Geyla Queen
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 | | Subject: A Cure for the New Years Blues Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:46 am | |
| "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." - John 14:27 (NLT)
A new year often symbolizes a fresh start from the previous year's dilemmas. I'm not quite sure what it is, but there's just something special about December's exit that gives hope & a brightened outlook for the days to come. For many though, 2009 appears to be the evil twin brother of an already challenging 2008. Lately, conversations about widespread unemployment, home foreclosures, economic instability and people battling health concerns and/or dealing with death seem to fill my day.
A person who is about to die usually writes a last will & testament in which he leaves his possessions to his loved ones. In John 14, the Lord Jesus' parting benediction begins. However, He did not bequeath material things that money could buy; He left a legacy of peace for his disciples to follow. He does not say "peace be to you" which was the more usual form of salutation used in that day. This is extremely profound when you consider this peace Jesus speaks of is the very same peace He personally enjoyed while here on earth.
In this particular instance, peace is the confident assurance in any circumstance that stems from an inward sense of pardoned sin and reconciliation with God. If this peace truly rules the hearts of men, the proper manifestation of it is seen in how men align with the truth of scripture. Unfortunately, many people only see peace as "the absence of conflict".
The peace of the world is at best external, transient, unstable and temporary. The peace of Christ is internal, lasting, durable and eternal. The peace of the world will not support under the troubles of it, but the peace which Christ gives, cheerfully carries His people through all the difficulties and exercises of this life. And as these differ in kind, they likewise differ in the manner of giving and in the persons to whom they are given. The world gives peace in words only, Christ in deed; the world gives artificially, Christ heartily; the world gives it for its own advantage, Christ for His people's sake; the world gives its peace to the people of the world, none to the godly, whom it hates; Christ gives His, not to the wicked, for there is no peace to them, but to the saints; those who are redeemed from the eternal penalty of sin.
Peace is spoken of in Scripture in three ways:
(1) "Peace with God" - (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:14-17). This refers to the work of Christ into which the individual enters by faith.
(2) "The peace of God" - (Luke 7:50; Philippians 4:6-7). This refers to inward peace, the state of soul of that believer who, having entered into peace with God through faith in Christ, has also committed to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving all his anxieties.
(3) "Peace on earth" - (Psalms 72:7; 85:10; Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-12; Luke 2:14). This refers to the universal prevalence of peace in the earth under the kingdom. Matthew 10:34 was Christ's warning that the truth which He was proclaiming would not bring in the kingdom age of peace, but rather conflict.
If there exists a lack of peace in your life, then there's a lack of God's Spirit in your life, as it's a Fruit of the Spirit. What are you hauling around that is prohibiting you from possessing peace? What's robbing you of God's Spirit and fighting against the peace Christ offers? Are you willing to let it go to the point of knowing your peace hinges on never having it or seeing it again?
"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." - Martin Luther King, Jr._________________________________________________________
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