Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the
world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled… —John 14:27
“Whenever we experience something difficult in our personal
life, we are tempted to blame God. But we are the ones in the wrong, not God.
Blaming God is evidence that we are refusing to let go of some disobedience
somewhere in our lives. But as soon as we let go, everything becomes as clear
as daylight to us. As long as we try to serve two masters, ourselves and God,
there will be difficulties combined with doubt and confusion. […] God’s mark of
approval, whenever you obey Him, is peace. He sends an immeasurable, deep
peace; not a natural peace, “as the world gives,” but the peace of Jesus. […]
The spirit of simplicity, clarity, and unity is born through the Holy Spirit,
not through your decisions.” CHAMBERS
The Christmas season is a time when people think about
peace. The absence of conflict. I am reminded of the story about the soldiers
during World War 1 that came out of the trenches on Christmas to enjoy a moment
of peace in the midst of the mayhem that was going on around them. They had peace for a moment and then they went
back to killing each other. But the
peace that God gives us is not a cease-fire.
It’s not a stroll through a field of flowers with blue sky, white puffy
clouds, the sun shining and birds and butterflies flitting about. First. The peace
God offers is peace with Himself. (Romans 5:1) “… since we have been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” When Jesus said that in He we can have peace,
He said it would be in the midst of tribulation. (John
16:33) Peace with the Father. Forgiveness, restoration, eternal life. All of that in the midst of the turmoil of life
on this planet. And having found peace
with God, we can enjoy peace within as fruit or the result from the Spirit that
is in us.
I saw a bumper sticker years ago that said “No Jesus, No Peace,
Know Jesus, Know Peace” (Philippians 4:6,7) “do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I
watch so many people struggling in life.
Making the wrong choices and suffering the consequences. Facing hardships that were not of their own
doing, not knowing which way to turn. Oh
for a moment of peace. As I typed those
words I remembered hearing those words from my mom when I was a child as she raised
7 children. “I just want a moment of
peace!” she would say. But when she came
back out of her room, the fray was still going on. At that time, she was not a Christian so she
had no alternative but escape. You can
have peace in the midst of whatever circumstance you find yourself in
today. It’s yours for the trusting. ELGIN
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