5 Minutes with Jesus: Peace for Today

By Sheila Walsh

Jesus wants you to know peace—every day.

Deadlines and bills, illnesses and fears about the future, frustrations with others and ourselves . . . there’s enough going on in our lives to make us feel overwhelmed and anxious, if not panicked! But Jesus said that we could expect this, that trials and sorrows are simply part of life on earth, and He offers an amazing gift that changes everything: His peace. He tells us, “The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 nlt). 

Bestselling author Sheila Walsh wants to guide you in worrying less and letting your heart be settled. Each reading includes messages such as:

Gratitude opens doors out of bitterness and doors into joy.

God loves you for who you are, not what you do.

Resting in the purpose and presence of God brings peace.

It’s amazing what God will do with a broken life when we give Him all the pieces.

No matter how big the storm, God is bigger.

The 5 Minutes with Jesus series is the perfect way to start your day with peace of mind and a peaceful heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Mar 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9780718032562

Sheila Walsh

Sheila Walsh is a powerful communicator, Bible teacher, and bestselling author with almost six million books sold. She is the author of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess series, It’s Okay Not to Be Okay, Praying Women, Holding On When You Want to Let Go, and more. She is cohost of the inspirational talk show Life Today with James and Betty Robison, which is seen worldwide by a potential audience of over 100 million viewers. Sheila lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Barry, and son, Christian, who is in graduate school.

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Knowing Where to Look

I am not a natural athlete. To be more accurate, I am not any kind of athlete. And that became uncomfortably clear the first time I went skiing with my family.

Although Christian was only ten, he took to it immediately. I, however, spent the first two days on the bunny slopes—and I would have happily stayed there the whole week if my pesky instructor hadn’t insisted that I was ready to move up.

Now I had imagined that the ski lift would be like an elevator: it would stop, the door would open, and I’d have a good ten minutes to get on. Not even close! It was a continuously moving row of seats that didn’t stop—the lift barely slowed down—and I had to shuffle like a geriatric wiener dog to line up and then sit down. All I could hear in the background was my son calling out, Mom, don’t look down!

Peter could have used such advice.

Matthew 14 tells us about a truly terrifying moment for the disciples when they looked up from their wind-buffeted boat in the dark of night to see a figure gliding across the water toward them. They thought it was a ghost! Scripture tells us they cried out in fear (v. 26). Jesus quickly identified Himself (the disciples were not seeing a ghost!) and let them know they were safe. When Peter heard this, he made a remarkable request: Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water (v. 28). Jesus simply responded, Come (v. 29).

Peter gingerly slipped over the side of the boat and lowered his foot to the raging sea. It held firm! Then he looked toward Jesus and, step by wondrous step, began making his way toward the Savior.

If only Peter had kept his eyes on Jesus! Instead, the fierce wind caught his attention, and as his gaze shifted from Jesus to the tempest that raged around him, Peter began sinking. In his terror, he cried out for Jesus to save him—and Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him (v. 31).

We are guaranteed moments in this life when the winds of adversity rise, when our boat seems way too small for so vast an ocean, and when we can’t bail water fast enough to stay afloat. We gaze into the fearsome storm that rages all around us and realize we can’t navigate it on our own.

In such moments, what can save the child of God? What will bring her peace? Peace comes when we remember whom to call and where to look.

Is a storm raging in your life today? Don’t look down. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus.

When the storm is the fiercest, fix your gaze on Christ alone.

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My eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!

Psalm 141:8

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1–2

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

John 14:27 NLT

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 NLT

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:1–2

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Sowing Seeds of Peace

Some of God’s most faithful servants had shown up prepared to do the work of His kingdom. The field for their labors was a courtroom in Charleston, South Carolina. They came bearing seeds of peace that they would sow and then water with tears.

The young man being arraigned had admitted to taking the lives of the people they loved most in the world, an act he had hoped would begin a racial war.

But God had sent these servants to the courtroom armed with only one weapon—the only one they needed: the love of Christ.

The judge turned to the victims’ family members and asked if they had anything to say before he made a decision about bond. One by one, each person addressed the young man who had taken so much from them: I forgive you, and May God have mercy on your soul. The moment was truly awe-inspiring.¹

The wisdom of God doesn’t look anything like the wisdom of the world, which advocates self-promotion and vengeance. When the world sows these seeds, a crop of division and hate results.

Scripture tells us that God’s wisdom, however, is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness (James 3:17–18 NIV).

I think the important thing to remember both from this verse and from the example of our brothers and sisters in Charleston is that joining God in the work of peace can be difficult and costly. Fulfilling our God-ordained roles as peacemakers requires action and often sacrifice on our part, but we can be confident that our labor is never in vain. God will honor it.

Psalm 126:5–6 says, Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them (NIV).

When we join God as peacemakers, doing the difficult work of scattering seeds of peace in our sin-broken world, we have the beautiful hope that we will one day be singing with joy as we witness the harvest God produced in part because of our faithful service.

Followers of Jesus who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

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God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Hebrews 6:10–12 NIV

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:13–15 NIV

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NLT

Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:18 NLT

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9

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No One Prepared Me for This!

When I think back to the forty (which felt more like 423) weeks of being pregnant with my son, I’m sure I must have purchased every single book on the market related to child-rearing.

How to Raise a Godly Child

How to Raise an Independent Son

How to Raise a Future Leader

In retrospect I think I should have written one: I Should Have Slept More the First Forty Years!

There’s a lot of great material available to walk you through the different stages from baby to toddler and all the way through high school. But before any dust can settle on your child’s high school diploma, you suddenly realize that nothing prepared you for the next season: for letting go.

Christian was accepted into Texas A&M for the fall of 2015. The pile of his going-to-college stuff got bigger and bigger as the stifling heat of summer intensified and The Day got closer. When it finally arrived, we packed as many boxes as we could into his car and the rest into the SUV we had rented for exactly this purpose, and we hit the road. It was 105 degrees when we arrived in College Station.

Reviews for 5 Minutes with Jesus

[jkj94 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely love this book, I read it daily. It brings me a touch of encouragement each and everyday. You can't beat anything written by Sheila Walsh, she is great, and this book is just another prime example of her wonderful writing of encouragement for us. Thank you Sheila.

[wrbinpa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

5 Minutes with Jesus is a compilation of daily devotions that will give comfort, peace, and hope to those who have minimal time to spend reading Scripture. Each day a reading is accompanied by a selection of four or five verses of Scripture that you can leisurely look up and experience the word of God. These readings will encourage you to reflect on what the Word has to say to you and how you can apply it to your own needs. My rating is 4 stars.I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.