April 27, 2023 Being Peaceful
1 Corinthians 14:33 says “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints>”
Philippians 4:7 says “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus>”
Colossians 3:15 says “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
These verses, among a myriad of others, encourage us to seek the peace of God. True peace can come only from God and He has encouraged us to go to His Word to see the greatness of that. The peace of God is a spiritual matter and it’s available for people who truly want to seek the things of God. As we look around us, we can see the various ways in which people seek peace: whether it be all the religious methods, chemicals, trying to find the inner self and on and on. When you go that route, you are depending upon other men to replace the peace that comes from God with their own ideas on what peace should be. And that won’t work!
John 16:33 says “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
As of Genesis 3:5,6, it was no longer available to have peace in the world. The Devil became in charge at that point, and ever since that moment, he has been making sure that the world is as unpeaceful as possible. Jesus Christ said what he said to give the people he was speaking to hope. People throughout the ages, for the most part, want peace in their lives and quite often work very hard to bring peace into their lives. There is a captive audience for peace, but no real solution, outside of God’s Word for finding it.
When I was growing up I thought that if my mind was happy, I’d be peaceful and that’s certainly part of it. But if my mind wasn’t happy I had no definitive way to bring it back in. My parents didn’t know and neither did the adults around me. In the late 60’s and early 70s there were large peace movements that were among young people in various places but they were more for just hanging out and blowing off energy. It wasn’t until I was introduced to the scriptures when I was in my twenties that I learned that true peace is a spiritual matter and that you can only get it from God and His Word.
John 14:27 says, “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.”
This is a very wonderful truth. You don’t need artifacts and chemicals to bring peace into your life. Of course, you’re going to be challenged by your friends to try what they’re trying, which according to them might seem to work at the moment. If it’s outside of the Scriptures, it’s only temporary. What you need is the spirit of God in you to will and do of His good pleasure. Each morning when I pray, I thank God for a healthy body and a sound mind and for a safe and productive day. I endeavor to not let things stress me and I stay pretty peaceful as I keep that in mind. Sure, there are things that are going to come up: that’s just the way it is. However, we see in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
If you can discipline your mind to practice the presence of God, that will keep you peaceful. The fact is you can discipline your mind, as in anything else that you enjoy. God designed our minds to hold His Word. The world doesn’t understand that and never will; Therefore it can get really chaotic out there with what people allow into their brains. It won’t get any better until the return of Christ, so we owe it to God and to ourselves to practice that presence of God which will bring us God’s true peace.
Once again, Isaiah 26:3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
Recalling John 16:33, “…that in me ye might have peace.” It’s very simple when we allow God to do His thing. We already know that in the world we’ll have tribulation and we don’t want that. Nobody wants tribulation, but you have to follow God’s rules if you want true peace and comfort in your lives. I like being peaceful. It takes work but it’s worth it!
Thanks for reading. See you soon. Respectfully submitted. Will Grove