Most Beloved Savior, You said to Your Apostles “Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give you the peace that the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The world has sought peace through treaties, employment contracts, marital agreements, etc. but none of them work. Why? Because they depend on frail humans to uphold them. The peace that You give is built upon the foundation of Your Word and the power of Your might. The ultimate peace that I receive comes from Your sacrificial death on the cross. At the moment You suffered and died, the price was paid to insure my peace with the Father. There can be no greater peace than knowing everything is settled, and I am in harmony with My Creator. Despite the inevitable struggles I face, I am not alone. If I remember that the ultimate victory has already been won, I can claim peace in my most troubling times.
The result of Your efforts and the working of the Holy Spirit produce a deep and lasting peace. Unlike worldly peace, which is usually associated with the absence of conflict, Your peace gives me a confident assurance that in any negative circumstance I encounter You will be with me. With the gift of Your peace, I have no reason to fear the present or future. If stress comes into my life, I must seek the Holy Spirit to fill me with Your peace. In Your Word, You encourage me to not be anxious for anything. Never being anxious seems like an impossibility. But what You advise me to do in those situations is to turn my worries into prayers. To worry less and find Your peace I should pray more. Praying gets matters off my chest and allows me to hoist them onto Your broad shoulders. True peace is not found in positive thinking, the absence of conflict or in good vibes. It comes from knowing that You are in control.
The Apostle Paul instructs Christians to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” This tells me that the extent to which I allow Your peace to reign in my heart will be the extent to which I will experience it in my life. Like accepting the forgiveness which You won for me on the cross has reconciled me with Your Father, the amount of peace I will experience is based on my choice to allow it in. Letting Your peace rule in my heart also allows me to live in peace with others. To live in peace with them does not mean that all of a sudden differences of opinion will be eliminated. What it does allow me to do is work with them despite the differences. To live a life of love leads to peace, whether with my fellow man or You. I am most at peace when I am thankful, and Your Word is guiding me in truth. “Peace be with you” is a fitting greeting to give to everyone I meet. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
John 14:27 Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give you the peace that the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.