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Last Saturday we saw that the difference between the world's definition of peace and the way God defines peace: While the world's peace is temporary, achieved by removing the symptoms of strife, we see that Jesus' Peace is a permanent tranquility, a state of mind that can be ours even amidst problems. It is achieved by resolving the root of the problems, sin itself, and it is a gift, a gift to you and to me, one vital aspect of Jesus' greatest gift of all, the gift of leaving heaven to come to this earth as a tiny baby, that greatest birthday ever, the one we celebrate this season. This is Jesus Peace, the Peace of the Christ Child, the Peace that Jesus came to this earth as a tiny baby to give us.
And this is also the peace that we are admonished to delight ourselves in: "But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Ps. 37:11 NKJV); it is the peace that Jesus leaves us: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you..." (John 14:27a NKJV), so that we can truly, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27c NKJV).
But wait. We would all love to follow that admonition. We would love for our hearts to never be troubled, for us to live lives where we are never afraid. We would love to delight ourselves in the abundance of peace. But what do we do when the peace always seems to elude us?
Let's take a look at what the Bible has to tell us:
"ForChrist himself has brought peace to us..." (Eph. 2:14 NLT)
This means that the peace we seek comes...from the Christ Child Himself!
Do you know Him as your Lord and Saviour?
If not, that could be a prime reason why you don't feel at peace this Christmas.... Or any time of the year, for that matter! If we want His peace, then we must first allow Him to be the Lord and Saviour of our lives.
As an example to help us understand this concept, let's say I run a homeless shelter that supplies beds and hot meals in the heart of the homeless territory of my city. Yet, every night, there are hungry and cold people huddling against buildings up and down the road. I would love to help them, but I cannot give them that warm bed and hot meal if they won't come in. It's the same with Jesus' peace. It is ours for the taking, but we must "come in".
The reason for this is that peace is a fruit of a union with Christ Jesus. It is something that comes to us when we receive the Holy Spirit: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace..." (Gal. 5:22a NLT). Peace is, then, a product of having God's Spirit residing in us, which we actually receive the moment we are saved: "And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy spirit, whom he promised long ago." (Eph. 1:13b NLT).
Thus, the prerequisite for having Jesus' peace is that we must first accept His gift of Salvation!
Is this where you find yourself? Have you never given your heart to Jesus? If that is you, then the bad news is, the peace you seek will continue to elude you. There is a way, however. The prerequisite for receiving His peace is to first accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you have never experienced Salvation, we invite you to do so today by clicking here. Once you've given your heart to Jesus, we are counted as righteous. Your sins are forgiven, and God's peace becomes available to us for the asking. We must simply choose to access it!
Some of you may be wondering if you deserve Jesus' gift of Salvation, His gift of peace. Let's look at Revelation 22: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' Let anyone who hears this say, 'Come.' Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life." (Revelation 22:17 NLT). Notice that the verse doesn't specify a select group of people. Rather, it says—four times!—anyone!
Friends, there is no sin so great, absolutely nothing that can keep you from Jesus' great gift.... Except, our choice to not do so! Once again, if you have never given your heart to Jesus, we invite you to click here now!
For those who have just given their hearts to Jesus, you will experience that initial peace that comes from having your consciences wiped clean of sin. Once you fully realize that you will no longer be charged with the crimes your sinful self has committed, you have peace. Not as the world gives peace, but Jesus' peace, that permanent tranquility, that state of mind, achieved by Jesus resolving the root of the problem, sin itself. And this peace is a gift to you and to me, one vital aspect of Jesus' greatest gift of all, the gift of leaving heaven to come to this earth as a tiny baby, that greatest birthday ever, the one we celebrate this season.
But, you say, I gave my heart to Jesus years ago. I know He has covered my sin. I have that peace that I am saved, that I do not have to pay for my sin. But my life still doesn't seem very peaceful in any other way! Where is that perfect peace that is mine, a fruit of God's Spirit in me?
Join us on Thursday for some clues on how to access that peace: "Accessing Peace… JESUS PEACE: Experiencing the Peace of the Christ Child…ALL Year Long! Part 3"
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, andScriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, withAnswers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
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