Peace

I’ve had many people tell me they are desperately seeking peace in their lives. This morning I had a thought. Which KIND of peace are they looking for? Are they wanting circumstances which are currently taxing their strength to be gone or are they wanting the peace only Christ can give? Hmm….

For myself, the blessing of Christ’s peace has been unbelievable. For those who know me well, you understand a lot of the things that have gone on through the years and are still going on today. From family members who struggle with all kinds of issues to a daughter with special needs we haven’t even totally pinpointed yet, my life is a roller coaster of uncertainty. There have even been financial issues the last couple of years just to keep things interesting. You know, the small kind like do we sell our house and move into an apartment so we can get the bills paid. Minor stuff. But through it all I have a great peace. People can’t seem to understand it, and I don’t know that I do fully. It’s there nonetheless. The deep peace of knowing my God is Sovereign and in control to work things according to His will for the good in my life.

Scripture tells us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Hmm…"do not LET your heart be troubled, nor LET it be fearful.” Sounds like we have some control over this, but I think that’s another day’s topic.

In thinking about peace, I realized there are two very distinctive kinds of peace. My pastor talked a bit about it last night as well. There’s the cease fire kind of peace in wars. The sort of calm when all the bombs in life stop being lobbed our way. This is the peace “as the world gives”. It’s temporary until the missiles start heading your way again. It will NOT last. Then there’s the TRUE peace which settles deep within and ONLY comes from a relationship with Christ. Not “church”, not other Christians (though true believers can help that relationship grow), but the one on One daily living with the Savior.

See, we want the outside stuff to stop. We want things to be easy. We want life to be rosy and pretty all the time with no trials or tests. Guess what? It’s not going to happen whether you walk with Christ or not. Those tests are there for the heart which is not fully His to show you it’s not possible to do it on your own. For those who have given their lives over to Him, the tests and trials are to refine us and get rid of the impurities that keep us from being more like Him and doing what He calls us to do.

Peace from Christ is being in the middle of the battle and keeping your eyes on the One who has won the war. It’s letting HIM worry for you. I promise His shoulders are much more capable than yours are. It’s not stressing over the big OR little stuff because you know, deep in your heart, He loves you and has no plan to hurt you. The promise of Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” Now, He doesn’t plan for there to be calamity, but we can certainly get ourselves INTO calamity when we aren’t sticking close to the Prince of Peace.

How do we get that elusive peace? Reading the Scriptures, seeking Him in our daily lives. Looking to Christ as our example of how to live in peace though storms rage and people try to “kill” you. He never lost His cool even when they were hanging Him on the cross. His words were, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” Now there’s a peace I want. My prayer is that you are seeking the same peace from the ONLY Source.

In Christ,
A. M. Wilson
"Cease striving and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

I’ve never done a blog before, nor do I read many. God gives me insights every once in a while which I just feel the need to share. I have no idea how often this will happen. Probably three times a week to start, but we’ll see where He takes us. I’m not a cream puff when it comes to my opinions or my faith. I’ll lay it out there and you have the ability to pray about it and search the Scriptures on your own to see what He will reveal. I don’t pull punches, nor apologize for the Truth of the Word. God wrote it for a reason. Seems to me we should pay attention whether we like what it says or not.

I’m a mom. I’m not a theologian, a pastor of a church, or even the member of a particular church. But I believe the Word of God speaks to all of us who read it with the spiritual eyes God’s given us.

Take my reading this morning for example in my translation of choice, the New American Standard Bible. Our pastor has been going through Corinthians. I was reading in Chapter 7:1-6, but also 6:16-20. The verse that jumped out at me was 4 – “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.”

Putting aside all the mess the Corinthians were in when it came to spiritual matters, God showed me something. Take a look at verse 20 of the previous chapter. “For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”

What price? The price of the broken body of Jesus Christ on a cross. Our debt was paid with blood and death. My Groom, Jesus, died on that cross so that I could be free from all the things this body on earth tends to want to do. My Husband/Groom, gave up authority of His own body so He could fulfill the duty to me, His Bride/Wife.

Do we LIVE that way? Do we truly live as if we remember the price He paid for us? Do we even ask Him what we should do with our body today or do we blithely go about doing what we think is right and never look back? I have to admit my life falls more in the latter category than I’d like to believe.

Take back your “marriage” to Christ. Give back to Him the authority to tell you what to do today. Where to go, what to eat, when to sleep, who to speak to and what to say. Start small, He’ll meet you there. He promised.

In Christ,
A. M. Wilson
“Cease striving and KNOW that I AM GOD…” Psalm 46:10 NASV