Having God's Peace In LIfe

In John 14:27 Jesus makes this statement, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Then again in John 16:33 Jesus says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Then in Philippians 4:7 the Apostle Paul records these words, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Jesus is called "The Prince of Peace". However, in Matt. 10: beginning in verse 34 Jesus teaches this baffling statement: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it."

When one preaches Christ's gospel of purity and peace in this world it seems to always arouse the opposition of the evil doers. And while a son or a daughter may come to the Lord, yet it may be that the father or mother may hate the Lord, and turn against their children for taking their stand with Christ. But evil has to be put down before peace can prevail. Hence, while the great end that Christ proposes is peace, yet the immediate result of His coming into this world, and of the preaching of the gospel, was met with opposition and bloodshed. And it's still true today! However, the only sword that Christ or His followers use in this conflict is the Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God. But the persecutors have in every age advanced with their carnal swords and guns.

But, some ask the question, "How can I find God's peace in this chaotic and violent world?" And well they might ask it for the most of this nation's people are depending on cigarettes, drugs, liquor, prostitution, sleeping pills, etc., etc., because they cannot fight life’s battles alone. Our mental institutions are filled to capacity. Our prisons are likewise overflowing. Crime is on a rapid increase among the younger people. And even in some churches there are difficulties caused by people seeking for honor, thirsting for praise, lusting for power, contentiously demanding to have their way, and worst of all, adolescent pouting when they fail to get it. And our government is spending billions of dollars to find out why people hate one another, including hating themselves.

However, the Apostle Paul gets to the very root of people’s trouble when he wrote in Romans 3:17-18, "And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes."

In Col. 3:15 it reads, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." In our fleshly weakness, what kind of thoughts fill your mind? Is it thoughts of worldly fear? There's no doubt that one of the chief roots of men's troubles today is fear. Yet Jesus said in Matt 10:28, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." In the next verse Jesus asked us to consider the sparrows which are among the smallest and least valuable birds, yet He says that God notes even them and their fall, and then He says, "Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." Jesus then states that even the hairs of our head are all numbered with the Heavenly Father. Today, many people let their minds be filled with the thoughts of worldly fear, and then these thoughts rule their hearts and lives. That's why we read in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" It is no wonder then that Paul writes, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." The heart of a person is the inner spiritual man that involves the mind and intellectual process. And the peace of God is the peace that God bestows on those who love and obey Him. This peace of God then drives away all of the torments of worldly fear and anxiety.

Another "way of peace" is found in Romans 8:6, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Being "spiritually minded" is explained in the preceding verse as minding the things of the Spirit of God. Or in other words: obeying the Word of God. In this great nation of ours the accent is placed on material things and satisfying fleshly desires. ITS PEOPLE are in a pleasure mad trend. They "mind the things of the flesh" and shove aside the cravings of the inward spirit. It's no wonder that the manufacturers of cigarettes, liquor, and tranquilizers have gotten rich, because people have danced to the tune of temporal pleasures and fleshly exhaustion. And now they need these props to sustain them until they dance to the tune of death, or else come to themselves and return to the Father in heaven, and His peace.

In Luke 24:36, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples and said to them, "Peace be unto you." Of course, when these disciples saw Jesus they had everything but peace. They even feared for their own lives. In fact, the scriptures state that they were "terrified and affrighted". This was after the death of Jesus and now they thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus asked them, "Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?" Then the scriptures tell us why they did not have this peace that Christ offered them. It was because their faith had vanished. They had stopped believing. But Jesus soon fixed this. For in Luke 24:45 it reads, "Then opened He their understanding that they might understand the scriptures,". After this their fears vanished and they "returned to Jerusalem with great joy." Paul says in Romans 15:13, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing." Faith is the necessary ingredient to pacify and calm our fears in this world of sin, fear, and death.

But, in reference to our faith, we're told in Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." This then should cause every one of us to ask: "How deep is my faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ?" "How deep is my faith in the Word of God?" "How much would it take to stamp out my spiritual life?" "What would it take to put a stop to my believing?" Perhaps this is the reason why many people do not obey the gospel of Christ for salvation, and why many of God's people do not enjoy "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding."