I Need Peace

We all need peace! We all want peace, but why does it seem to evade us? The Bible reveals to us that God is "all about" peace, and that we Christians are to be "all about" peace. I like this bumper sticker that I've seen, "No peace? No God. Know peace, know God!" There is so much depth in this statement that I've only begun to grasp. It sounds simple enough to understand, but it is not always easy to acquire. It does take effort. Applying this truth to our life should be a dauntless task. The rewards are priceless! God is the God of peace. The gospel is the gospel of peace. If we refuse peace, we refuse Him and His way of doing things. I know people who seem to thrive on anxiety and pressure. Whether or not we can accept it, the lack of peace in our life is rooted in fear, self-will, and pride. These things are enemies of God. Why? Because this lifestyle doesn't produce a godly example. This lifestyle makes us sick, can kill us, and it doesn't allow the Holy Spirit to flow in our lives (among other things). Therefore, the love and blessings of God don't flow in our lives like they should. I have been tempted to live like that, and have at times. As I look back on those phases in my life, I see struggles with confusion, frustration, unfounded hurt, self-centeredness, illness, and anger (*not righteous anger). Many times these things are initially misinterpreted as attacks of the devil, but they are acts of the flesh or self-will (Gal. 5:16-26), which then opens the door to the devil and separation from God (1 John 2:15-17; 1 Pet :10-12 Amp. version; Rom. 8:6). God wants a life of peace for us. Jesus came to bring us peace (Acts 10:36; Luke 2:14); He is our Peace (Eph. 2:14); He is the King of peace (Heb. 7:2); He is the God of Peace (Rom 16:20; Jn 14:27); And His gospel is the GOSPEL of Peace ( Rom 10:15). Therefore, we need to LET the peace of God rule in our hearts (Col. 3:15). It's up to us. His peace is there for the taking. Possessing His peace looks like this: it is being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, and then yielding to Him through obedience to His leading and His word. The fruit of peace or the evidence of it is as follows: from the Hebrew word shalom it is to be safe, well, happy, friendly, in good health, prosperous, favored, and whole. The Greek word eirene (i ray nay) is translated to be prosperous, have quietness, rest, and to set at one again (with God and restored). Jesus said that He came to give us a good life and life eternal (John 10:10). Are we going to let His sacrifice be in vain? I will not, as much as possible! I will make it my goal to let His peace be my guide. I will gratefully humble myself by acknowledging His Lordship, and enjoy His peace in my every single day! Living in God's peace, while living in this world, is like the salmon's ambitious swim up stream. The salmon does what is required, against all odds,to reach his goal. When all the world is screaming at us to hurry and be their savior, or demand we "make it happen", we need to cast our cares on Him (1 Pet. 5:7) and let Him do His work through us. We need to ready and position ourselves in His peace. Only then will we be truly fruitful (John 15:1-9). His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:29-30). Let living in His peace be our ambition (1 Pet. 2:11). Please take some time to read 2 Peter 3:1-18 (pref. Amp version). Trust Him. Obey Him. We'll be glad we did!