PEACE
Hello Bride of Christ,
How often do you find yourself desiring tranquility, well-being, and soundness of mind and heart? Yet, are confronted and assaulted by the chaos and noise of life, and before you realize it you are operating out of known experience, fear, or even anxiety. Renown author and theologian C.S Lewis wrote in his book Mere Christianity, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” (p.50, Mere Christianity)
Art by: Yongsung Kim
Constant, unwavering, happiness (joy) and peace can only be found in God, Himself. Paul, the apostle, penned this very concept C.S. Lewis was articulating. Paul writes to the Galatians, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) To the Ephesians, Paul wrote similarly, “For He Himself (Jesus) is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,” (Ephesians 2:14) describing how Jesus brought reconciliation to our relationship with the living God. Since Jesus is our peace it cannot be found apart from Him.
How then do we access peace? In the letter to the Galatians, Paul writes the Spirit is the giver of this fruit. Jesus, while preparing for His death and resurrection, said “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things I have said to you. ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:25-27) The Holy Spirit is our access to the peace of Jesus.
The peace of Jesus is a gift from Him alone, accessed through the Helper, which resides within each of us upon receipt of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Throughout scripture from Genesis to Revelation the peace of the living God is sought, held, offered, spoken, promised, and even multiplied. Peace is something Jesus desires for His beloved bride to live with on a daily moment-by-moment basis. Peace is to be found in our communities (Romans 12:18, 2 Corinthians 13:11), plans (1 Peter 3:11), rest (Psalm 4:8), speech (Isaiah 52:7), and relationship with God (Romans 5:1) to name a few.
Bride of Christ, the Word of God declares God, Himself, will keep in perfect peace a mind who stays on Him. Peace is here today and is up for the taking. For unto us a Child was born, unto us a Son was given and His name is called Prince of Peace. Isaiah penned this promise and stated it as a “will be”, but oh how blessed we are that we live on the other side of that promise. We live in the state of IT IS! Choose today like another old testament brother, Gideon, who upon recognizing God’s peace proceed to build an altar to the Lord and call it The-Lord-is-Peace (Judges 6:24). Build the altar of your life upon The-Lord-is-Peace, and fret no more for He is with you through the power of the Holy Spirit to live moment-by-moment in Peace (Him).
