“Grace and peace to you from God our [the] Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2, 6:23; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 3; 2 John 3)
Most people want to give you a piece of their mind, to tell you their opinions and perspectives.
But God wants to give you peace of mind.
Greek: εἰρήνη – eirḗnē (i-ray’-nay).
Oneness with Him and His purpose.
A prosperity of faith in His presence and provision.
Quietness (surety) of mind and spirit.
Rest for your worn out and weary soul.
He wants you to be in tune with Him …
So you will be open to His plans and accepting of His purposes.
So when adversity comes you will (easily) set yourself up to give grace and consider God.
So He has full access to your heart (intentions), mind (thoughts), and mouth (words).
He wants you to experience “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) that only comes from full faith and total trust in Him.
Peace that helps us heal our hurts and “be whole” (Mark 5:34 KJV) in body, mind, and spirit.
Peace from Jesus – “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27, 2 Thessalonians 3:16) – that quiets a fearful heart and settles an anxious mind.
Peace that allows us to “be of good cheer” (John 16:33) and stand believing when circumstances are hard or unfair.
Peace available “to every man” (Romans 2:10 KJV) who engages with God and believes in and promotes His goodness.
Peace that reminds us we are being “justified by faith … through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1) so there is always grace when we go our own way or get it wrong.
Peace that comes when we work on becoming “spiritually minded” (Romans 8:6) by choosing to spend quality time with God to know Him better.
Peace that reminds us of God’s goodness and “brings glad tidings of good things” (Romans 10:15) He has waiting for us.
Peace that encourages us to “abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13) when things look, feel, and seem hopeless.
Peace that reminds us that God is in control of all things and therefore has a plan to “crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). So, we don’t have to strive to help Him work it out.
Peace that encourages us to look beyond the distraction of “confusion [disorder]” (1 Corinthians 14:33) to seek the wisdom of God and see the love of God.
Peace the promotes “good comfort” (2 Corinthians 13:11) – unity with and encouragement of – our fellow man, no matter how difficult and stubborn they are.
Peace that eradicates our excuses and destroys our doubts through a Savior who gave Himself to make us a “new man” of faith (Ephesians 2:14-17).
Peace that keeps us on God’s path, pursuing God’s purposes, by remembering “the things which you learned and received and heard and saw” (Philippians 4:9) – and doing these right things, even if they are hard or will garner us no human praise.
Peace that we choose to embrace in a spirit of thankfulness (Colossians 3:15).
Peace that we can experience “at all times and in every way” (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV) when we are willing to sacrifice and pay the costs to have it.
Peace that flows abundantly “out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22) that holds tightly to faith in the one true God.
Peace that pursues God’s best – and produces “the fruit of righteousness” (James 3:18) – in our walk and our talk (our influence in and witness to the world).
Peace that comes through “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2).
So …
Are you living in God’s peace?
Are you living by God’s peace?
Are you living for God’s peace?
Or are you CHOOSING to give your peace away?
To people pleasing.
To fear.
To shame.
To control.
To pain.
To anger.
To disappointment.
To judgment.
To bullying.
If you are giving away your peace, today is the day you can start fresh.
To lay down everything you have been carrying.
And to pursue (reach for) and embrace God’s peace.
“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify [build up] another” (Romans 14:19).
He has peace to help you.
To heal.
To forgive.
To let go.
To believe.
To trust.
To move on.
To be kind.
Will you allow yourself to experience His peace?
The “God of Peace” (Romans 15:33, 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20) is waiting for you to receive the peace He has waiting.
When you embrace it and allow it to fill up your heart, I promise it WILL change your life.
BONUS: Here is a printable prayer “quilt” you can print out and pray through to help you develop peace. Eirḗnē Everyday – Peace patchwork
Marie Fremin. 1/3/20, 1/6/20.
Marie's Hope 