Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
Proverbs 12:20
but those who promote peace have joy.
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
It doesn’t take much to disrupt our peace.
Simply turn on the news or linger in a conversation longer than you should. It takes but a moment, a misunderstanding, or an incidental moment of frustration that turns into something sharper. Before we know it, our hearts are unsettled and our words begin to follow.
Scripture offers a simple but profound contrast between those who are peacemakers and those who are peace disrupters: “Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.” – Proverbs 12:20
Peace and joy are not accidental. They are cultivated.
And what Proverbs gently reminds us is that what lives in our hearts will eventually make its way into our lives. If we carry resentment, it will show up in our words. If we rehearse frustration, it will shape how we respond to others.
But the same is true of peace.
When we choose to pursue peace—to promote it, to lean toward it—we begin to experience something deeper than just a calm moment. We begin to experience joy.
Not surface-level happiness, but a steady, rooted joy that isn’t easily shaken. All because God’s presence is both peace and joy.
This kind of peace is not passive. It’s not avoiding conflict or pretending everything is fine. It’s an active choice to move toward reconciliation, toward understanding, and always toward grace.
It often looks like pausing before we speak or choosing generosity in how we interpret someone else’s actions (at Peachtree we call this believing the best). It often looks like refusing to let small things become defining things.
And over time, those small choices shape our hearts.
The invitation here is both simple and challenging: be a person who promotes peace.
In your home. In your conversations. In your reactions.
Because as you do, something begins to grow—not just around you, but within you.
Joy.
Today, pay attention to your heart. What are you carrying? What are you cultivating?
And then, in even the smallest ways, choose peace.
For Reflection
- What tends to disrupt your peace most often?
- How do your inner thoughts shape your outward responses?
- What is one intentional way you can promote peace in a relationship or situation this week?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
You are the source of true peace. Shape our hearts so that what we carry within reflects your character. Help us to be people who promote peace in our words, our actions, and our relationships. And as we do, grow in us a deep and lasting joy.
Amen.
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Devotionals