Grace & Peace

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Colossians 1:2b

We believe that Paul wrote at least thirteen letters in the New Testament. The greetings in those letters vary, but every one of the thirteen extends grace and peace to the church. Why? I’m convinced that Paul does this because grace and peace are two of our most fundamental spiritual needs.

You need God’s grace! You've disobeyed God and broken His commands. That makes you a sinner bound for Hell. Apart from God’s grace (His undeserved favor) you have no hope. But “God so Loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God extended His grace to you through His Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross so that you might have access to the forgiveness you didn’t deserve. This grace is yours as a Christian.

And those who believe on Jesus are saved and are ushered into a new and profound peace with God and with our fellow man. Colossians 1:20 & 21 tell us that “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior” but Jesus “made peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

You see, Jesus died as a propitiation for your sins. That means that He took God’s wrath for your sins on Himself. His death allows you to go from being an enemy of God who was under God's wrath to a son of God who is at peace with the Father. And that same salvation also puts you at peace with your fellow believers, your brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, what we have in these two words, grace and peace, is really a summary of the gospel itself and a representation of our greatest spiritual needs that are met in Christ. And where do we find this grace and peace? Who or what is their ultimate source? Paul tells us that this comes “from God our Father.” 

Sinful man has searched the whole world over and has created countless counterfeits trying to provide the grace and peace that we so desperately need… and every single one of them disappoints. If you try to base your peace on anything else, your life will be full of conflict and striving. If you try to find grace for your failures in any other source, sooner or later, you will be ostracized and condemned. There is no other source of true grace for your sin and true peace for your life than in the salvation that is offered to you by your Heavenly Father. Look to Him alone for grace and peace.

Run to God

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

A Christian can possess internal stillness of soul even as the world melts into chaos around him. Psalm 46 tells us how. The secret is trusting God. Even when that which seems most fixed and unshakeable in our world, characterized in this psalm by mountains, collapses before our eyes and falls at our feet, we don't have to be afraid. Even when everything around us is shaking, we need not be shaken, because we trust in the Lord.

Psalm 46 says, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear." No matter how bad life gets the Christian has a refuge he can run to, a safe place that can't be touched by the evils of this world. This reminds me of what I would do when I was scared as a child. If a big, scary dog approached us and was barking at us, I would instinctively get close to my dad or grandad because I knew they would keep me safe. When I was scared I ran to them and felt safe. 

It's the same with God. When your world is shaking, when it seems like everything is falling apart, it isn't time to get angry with God or question His justice, it's time to run to Him for protection. The wise Christian knows that his relationship with God is his only refuge in this chaotic world. He also knows that God is his only source of help or rescue. So, whenever the wise Christian feels scared or in trouble he runs to His God and feels safe again.

Go in Peace (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace...Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:3, 29-32

 

 

It is an unfortunate truth that in American culture peace is more often associated with hippie or anti-war gatherings than it is with Christian gatherings. And yet, the Christian who searches the New Testament Scriptures for the word 'peace' will be astounded at not only how often peace is mentioned in the New Testament but also how vital it is to the Christian faith. For example, every one of Paul's letters in the New Testament begins with a greeting that bestows grace and peace on his readers (see Rom. 1:7, I Cor. 1:3, II Cor. 1:2, Gal. 1:3, Eph. 1:2, Phil. 1:2, Col. 1:2, I Thess. 1:1, II Thess. 1:2, I Tim. 1:2, II Tim. 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 1:3). Grace is discussed often in our churches and in our homes, but what about peace? Other New Testament writers also picked up this emphasis on peace in their greetings (see I Pet. 1:2, II Pet. 1:2, II John 1:3, Jude 2, Rev. 1:4). In fact, all in all two-thirds of the 27 New Testament books begin by bestowing peace on their readers. 

 

While this very well may have been a common greeting of their day, it is clear that it was far from a formality for the biblical writers. They saw peace as such an essential mark of the Christian community and lifestyle that they could refer to God Himself as the "God of peace" (Rom. 15:33, 16:20, II Cor. 13:11, Phil. 4:9, I Thess. 5:23, Heb. 13:20). Indeed, peace was at the very heart of their understanding of the gospel (Acts 10:36). Through Jesus' death on the cross the just wrath of God against our sin was extinguished. By His sacrifice we now enjoy peace with God (Romans 5:1). This peace with God should permeate our relationships with others. In the New Testament it had profound implications for the relationship between Jews and other ethnicities (Ephesians 2:14). But as today's passage of Scripture points out, this great peace that we enjoy corporately should filter its way down into our individual lives as well. As Christians we are called to be at peace with one another.

 

Is your life marked by peace? Are your relationships? If Jesus' death on the cross was enough to cover over the many ways that you and I had offended God, then isn't it enough to cover over the offenses you have received at the hands of your family members in Christ? It most certainly is! Today, choose to restore peace. Forgive those who have wronged you. Sure, they don't deserve it...that's what makes it forgiveness! You and I didn't deserve it either. And we have no right to withhold what we have been given so freely and liberally. Also, choose to maintain peace. "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

 

Jesus often spoke this refrain to people whom he had healed, "Your faith has made you whole, go in peace." My prayer is that today, your faith would drive you to forgive and that through that forgiveness, which is made possible only through Jesus, you might go in peace.

 

For further reading...

• Galatians 5:22-23- The fruit of the Spirit.
• John 14:27 & 16:33- My peace I give you.
• Ephesians 2:14-17- He is our peace!

A "How To" for Reconciliation

Reconciling with someone is to change their mind or renew your friendship with them after your sin has caused a rift in your relationship. It normally requires much more than a simple apology. If all you offer those you have wronged is a half-hearted “I’m sorry,” then you will most likely fail in your attempts, so how do you go about reconciling with those you have wronged?

Here I believe that the story of Abigail and David, which can be found in I Samuel 25, is immensely helpful. Even though Abigail is apologizing for her husband’s sin and not her own, she provides us with a wonderful, biblical example of how to reconcile with our enemies.

During the time David was on the run from King Saul, he and his men provided protection in the wilderness to the flocks of a man named Nabal. It was the custom in those days that when Nabal sheared his sheep he should throw a big feast and give some food to David and his men in gratitude for their service. But, when David’s men came to kindly request their share of the food Nabal insulted David and them and then sent them away empty-handed. David was enraged! He strapped on his sword and rode out with his men intent on killing Nabal and every man in his house. But before David could carry out his plan, one of Nabal’s servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail what had happened. Now Abigail was certainly Nabal’s better half. She was very wise, so she immediately saddled her donkey and loaded it down with provisions. Then she rode out to intercept David and his men.

As Abigail meets David, her speech of reconciliation gives us five steps we can follow to reconcile with our own enemies.

When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 

I Samuel 25:23-24

• First, Abigail humbled herself. She knelt before David and called him "my lord." She called herself his "servant." Reconciling with someone requires humbling yourself before them. This is why reconciling is so hard for us. It’s a humbling experience that hurts our pride

• Second, notice that Abigail fully accepted the blame. It's hard to apologize if you won't admit you have done anything wrong.

Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Fool is his name, [Nabal means fool] and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 

I Samuel 25:25

• Third, Abigail validated his feelings. In essence she says “I understand why you're angry, and you have every right to feel this way.” It's hard to reconcile with someone until we understand and acknowledge all the ways our sin affected them. 

And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.

I Samuel 25:27

• Fourth, she made restitution. Abigail made it right. She generously provided food for David and his men. Whenever you can make up for how you wronged someone, no apology feels complete until you try to do so.

Please forgive the trespass of your servant.

I Samuel 25:28

• Only then did she ask for his forgiveness. The timing on this is important. It often does no good to ask someone to forgive you if you won’t follow these other steps first. If you don’t 1) Humble yourself, 2) Accept the Blame, 3) Validate their Feelings, and 4) Make Restitution then your apology feels hollow and meaningless.

Who do you need to reconcile with? Have you been trying to apologize to someone and haven't understood why they won't forgive you. Hopefully this helps! I leave you with the words of Romans 12:18- "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

Loving like Jesus Loved

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13:34-35

God had already commanded the Israelites to “love your neighbor as yourself” in the Old Testament. And Jesus had taught that this was the second greatest commandment. So what exactly is new about the command given in this passage? Here Jesus commands them to do more than simply love one another, or to love others as themselves; now He commands them to love one another as He had loved them. That’s new! 

Believers are commanded to love other believers like Jesus loves them. What a radical command. Jesus gave His disciples this command just after He had shown them the “full extent of His love” by washing the disciple’s feet and just before He showed them “the greatest love of all” when He went to the cross and laid down His life for His friends. So even in its immediate context we can see that Jesus is calling us to a radical kind of love for one another. One that is self-abasing and prideless. One that willingly makes sacrifices to meet the needs of other believers. A love that lays down its very life to save the other. In a culture preoccupied with our own rights, Jesus commands you to be willing to lay down your very life for the person in the pew next to you.

We gain an even greater perspective on this command when we push past its immediate context and back up farther to view it from the vantage point of Jesus' life and mission as a whole. The gospel teaches that we were in conflict with God. We were His enemies. We had sinned against Him, wronged Him and robbed Him of the glory due His name. And what did God do? In Jesus, he came to us and confronted us with our sin. He showed us how wrong we had been, but then He did something remarkable. Instead of demanding we make it right, instead of demanding restitution for how we had wronged Him, Jesus made it right on our behalf. Jesus paid the price for us. At great cost to Himself He reconciled us to God. He was willing to be wronged in order to make our relationship right. Though it cost Him His life, He made peace with us.

God is a peacemaking God. That is how Jesus loved us was by making peace with us and you are called to love others in the same way. You are called to be a peacemaker, to be reconciled to one another, to keep the unity of the peace with other believers. This is the love of Jesus we are called to live out with one another. This is how we are supposed to love other believers inside and outside this church. So, if there is a believer in your church, in your family, or anywhere in the world that you are not loving in this way, then you are wrong! Repent of this. Go to them and make peace with them and love them like Jesus loves them. Love them like Jesus loved you.

A Prayer Dare

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

The believer being persecuted for her faith stands before her captors with a quiet resolve not to deny her Savior. 

The Christian who just learned his wife wants a divorce finds the strength to look for reconciliation instead of exploding in anger. 

The believing parents who sit by their child's hospital bed are able to bear up under the strain in a way that gives their child hope and strength. 

What single source could make all of this possible? God's peace! His peace is stronger than your worry and it makes no sense from a worldly perspective. It is beyond our comprehension because it is spiritual. This peace is powerful, but you only receive it when you lift your worries up to Him in prayer. 

This is where many of us fail. We lack peace in our hearts because we lack prayer. But why do we lack prayer? Is it because we think prayer is boring? Or because we don't know what to say? Maybe we think prayer just doesn't "work for me."

If you are like me, then you need more peace. That means we desperately need to learn how to lift our requests up to God. So let me introduce you to two approaches that have helped me find joy in prayer.

The first is praying Scripture. If you ever find yourself praying the same things over and over again, or if you just don't know what to say at all, then this method is for you. It's very simple. God's Word is chocked full of prayers and songs designed to help believers pour their heart out to Him. Pick a psalm or some other passage of Scripture and begin reading. As you read, simply let Scripture give you prompts for things to pray about. You will often find that the Bible leads you to pray for things you would have never thought to pray about yourself.

Let me illustrate. I am choosing Psalm 149 at random. As I write this I don't know what that psalm says. Turning to it I read the first verse. "Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people." So I stop to pray the following.

Lord I do praise you. You are good beyond my ability to understand.  I praise You for Your goodness, wisdom, love, power and grace. There is no god like You. You alone are worthy of praise.

All you do is read Scripture and pray about what it brings to mind. When you come to a verse that makes you think of something to pray, then stop and pray about it. When you are done praying for that, simply continue reading until something else jumps out at you. My experiment led me to praise God. That's something I probably wouldn't have prayed on my own. I normally don't get around to praise when I pray, but the Scripture commanded me to praise so I did.

The second approach can help here too. I have been aware of the ACTS prayer method for a long time but have only recently started using it regularly. It has really been a blessing to me. ACTS is an acrostic that stands for Adoration (praise), Confession (repenting of sin), Thanksgiving, and Supplication (making requests). When you pray, simply take a few minutes to focus on each of these four different areas of prayer. Spend several minutes in prayer telling God how great He is and how much you love Him. Then take a few minutes to examine your heart and life. Repent of the sin you find and ask for forgiveness. Thank God for His forgiveness in Christ and then continue on for several minutes thanking Him for any of the other gifts He has poured out on your life. Then take time at the end of your prayer to lift up each of your needs to God and ask for help. Pray over everything that concerns you, all the things that make you worry. Don't be afraid to ask God to meet your needs. He is a God who hears and answers prayer!

Test God in this and see if you are not met by His peace. If you need to, pick one of these methods and set a timer. Commit to spending five or ten minutes in prayer. All of us can spare five or ten minutes. I bet you will find that what you thought would feel like an eternity is not nearly enough time to cover all you want to pray about. And once you have tasted the goodness of God's presence again, you will want to make this a regular part of your daily routine. Try it. I dare you!

*Donald S. Whitney has written a helpful little book called Praying the Bible that is worth the read. You should consider checking it out. 

Fiberglass Bathtubs and a Forever Rock

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 26:3-4

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who hear a tornado warning and quickly go get in the bathtub and those who immediately open the front door to walk outside to see if the tornado is close to their house. I am the latter, and it drives my wife crazy. 

The problem is that I'm just not convinced my fiberglass bathtub can protect me from a tornado. If I had a real storm shelter it might be different, but why huddle in a damp bathtub for an hour if it isn't going to do me any good?

Perhaps this is how too many of us think about God. "Why take my problems to God in prayer? He isn't going to listen to me. I've tried the whole God thing before and it didn't work for me. God didn't take my problems away." It's uncomfortable to humble ourselves before God. People simply won't do it if they aren't convinced it will work. 

These two verses in Isaiah give us some pretty good reasons to believe it will work. God promises to keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast. The word for "keeping" can also mean that God is guarding or watching over us, ensuring that we are kept in perfect peace. Perfect peace is literally "peace peace" in the original language. It is double peace. The Hebrew word for peace goes beyond our understanding of peace in the English language. According to the ESV Study Bible the Hebrew word for peace "shalom" meant more than just the absence of trouble but also included the idea of positive blessing. It was like saying "all is well." This is the kind of peace that God promises to preserve for those whose minds are dependent on Him. These people have God as their support. They lean on Him. He upholds them. They have confidence in God and trust Him for their security.

The passage continues to tell us that we should trust in God (a concept that includes boldness and confidence) because He is the rock eternal. Some translations render this as everlasting strength, but I like the picture of God as a forever rock. He is immovable and unchanging. Just the kind of shelter you want to run to in a storm. Just the kind of protection you seek out when under attack. God is our refuge!

Here is the takeaway. An immovable, lasting, perfect peace in life has to be built on an immovable, lasting, perfect God. This is the only way to double peace, peace that isn't dependent on your situation. The storm may rage, but your peace is unmoved because you have confidence in your refuge. You may fall, but your confidence is unshaken because your mind is stayed on God's faithfulness instead of your sinfulness. You are quiet even when you are under attack because you know that the ultimate victory has already been declared on your behalf in Christ.

Far too many of us lack this kind of peace, because far too many of us lack this type of confidence in our God. Will you place your trust in God today? Will you rest your mind steadfastly on His nature and His promises? Let God be your support, then you can move forward in confidence knowing that God is your forever Rock, a sturdy constant in a sea of change. 

I Lack Peace

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Lately, I have a hard time sitting still. At any given moment I feel that there are ten really important things I should be doing. Even when I am holding my two month old son I feel the need to free up one of my hands so I can be "productive." I'll hold James in one arm and put away toys with the other. Or I'll tell my daughter, "I will read that book to you when I am through loading the dishwasher, sweetheart." But when I'm done with the dishwasher, I have to fight the urge to move on to the next thing. 

In other words...I lack peace. 

It's difficult for me to admit that this isn't because I have a "Type A" personality or because I am such a hard worker or even because I am busier than you are. Nope. I lack peace and I feel the need to run myself ragged because I am anxious. And I am anxious because of a lack of prayer.

I look at the demands of my ministry and the needs of my family and I realize that there isn't enough Lance to go around. I rightly assess that I am not equal to the task. The problem is my response to this realization. I ought to respond in faith by lifting this up to the Lord in prayer. I ought to turn to God in prayer and ask for help. If I would present my requests to God then I would be filled with the peace of God that transcends all understanding just like Philippians 4:6-7 says. 

But my natural response to anxiety isn't prayer. It's to WORK HARDER. To gut it out. To find a way to get it all done. Often this means that I push relationships to the fringes of my life and develop an unhealthy focus on increasing my efficiency. This has led me to be short with the people I love and to miss important opportunities for ministry. 

The funny thing is that I actually thought all of this hard work was pleasing to God. I thought I was working for God. In reality, I was working against God's will for my life. Instead of taking my problems to God for help, I was trying to solve them all by myself. I had made myself into an idol of sorts. I would solve my own problems. You've probably heard the saying, "Work like it depends on you and pray like it depends on God." I have never liked that saying. I think we should work and pray like it depends on God. Yet, here I am working like it depends on me and not praying about it hardly at all!

I didn't mean to do any of this. I got overwhelmed and started to worry. I began feeling self-conscious that I wasn't enough and I determined to do all that I could to make it work. Sadly I forgot that I was completely powerless to accomplish anything apart from God. I forgot that when I am weak, then I am really strong because God's power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). I forgot that no moment has ever been wasted when it was spent in prayer asking God to solve our problems.

Listen, there's nothing wrong with multi-tasking or hard work. In fact, I believe that God expects His children to be diligent workers. But let us work from faith, not anxiety. Let's embrace the truth that our problems are bigger than we are, and then let's lay those problems at the feet of an almighty God who dwarfs them in size (Matt. 11:28-30). So don't be anxious about anything, but simply present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Anxious

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Lately, I have been under a lot of stress. I've been very anxious and weighed down by things that concern me. I could give you a long list of good reasons why I am stressed. I do legitimately have things to worry about, as I am sure you do. But at the end of the day, the truth is that I am stressed and weighed down because I am carrying these burdens around on myself, rolling them over and over in my mind making them seem bigger than they are, instead of lifting them up to my Lord. 

The Christian never has reason to be conquered by anxiety, because he has access to the unfathomable peace of God. Philippians 4:6-7 gives us a very straightforward plan for attacking anxiety in our lives. In every situation, we are to present our requests to God. We pray and we ask God for what we need, being careful to remember to be grateful for all He has done for us in the past. 

Something amazing happens when a Christian lifts his concerns up to the Lord. Because he knows that God has accepted him in Christ, he knows that God has heard his prayers. Prayer becomes a means by which he can cast his burdens on Him. The believer walks away knowing that he no longer needs to worry about those issues because they have been entrusted to the Lord. God is in control and He will deal with those concerns wisely. The Bible tells us that handing our anxiety over to the Lord in this way produces the most amazing peace in the believer's life. This peace, which is beyond our capacity to understand, is from God and of God. The Bible tells us that it stands guard over our heart like a soldier protecting us from anxiety. There is no peace like the assurance that a loving God has taken your worries under His care. Christians have endured the gravest situations and the worst tortures with divine calm because of this peace, and it is certainly more than I need to conquer my worries. 

Are you weighed down by worry today? Take some time to lift your concerns up to Him. Be careful to be thankful, but ask Him for all you need. You may be surprised at how much difference prayer can make in your outlook on life. It is not uncommon for me to experience a loosening of the muscles in my shoulders and neck as I pray until I feel physically lighter. You may not realize how stressed you are until you begin to lift your requests up to the Lord.

For further reading...

• Matt 11:28-30- Cast your burdens on the Lord. 
• Hebrews 10:19-25- Confidence to enter the Most Holy Place.

A Very Important Message: Part 2

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

   “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:13-14

One day far in the future, when you are old and gray and you look back at your life, what do you think your greatest accomplishments will be? What do you want them to be?

The familiar Christmas passage above reveals the two great accomplishments of Jesus’ arrival: glory in heaven and peace on earth. Last week we considered how Jesus' birth and life brought God glory in heaven. (You can read that post here.) This week we will consider how it brought peace on the earth. 

Peace can mean general well-being and harmony. But when peace comes, it also implies the existence of a time when there was a lack of peace. It suggests that there was strife and discord that has now been ended by peace. This is most certainly true of us in relation to God.

Colossians 1:21 teaches us that until men turn to Christ, they are His enemies. This is not because God has set Himself against us, but because we have set ourselves against God. Every single one of us from our earliest days on this earth has chosen to rebel against God and His commands. We have all chosen to reject His rightful kingship authority in our lives and live under our own authority. We reject the true king and set ourselves up in His place. This puts us at odds not only with God but also with other men. They want to be king and so do we. Not everyone can be in charge, and not everyone can be right. So we war with each other.

Jesus’ arrival introduces peace into this discord in two ways. First, Jesus puts men at peace with God through His death on the cross: Colossians 1:20 says that through Jesus God has reconciled all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Second, Jesus puts men at peace with each other also by His death on the cross. Ephesians 2:14-17 says this of the peace that Jesus brings between the Jew and Gentile: "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."

Surely, Jesus is the Prince of Peace who brings peace on earth. How about you? Is your life marked by peace? Have you asked Jesus to set you right with God? If not, there is no better time than Christmas to surrender your life to Him. (For more information on accepting Christ as your Savior, see "The Gospel in a Nutshell" at the bottom of this post.) Or maybe you are at peace with God but not with those around you. Christmas is a wonderful time to make peace with that family member you are at odds with. You don’t need to wait for them to apologize to make peace. Jesus certainly didn't! Perhaps you are at peace with our Father in heaven and with men, but you know others who are not at peace with God. Follow Jesus’ example by sharing Him and the good news of His death and resurrection with them this Christmas.

Be a peacemaker this Christmas and spread the peace of God wherever you go. Merry Christmas!

For further reading...

• Ephesians 2- Read this wonderful passage that covers much of the same material as this post. 
• Colossians 1:15-23- "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior."
• Matthew 5:9- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
• Matthew 1:18-2:23 & Luke 1:1-2:40- Check out the full Christmas story!

***

The Gospel in a nutshell: If you are unfamiliar with what the gospel is, here it is in a shortened form. We are all sinners. Every one of us has sinned against God. We have rejected His way and gone our own way. We have all rebelled against the one true King. Our sin deserves punishment. In fact, so great a sin against so great a God deserves Hell. But God, because of His great love for us, wanted to offer us forgiving grace. For God to be just, our sin had to be punished though. So God in His wisdom took the punishment for our sin on Himself in Jesus. Jesus died to pay the price for your sins and mine and then He rose from the dead, breaking the power of sin over us. He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for those who believe in Him. So that now those who place their faith in Him can be forgiven and spend eternity in Heaven with their Savior. If you would like to do that today, here is what you need to do.

• A- Admit that you are a sinner and in need of God's grace (Romans 3:10 and 3:23).

• B- Believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, and that He was raised from the dead (Romans 6:23 and 5:8).

• C- Confess Jesus as Lord of your life. Turn from sin (from living life your way) and commit to live your life for God (Romans 10:9 - "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.").

You can also check out this post: "What does Jesus' death have to do with me?"

Go in Peace

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace...Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Eph 4:3, 29-32

 

 

It is an unfortunate truth that in American culture peace is more often associated with hippie or anti-war gatherings than it is with Christian gatherings. And yet, the Christian who searches the New Testament Scriptures for the word 'peace' will be astounded at not only how often peace is mentioned in the New Testament but also how vital it is to the Christian faith. For example, every one of Paul's letters in the New Testament begins with a greeting that bestows grace and peace on his readers (see Rom. 1:7, I Cor. 1:3, II Cor. 1:2, Gal. 1:3, Eph. 1:2, Phil. 1:2, Col. 1:2, I Thess. 1:1, II Thess. 1:2, I Tim. 1:2, II Tim. 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 1:3). Grace is discussed often in our churches and in our homes, but what about peace? Other New Testament writers also picked up this emphasis on peace in their greetings (see I Pet. 1:2, II Pet. 1:2, II John 1:3, Jude 2, Rev. 1:4). In fact, all in all two-thirds of the 27 New Testament books begin by bestowing peace on their readers. 

 

While this very well may have been a common greeting of their day, it is clear that it was far from a formality for the biblical writers. They saw peace as such an essential mark of the Christian community and lifestyle that they could refer to God Himself as the "God of peace" (Rom. 15:33, 16:20, II Cor. 13:11,  Phil. 4:9, I Thess. 5:23, Heb. 13:20). Indeed, peace was at the very heart of their understanding of the gospel (Acts 10:36). Through Jesus' death on the cross the just wrath of God against our sin was extinguished. By His sacrifice we now enjoy peace with God (Romans 5:1). This peace with God should permeate our relationships with others. In the New Testament it had profound implications for the relationship between Jews and other ethnicities (Ephesians 2:14). But as today's passage of Scripture points out, this great peace that we enjoy corporately should filter its way down into our individual lives as well. As Christians we are called to be at peace with one another.

 

Is your life marked by peace? Are your relationships? If Jesus' death on the cross was enough to cover over the many ways that you and I had offended God, then isn't it enough to cover over the offenses you have received at the hands of your family members in Christ? It most certainly is! Today, choose to restore peace. Forgive those who have wronged you. Sure they don't deserve it...that's what makes it forgiveness! You and I didn't deserve it either. And we have no right to withhold what we have been given so freely and liberally. Also, choose to maintain peace. "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

 

Jesus often spoke this refrain to people whom he had healed, "Your faith has made you whole, go in peace." My prayer is that today, your faith would drive you to forgive and that through that forgiveness, which is made possible only through Jesus, you might go in peace.

 

For further reading...

• Galatians 5:22-23- The fruit of the Spirit.
• John 14:27 & 16:33- My peace I give you.
• Ephesians 2:14-17- He is our peace!