Monday, April 16, 2012

Peace

Everyone in the world wants peace. There are different types of peace and each one is meaningful. I think the one that probably comes to mind first is 'world peace'. World peace would be an awesome thing. It seems though that each nation wants to be the ruler so this will never happen.


Then there is what we call 'family peace'. This is something each family should have but in some families it never seems to work out. There are different causes for not having it. Children can feel the parents love the other child more than they do them. The parents don't seem to agree on the way to discipline the children and the list could go on.

Then there is 'peace within a town/city'. The city government wants to annex more land and some of the town's people don't want this so the dispute starts. Of course there are many reasons behind each person wanting and not wanting this to be done.

No matter what type of peace people want it is something that needs to be worked on. It can't be one-sided, there has to be talks and each side has to give and take. Each side needs to explain things. So many times this doesn't happen or they aren't willing to give so this causes fighting. There will be no peace as long as there is fighting.

We also have the 'peace within ourselves'. Sometimes this can be harder to find than any of the other peace that is wanted. That is if you don't look for it in the right places.

There is only one true place to go and that is to the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:27; "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Here Jesus is giving to us a real blessing. The gifts we receive from the world are for the body and time but the gifts from Jesus enrich the soul for eternity. Jesus didn't want our hearts to be troubled so He left His peace with us. This peace is left for true believers.

This doesn't mean we will never have tribulations but we are able to call on the Lord and He will give us peace.

Philippians 4:7; "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus". When we call on Him with a heart that sincerely loves Him and abides in His Word then we can expect the peace of God to flood our troubled souls. This peace is mediated to us by the Holy Spirit which means you must have a definite conviction that Jesus is near and that God's love will be active in your life.

When we have troubles and give them to the Lord in prayer, you might say this peace will stand guard at the door of our hearts and mind. This helps prevent the heartaches, cares of life, and disappointment from taking over our lives and the hope we have in Jesus. If the fear and worry returns we need to go to the Lord in prayer again letting Him know and give thanksgiving to Him thus putting us under the peace of God that guards our hearts once again. We will feel safe once again and we can rejoice in the Lord with thanksgiving and happiness.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!