the door, mentally ticking off a long to do list, hoping your shoes match, sloshing coffee in your to-go mug, and praying the yogurt in your purse doesnt explode. Exercise? Quiet time? Prayer? How do we fit all of that into our hectic and overwhelming lives?

Thats a challenge I face just like you do. How can we walk through the just-described craziness with Jesus? I know it seems like we really dont have time for one more thing. But I also know that Gods time is not like ours, and when we give Him our time, He can do more within us in five minutes than if we spent five hours on our own. Jesus said He came that we might have life to the fulland Im sure He was talking about a different kind of full than what most of us are currently experiencing! But the good news is, just like a moment with the Savior transformed countless lives when He walked on the earth, a moment with Him today can transform us. Yet I often go about my busy day, completely forgetting that peace, perspective, and grace are right within my grasp.

I hope both you and I will learn to find a few quiet minutes each day when we can listen for God to speak to us through His Word. I hope well read the Bible and slowly absorb the words that are meant to bring us life. And in those precious moments, I pray that we will begin a conversation with Jesus that we will continue throughout that daya conversation that Jesus will use to encourage, guide, and strengthen us. And over time may we find these day-long conversations giving us great peace despite the chaos of life.

It is the desire of my heart that on each page youll find truth from Gods Word that will nourish you, sustain you, and remind you that you are not alone. Thats the joy of the body of Christ: we get to do life together. I would love to hear how spending five minutes with Jesus is changing your life!

S top for a moment and just listen. What do you hear? Maybe the neighbors lawnmower... the barking dog a few houses down... a clock ticking... the cars on the street.

Now stop for a moment and just listen to the noise inside. What is keeping your heart from being quiet and at peace? Most likely, its many things, because although we long for peace, real life intrudes.

A call from the doctor

A note from the teacher about a childs behavior

A lost job and a pile of bills

Real life does not foster internal peace!

In the last major conversation Jesus had with His closest friends, He spoke about peacebut not as we might have expected Him to. When I read Jesus saying, Ive told you all this so that you may have peace (John 16:33), my first question is All what? If I didnt look back to John 15 to see what Jesus had been saying, Id guess that keys to peace would be something along these lines:

Youre going to live to a ripe old age.

Your children will rise up and call you blessedeven when they hit fifteen.

You will always have enough money for all you need and most of what you want.

You will hear the Lord tell you Well done after a lifetime of faithfulness.

Sounds good, right? But not one of these things was included in the strangest peace speech Ive ever read. Turn to John 15 and youll see that Jesus told His closest friends that they would be persecuted and no longer welcome in places they used to go. Go to John 16:2 and youll find these devastating words: You will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.

Clearly the peace Jesus spoke about is not what we think of at all. He was saying to His disciplesand to you and me todayIts going to get rough down here, but dont worry. I am with you. I will never leave you. And I am your peace.

No matter what is going on in your life, stop for a moment and speak His name out loud: Jesus... Jesus... Jesus. Know that He is with you and that He is for you even when the storm is raging all around.

Peace is not the absence of trouble; it is the presence of Christ.

Five Minutes in the Word

I am leaving you with a giftpeace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So dont be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27

Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.

Psalm 119:165

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.

Psalm 4:8

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.

Isaiah 9:67

I am angry! she said to me.