The world gives peace and then takes it away, because it’s not rooted in things which last. Jesus gives us a Peace rooted in who He is. Christmas reminds us of the gravity of the gift He came to earth to give us. Everything about His life on earth leads us to understand more about godly Peace.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
Tears streaming down both cheeks, all I wanted was for time to be reversed and allow a slew of do-overs so the situation at hand wasn’t so painful, and permanent. Relationships are definitely story-worthy a lot of the time, but for every awesome highlight we have with other people, there is a fight to stay together we have to win.
“Jesus, this hurts so bad,” my soul drained as I drove.
“It hurts so bad.”
The apostle John wrote in the verse above of the peace we receive through Christ. He is Peace, and through Him we have supernatural peace through the Holy Spirit who resides in us from the moment we believe. Because of this peace, we don’t have to be afraid. He writes, “don’t let your hearts be troubled.” Yet, in conflict, my heart and mind are completely full of troubled thoughts as I scramble to fix and restore something which is outside of my power to mend.
The world gives peace and then takes it away, because it’s not rooted in things which last. Jesus gives us a Peace rooted in who He is. Christmas reminds us of the gravity of the gift He came to earth to give us. Everything about His life on earth leads us to understand more about godly Peace.
There was a soldier at the scene of Jesus’ arrest, and in a rage to protect Jesus Peter cut off his ear! Jesus immediately healed the man’s ear. Peace is who He is. And He resides in us through the Holy Spirit. We can submit to Him in moments of anger, and choose to let His supernatural peace lead us. Peace is a gift more valuable than anything that can be wrapped and placed under a tree or shoved into a stocking. Peace is possible, and it’s proactive. Matthew recorded Jesus’ words:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
Reconciliation lies in the hands of the Lord. The heart is His territory, and unfortunately we can’t get inside even our own soul to unravel the mess of conflict and misunderstanding, worry and anger, which often result in a loss of peace. But Peace doesn’t go anywhere. In Christ, we possess peace permanently. Often, we forget how much work it takes to re-establish its countenance in the midst of a mess. The NLT translation reads:
“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
Peacemakers make peace. It requires effort. Those who work for peace are doing something proactive to reach the goal. Work is “exertion of effort directed to procure or accomplish something; labor; toil.” We have a role in the presence of peace in our relationships. Restoration of peace takes hard work. Peacemakers, those who work for peace, are the people who refuse to give up on their people.
When we have a heart right with God, I believe He blesses our efforts to establish peace, and moves in situations miraculously to reconcile people. God has already given us the gift of Peace, through Christ. He intends for us to do life together, and our enemy would love nothing more than to divide, isolate, and lie to all of us. Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand” (Philippians 4:6-7a).
Paul gives us a simple, four-step process back to peace:
1. Don’t worry.
2. Pray about everything.
3. Tell God what you need.
4. Thank Him for all He has done.
If we can catch ourselves quickly enough, I believe the restoration of peace can be quick and partially painless. As we grow in our faith and are attentive and obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading in sketch situations, sometimes conflicts can be completely avoided. But, we often don’t go through these steps. Instead, we blame, seek justice, and let our anger back-build in silence. “True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or good feelings,” The Life Application Bible explains. “It comes from trusting God to work everything out in a way that is best for you as you fulfill your role in God’s work in the world.” In other words, put down all reactions and pick up the four steps Paul outlined for the Philippians. When we do:
“His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7b).
Extend the gift of peace this Christmas by allowing the Peace which resides in us from the moment we believe in Christ to have the power to transform our lives. It’s possible to let offenses go, forgive without receiving an apology, and put our hope for impossible reconciliation in the hands of our God, who is famous for doing impossible things. He promises:
“If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is” (2 Timothy 2:13).
Jesus healed the soldier’s ear immediately. Peace is who He is. His Peace resides in us, through the Holy Spirit. We will be amazed at the miraculous healing of peace which surrounds our lives, if we will believe Him, listen to what He says, and allow Him to work through us in miraculous ways.
“God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
This Christmas, I believe the Lord is calling for many of us to give the gift of peace. Lay down offenses, rescind the search for justice, let go of the desire for apologies, and instead offer the gift of peace through kindness. It’s a radical way of thinking, and by no means cause to allow abuse of any kind. But for many of us, in our everyday lives, we could experience miraculous reconciliation, if only we would lay down our desires in exchange for God’s will for our lives.
“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Extend the gift of peace this Christmas, by allowing Peace to work miracles in and through you.
Additional Resource
Life Application Study Bible. Tyndale House Publishers. Copyright 2013.
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Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Rekeisha Dunlap
