Peace, Peace

Isaiah 9: 6

For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us . . . and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Ephesians 2: 17

And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near.

One of the greatest commodities of Christianity is peace.  If you want a revelation, run a search on the word peace. Even if you run the search in the New Testament alone, you will see an amazing mosaic unfold before you.

Besides being the Prince of Peace, Jesus is also called the Lord of peace (2 Thessalonians 3: 16). Father is the God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5: 23). Paul opened many of his letters with the blessing of peace and grace. Peace, living in peace, being at peace with others and in life’s circumstances, is part of our heritage, our inheritance. When Jesus was about to leave the earth and return to heaven, he told his disciples that he was going to leave his peace here, for us. His peace, he said, is different from the peace we have known in the world (John 14: 27). What is different about it? To start, it is perfect. You are, therefore, entitled to his perfect peace.

Jesus warned us that the world has trouble in it and as long as we live in the world, we will be exposed to this trouble. Fear not, though, because he said that even in these times of trouble, we may have peace. In fact, the words he spoke, his teachings, were intended that we may have peace. “Take courage,” he said, because he has overcome the world and all it’s trouble (John 16: 33).

So, what is the point of all this? You know things happen which are unpleasant. Occasionally you must deal with unpleasant people as well. That is life on this planet, for now. However, you are not required to live in that unpleasantness. Your inheritance is peace. So, how do you go from unpeaceful situations and stress to living in the perfect peace of your Lord? Well, the answer is actually there in the question. Living in the Lord, is the answer, and the way to his perfect peace. I wish this came easily but for some, it does not.

Sometimes we must be uncomfortable enough to invest some time and energy. We don’t have to live in torment, but the way out is through. Jesus is the prince of peace, the Lord of peace. Time spent with him is the way of peace. To have the peace he left for us, we must seek him and his peace. I wish it fell out of the sky onto you, but it doesn’t. It is in Jesus and when you are in Jesus, then you will find you are in his peace too.

It is challenging for me to give an entire lesson of getting into that space with Jesus in this format, but if you feel challenged, please, feel free to contact me. Above all, don’t live in turmoil and torment when Jesus made a way for you.

Blessings, peace and grace to you!

Peace

2 Thessalonians 3: 16

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

I have been thinking about the peace of Jesus much lately. 2020 was an attack on our peace. We have struggled to maintain our peace. I had to turn off the news and Facebook in order to retain my peace. We must guard our peace zealously. Your emotional and even physical well-being depend on it.

The key thought is that we can have peace. Jesus left his kind of peace here when he left earth. Think about Jesus’ life for a moment. Only once do we know of that he lost his peace and that was in fulfillment of prophecy. In the gospel of John Jesus characterized his peace as “not as the world gives,” (John 14: 27). This is a different kind of peace, a kind of peace the world cannot comprehend. It is beyond human expression but not beyond human experience because it is this peace which the Lord has given us. We may have peace even in the most tumultuous of times. Many of you have witnessed this miracle of grace in the past eleven months. Jesus went on to say, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.” Great Jesus, but how do we do that?

If Jesus gave us his peace, then why are we not all walking around in perfect peace? Do we have to earn what was granted? By no means! It doesn’t, however, fall out of the sky on us either. We get to choose whether to abide in this grace or not. I find I lose my peace more readily when I do not spend sufficient time with my Lord. It’s not just praying either. It might just be making myself aware of his presence and abiding there. Sometimes I just look out the window and ponder things. The key is that I get to choose whether I abide in that presence or not. That is why I will not be on Facebook anytime soon nor will I be watching the news. Those things will rob me of my peace, and I am under command from Jesus to protect my heart.

We are blessed to enjoy a kind of peace the world does not know. Protect your heart and abide in Jesus’ peace.

My Prayer

2 Thessalonians 3: 16

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

Yes Lord! Let peace continually reign over the hearts of everyone within the reach of my pen (or computer, as it were.) Grant them all peace in every circumstance. Father, you have taught us that peace is more than serenity. It is your grace on every touch point of our lives. It is nothing missing, nothing broken. But, Father, it is also that sense, in our hearts that all is well and that you are with us; that every breath we take increases us in You and You in us.

Paul prayed today’s verse over his congregation in Thessalonica. Today, I pray it over you. May the peace of Christ guard and keep you.