"I WILL GIVE YOU PEACE"
The recent flare up of hostilities in the Middle East brings to mind the profound statement of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who said, "You don’t make peace with your friends." At the heart of Mr. Rabin’s assertion is the suggestion that peace does not necessarily come easily to people. The history of humankind would tend to back up Yitzhak Rabin’s observation.
Although most of us think of peace in positive terms, in many ways human peace is actually an absence, rather than a presence, of something. For example, peace is the absence of hostilities between people or groups of people. Peace can be the absence of calamity. Peace is also the absence of disease; we say that a departed person "is at peace."
On the other hand, God’s peace is by its very nature a positive force in our lives. It is not the absence of anything, but rather it overrides any challenges we might have. One way the Bible describes God’s peace is that it is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, (which) will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Some people find it hard to reconcile that the path to peace is sometimes violent. Bloodshed is never pleasant, but sometimes it is necessary. God saw it that way when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. The Bible says that now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
The cross was the way that God made peace with His enemies. God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.
When people make peace with their enemies, it is always a perilous thing. The reason people need to make peace in the first place is that hostilities of some sort have broken out, and there is a lack of comfort and trust between the parties. Contingencies must be anticipated. Everything needs to be spelled out. If issues are overlooked, that may spark still more hostilities.
On the other hand, the peace of God surpasses all understanding. When people make peace, usually one or even both parties feel like they need to be in charge. They intend to enforce the peace that has been hashed out, and expect to hold the other party accountable. When we experience God’s peace, we let Him be in charge instead. Since He knows all the pertinent details of the problem, we don’t have to anticipate the anticipations, which nobody can do anyway.
Some people think that hostility between people is a normal part of our functioning. To some degree that may be, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The natural suspicions between different kinds of people can be diminished and even eliminated by Jesus. The Bible says that He Himself is our peace; Jesus is the greatest positive force that ever lived.
The early church had problems with the natural divisions that cut across society. Addressing the wall of separation that existed in the early church between the Gentiles and Jewish followers of Jesus, the Bible says Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and He has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. They did not always understand each other, but they could still enjoy the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
While it is God who does "the heavy lifting," we still need to do our part. If we are in conflict with somebody, we need to be willing to be reconciled. If our friends are in conflict, we need to avoid taking sides and do what we can to facilitate reconciliation. In one instance, the Apostle Paul wrote, I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Although we think we want peace with God, sometimes we might want a piece of God. That is to say, we might be experiencing inner turmoil because there is a conflict between what we want to do and what God wants us to do. We would do well to step back from the situation and try to gain an eternal perspective, contemplating our eternal well being rather than our immediate future.
God already has our eternity in mind, because God inhabits eternity. That is why He sent Jesus to be our Savior. The Bible says Jesus’ followers are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Sometimes our lack of peace is not between ourselves and somebody else, but between us and the world in general. Most of us have had times when we have felt thwarted by life’s circumstances, although it is not necessarily anybody’s fault. We just can’t catch a break. We can be consumed by our frustrations, or we can embrace the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.
There is a simple and practical way to enter into God’s peace when that happens. That is not to say that obtaining God’s peace is always an easy thing to do. It may mean giving up cherished dreams or goals. It is up to us to enter into God’s peace, and it is possible. The Bible tells us how we can do that. Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.
One of the ways we can be anxious for nothing is to determine ahead of time that we will yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit. The Bible says cast your cares upon Him, because He cares for you; we do that by prayer and supplication. As we do that, the Lord gives us the peace of God which will guard our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. An apt description of that peace is that it is like a referee or umpire, guiding us to sense when we are living according to God’s will.
Sadly, the best that the people of the Middle East can hope for is a brokered peace, cobbled together before too much longer. It won’t be real peace; at best it will be a temporary cease fire. That’s about the best that people can do. Alternatively, God offers people who embrace Him a real and lasting peace that does not have to be subject to circumstances.
Whether we need God’s peace for our interactions with other people, for the comfort of our own minds or to simply function in a sometimes dysfunctional world, we ought always to remember the promise of Jesus, who said, "I will give you peace." Jesus said the peace He gives us is not like the world’s peace – among other things that is to say the absence of something – He also said that "in the world you will have troubles, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."
Although most of us think of peace in positive terms, in many ways human peace is actually an absence, rather than a presence, of something. For example, peace is the absence of hostilities between people or groups of people. Peace can be the absence of calamity. Peace is also the absence of disease; we say that a departed person "is at peace."
On the other hand, God’s peace is by its very nature a positive force in our lives. It is not the absence of anything, but rather it overrides any challenges we might have. One way the Bible describes God’s peace is that it is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, (which) will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Some people find it hard to reconcile that the path to peace is sometimes violent. Bloodshed is never pleasant, but sometimes it is necessary. God saw it that way when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. The Bible says that now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
The cross was the way that God made peace with His enemies. God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.
When people make peace with their enemies, it is always a perilous thing. The reason people need to make peace in the first place is that hostilities of some sort have broken out, and there is a lack of comfort and trust between the parties. Contingencies must be anticipated. Everything needs to be spelled out. If issues are overlooked, that may spark still more hostilities.
On the other hand, the peace of God surpasses all understanding. When people make peace, usually one or even both parties feel like they need to be in charge. They intend to enforce the peace that has been hashed out, and expect to hold the other party accountable. When we experience God’s peace, we let Him be in charge instead. Since He knows all the pertinent details of the problem, we don’t have to anticipate the anticipations, which nobody can do anyway.
Some people think that hostility between people is a normal part of our functioning. To some degree that may be, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The natural suspicions between different kinds of people can be diminished and even eliminated by Jesus. The Bible says that He Himself is our peace; Jesus is the greatest positive force that ever lived.
The early church had problems with the natural divisions that cut across society. Addressing the wall of separation that existed in the early church between the Gentiles and Jewish followers of Jesus, the Bible says Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and He has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. They did not always understand each other, but they could still enjoy the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
While it is God who does "the heavy lifting," we still need to do our part. If we are in conflict with somebody, we need to be willing to be reconciled. If our friends are in conflict, we need to avoid taking sides and do what we can to facilitate reconciliation. In one instance, the Apostle Paul wrote, I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Although we think we want peace with God, sometimes we might want a piece of God. That is to say, we might be experiencing inner turmoil because there is a conflict between what we want to do and what God wants us to do. We would do well to step back from the situation and try to gain an eternal perspective, contemplating our eternal well being rather than our immediate future.
God already has our eternity in mind, because God inhabits eternity. That is why He sent Jesus to be our Savior. The Bible says Jesus’ followers are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Sometimes our lack of peace is not between ourselves and somebody else, but between us and the world in general. Most of us have had times when we have felt thwarted by life’s circumstances, although it is not necessarily anybody’s fault. We just can’t catch a break. We can be consumed by our frustrations, or we can embrace the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.
There is a simple and practical way to enter into God’s peace when that happens. That is not to say that obtaining God’s peace is always an easy thing to do. It may mean giving up cherished dreams or goals. It is up to us to enter into God’s peace, and it is possible. The Bible tells us how we can do that. Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.
One of the ways we can be anxious for nothing is to determine ahead of time that we will yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit. The Bible says cast your cares upon Him, because He cares for you; we do that by prayer and supplication. As we do that, the Lord gives us the peace of God which will guard our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. An apt description of that peace is that it is like a referee or umpire, guiding us to sense when we are living according to God’s will.
Sadly, the best that the people of the Middle East can hope for is a brokered peace, cobbled together before too much longer. It won’t be real peace; at best it will be a temporary cease fire. That’s about the best that people can do. Alternatively, God offers people who embrace Him a real and lasting peace that does not have to be subject to circumstances.
Whether we need God’s peace for our interactions with other people, for the comfort of our own minds or to simply function in a sometimes dysfunctional world, we ought always to remember the promise of Jesus, who said, "I will give you peace." Jesus said the peace He gives us is not like the world’s peace – among other things that is to say the absence of something – He also said that "in the world you will have troubles, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."
posted by Pastor Monahan at 1:01 PM
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