THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I grew up in a time when “peace” was a popular slogan, but it was also an excuse for a way of life that was often anything but peaceful. It’s hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t want peace, but the daily news feeds make us painfully aware that peace is severely lacking: wars and skirmishes around the world; riots on college campuses; and political unrest in our communities. We long for authentic peace.
Peace is not simply something needed “out there.” We need peace in our churches, our homes, and our own hearts. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could live with an absence of conflict in our lives, a time with no squabbling or obstacles? Even when we experience moments of “peace and quiet,” they are often short-lived.
Peace is possible, and it is a peace that is far more than just an absence of conflict. The Old Testament judge Gideon lived in a time of conflict, but he discovered a peace in the midst of his circumstances. He discovered he could trust God to give peace because He is our Peace.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Judges 6:11-13
11 The angel of the Lord came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” 13 Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt? ’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
It’s one thing to be in the same room with people, but it’s quite another for the people in that room to enjoy peace and unity. That was the case with the tribes of Israel. In the Book of Judges, the Israelites had entered the promised land, and the land had been divided among the tribes of Israel. But even though Israel occupied the land, no longer were the people united in heart and mind. They had lost the sense of being a unique people; they had compromised God’s standards. The closing verse of the Book of Judges well summarizes this period: “Everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (21:25).
The Book of Judges is marked by a cyclical pattern: sin and rebellion, followed by punishment, then followed by a season of repentance and deliverance. The deliverer was usually an anointed “judge”—a leader provided by the sovereign hand of God. The judge would bring deliverance and spiritual renewal would come to the people for a season. Then the cycle of sin and punishment would be repeated. Ultimately, Israel lost the fruit of their land and labor.
Here the Israelites were again in the sinful phase of this cycle, so God disciplined them by allowing the Midianites to oppress them. The Israelites called out to God in their despair and the Lord sent a prophet.
Where do you see people questioning God’s goodness and presence today?
God in His mercy was prepared to send a deliverer. Without fanfare, we are told that the angel of the LORD sat under an oak tree as Gideon was beating out wheat in his winepress. This surely was an odd place to thresh wheat, but Gideon was hoping to hide from the Midianites. It seems even stranger that the angel called Gideon a “valiant warrior.” After all, he was at that moment in a wine vat hiding from the enemy.
Gideon was focused on the difficult circumstances. He called into question the presence and power of God and asked why so many bad things were happening to Israel. His thinking was simple. If God was with them, the Midianites would not be pillaging their fields. The people of Israel would not be living like animals. He was correct in thinking God’s people should not be living in defeat, but he was wrong to conclude their situation was due to the Lord’s weakness.
Gideon’s second question was similar to the first: “And where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about?” The Israelites frequently rehearsed the story of God’s redemption and provision. They knew God had delivered Israel from bondage and miraculously saved them at the Red Sea and throughout the wilderness experience.
Like Gideon, when we focus on our circumstances we can’t properly see God’s hand at work. The result is a lack of peace and contentment.
Judges 6:14-16
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!” 15 He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.” 16 “But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”
The Lord didn’t directly answer Gideon’s question or respond to his accusation that He had abandoned them. Instead, He gave Gideon a commission to “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!”
But instead of responding in humble gratitude for the privilege God had given him, Gideon attempted a second strategic end run. This time he questioned his own ability. These responses sound much more pious and humble. “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.” While his protest may sound humble, it was simply an excuse and an affront to God. Gideon focused on his perceived shortcomings, but God had created Gideon and had specifically chosen him for this task.
God’s response to Gideon was firm but reassuring. “But I will be with you.” When God calls us to a task, He assures us of His presence and His power to enable us to accomplish our assigned mission. God accompanies us as we follow Him. This has been God’s pattern and plan throughout time. The Great Commission is accompanied by the promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
Gideon asked for a sign. He brought an offering and the angel touched it with the staff in his hand. As a result, fire sprang forth from the rock, consuming the offering. (See Judg. 6:17-21.) No doubt, the consuming fire leaping from a rock was a great clue for Gideon that he had received a message from God.
How do we recognize when God
is calling us to a task?
Judges 6:22-24
22 When Gideon realized that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today.
In the Old Testament, “the angel of the LORD” often referred to the presence of God Himself. So when the angel of the LORD disappeared right after causing Gideon’s offering to be miraculously consumed by fire (see vv. 17-21), Gideon realized he had been in the presence of the LORD. His response was one of holy fear.
In that moment, Gideon realized he was in God’s favor. Trouble was all around because of the Midianites, but God was with him— and that was all the assurance and peace he needed. In grateful response, Gideon built an altar and named it “The LORD Is Peace”— Jehovah Shalom.
The Hebrew word shalom is usually translated in English as “peace.” Shalom is one of the most significant terms in the Old Testament. The fundamental idea conveyed by the word shalom is wholeness in one’s relationship with God. It defines a harmony in the relationship based on completing a transaction. In our relationship with God it means a sense of contentment, freedom from guilt, and satisfaction with life itself. Of course, this does require that we must have a pure heart before God and live in obedience to His Word and His plan.
We might wonder how we, with our human failings, can ever be at peace with a holy God. We can only answer that question by understanding the full significance of the name Jehovah Shalom. The prophet Isaiah wrote that a child would be born who would be called Prince of Peace. (See Isaiah 9:6.) The Prince of Peace died to reconcile sinful individuals to our holy God. Jesus is our peace; He tore down the wall that separates us from God and from others. (See Eph. 2:14.) Jesus is Jehovah Shalom!
How has God used our group
to help you find peace in life?
How can our actions and attitudes
demonstrate that we serve
the God who is our peace?
LIVE IT OUT
God’s peace allows us to rise above our circumstances. How will you display that truth this week? Choose one of the following suggestions.
- Receive Jesus as your Prince of Peace. If you have never experienced God’s peace, admit your sin, turn from it, and turn to Jesus by faith. Then you will live in peace with God.
- Enjoy true shalom in your relationship with God. If you have received Christ as Savior but are not experiencing wholeness, you may be stuck in a cycle of sin. Ask God to show you any areas of spiritual neglect and disobedience. Confess them, turn from them, and turn back to Him.
- Live at peace with others. Jesus our Peace has broken down all dividing walls. Is there a broken relationship in your life that needs to be made whole? Go to that person in the power of Christ and seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
The world rightly lifts up peace as a virtue. But the peace that comes from Jehovah Shalom, God Our Peace, is a peace that truly passes all human understanding.
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Teacher Notes
Click Here to Watch
Ever had one of those
days you just wanted to drop everything, cash it all in, and sail away?
Nikki Walsh, Tanner Broadwell, and their dog,
Remy.
We all have, but one
couple did something about it. Nikki Walsh and Tanner Broadwell were tired of
the hassle of working (at the ripe old ages of 24 and 26), so they sold
everything they had, bought a 49-year-old boat, dropped $5000 into fixing up
the boat, and set sail … without any sailing experience and … without
insurance.
On February 7, less than
two days into their get-away-from-it-all adventure, the boat capsized. They
traveled a whole 30 miles. All they could save were themselves, their dog, a
few papers, some food, and the all-important toys for the dog. “Everything I’ve
worked for, everything I’ve owned since I was a child, I brought with me. It’s
just floating away and there’s nothing I can do.” —Nikki Walsh
It’s not over. They had
to cough up $6700 to have the sunken boat removed from the Gulf of Mexico. Their
search for peace by getting away from it all may have seemed romantic, but it
was never a wise plan. Did they learn anything? I don’t think so. Their
solution was not to get work and rebuild their lives but to start a GoFundMe
account and ask other people for money. (To date, they’ve raised over $16,000!)
What is it? Why do we search for it? Where do we search for it? Why do we look out there for something we need in here?
PEACE
Peace doesn’t come by
getting away from it all or trying to remove all the stress points in life.
Even if you remove today’s stress points, new ones will pop up tomorrow. Just
ask the proud owners of a sunken sailboat.
The Hebrew language
gives us a much deeper—and richer—idea of peace. Peace, or shalom as they would say, refers to completeness, wholeness,
well-being, and even health. When you experience shalom, you are at ease and
comfortable with … well, everything—even the hassles and conflict that can
erupt around us. Peace, then, doesn’t come from our outward circumstances; it
comes from within us—but it’s not something we can manufacture or place in
ourselves. There’s only one source for this peace, this wholeness.
Gideon was an Israelite
who lived during a period that was far from rosy for the Israelites. The
Midianites had rolled into town and oppressed the Israelites for seven years.
Not exactly a peaceful time. But the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and
made two powerful statements:
“The Lord is with you,
mighty warrior” (Judg. 6:12).
“Go in the strength you
have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” (v. 14).
At the conclusion of
this divine encounter, “Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it
The Lord Is Peace” (v. 24). That is significant to me. Gideon’s circumstances
had not changed. He was still living in an oppressed environment. So, what
changed?
Judges 6:11-13
11 The angel of the Lord came, and he sat under the oak that was
in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing
wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Then the
angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “The Lord is with you, valiant
warrior.” 13 Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why
has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our fathers told us
about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt? ’ But now the Lord
has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
1.
Peace eludes us when we look at our circumstances.
Retreating from that which threatens or oppresses us is an option
but not one that brings a lasting solution. The Lord does not forsake us even
when we are facing serious threats. We can become strong when we believe the
Lord is present with us. Difficulty and oppression are not signs the Lord is
inactive or has forsaken us. We are not to blame God when things go wrong but
look to Him for help. The Lord is at work around us in ways we may not
immediately see.
The Book of Judges is
marked by a cyclical pattern: sin and rebellion, followed by punishment, then
followed by a season of repentance and deliverance. The deliverer was usually
an anointed “judge”—a leader provided by the sovereign hand of God. The judge
would bring deliverance and spiritual renewal would come to the people for a
season. Then the cycle of sin and punishment would be repeated. Ultimately,
Israel lost the fruit of their land and labor. Here the Israelites were again
in the sinful phase of this cycle, so God disciplined them by allowing the
Midianites to oppress them. The Israelites called out to God in their despair
and the Lord sent a prophet.
Gideon was focused on
the difficult circumstances. He called into question the presence and power of
God and asked why so many bad things were happening to Israel. His thinking was
simple. If God was with them, the Midianites would not be pillaging their
fields. The people of Israel would not be living like animals. He was correct
in thinking God’s people should not be living in defeat, but he was wrong to
conclude their situation was due to the Lord’s weakness.
Gideon’s second question
was similar to the first: “And where are all his wonders that our fathers told
us about?” The Israelites frequently rehearsed the story of God’s redemption
and provision. They knew God had delivered Israel from bondage and miraculously
saved them at the Red Sea and throughout the wilderness experience.
Like Gideon, when we
focus on our circumstances we can’t properly see God’s hand at work. The result
is a lack of peace and contentment.
Judges 6:14-16
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have
and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!” 15 He said to
him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in
Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.” 16 “But I will be with
you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one
man.”
2.
Peace eludes us when we look at our shortcomings.
The Lord calls out whom
He will to serve Him. The Lord’s plan to act in the best interest of others may
include His call to us to participate in what He is doing. Those whom He calls
He equips and strengthens for the work. Our reasons for resisting the call, no
matter how earnest they may be, are insufficient and inadequate in light of
God’s promise to be present with us. Victory comes when we act in faith in the
Lord.
The Lord didn’t directly
answer Gideon’s question or respond to his accusation that He had abandoned
them. Instead, He gave Gideon a commission to “Go in the strength you have and
deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!”
But instead of
responding in humble gratitude for the privilege God had given him, Gideon
attempted a second strategic end run. This time he questioned his own ability.
God’s response to Gideon was firm but reassuring. “But I will be with you.”
When God calls us to a task, He assures us of His presence and His power to
enable us to accomplish our assigned mission. God accompanies us as we follow
Him. This has been God’s pattern and plan throughout time. The Great Commission
is accompanied by the promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age”
(Matt. 28:20).
Gideon asked for a sign.
He brought an offering and the angel touched it with the staff in his hand. As
a result, fire sprang forth from the rock, consuming the offering. (See Judg.
6:17-21.) No doubt, the consuming fire leaping from a rock was a great clue for
Gideon that he had received a message from God.
Judges 6:22-24
22 When Gideon realized
that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the
angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you.
Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord
there and called it The Lord Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites
today.
3.
Peace comes when we look at God.
We ought to have a holy
fear when we realize we are in the presence of the holy, almighty Lord God. By
His grace, the Lord comes to make us whole and give us life. Whenever we meet
the Lord, that time and place can be an occasion for worship. Complete and
eternal peace is possible through Jesus Christ, who gives us peace because He
is our peace.
In that moment, Gideon
realized he was in God’s favor. Trouble was all around because of the
Midianites, but God was with him— and that was all the assurance and peace he
needed. In grateful response, Gideon built an altar and named it “The LORD Is
Peace”— Jehovah Shalom.
Gideon’s circumstances
had not changed. He was still living in an oppressed environment. So, what
changed?
Gideon had peace because
of the presence of God. He trusted the Lord. The One who was greater than his
circumstances was with him.
Our level of peace is
not determined by our circumstances. Our peace is determined by the presence of
God in our lives and our trust in Him. Our prayers are a reflection of our
trust and dependence on Him. And when we trust Him, peace envelopes us.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).
Isn’t that better than a
sailboat?
Without question,
virtually every person longs for peace: peace of mind, spiritual peace, world
peace, and peace in our homes, communities, and churches. The challenge is how
to obtain it; where do we go to find it? Often we turn to things, believing the
more we have, the more at peace we will be, only to discover that we worry
about keeping those things secure. We may choose meditation, convinced that
peaceful living is a matter of the mind. Others look to educate themselves,
thinking that if we are better informed, more aware, that we will be able to
live with others in peace. No matter what we try, nothing works. That is not to
say that these things are inherently bad; they can be good and work for good.
They have a place in making our world a better place, but they will not bring
about true peace. True peace, in the fullest sense of the word is not something
we create. It is a gift from God made possible through being in right
relationship with Him. It becomes available to us through Jesus Christ. In Him,
even if we face challenges and difficulties, we can live in peace that
surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7).
Making Peace with God
A retired couple was
alarmed by the threat of nuclear war so they undertook a serious study of all
the inhabited places on the globe. Their goal was to determine where in the
world would be the place to be least likely affected by a nuclear war. A place of
ultimate security. They studied and traveled, travel and studied. Finally they
found the place. And on Christmas, 1981, they sent their pastor a card from
their new home - in the Falkland Islands. However, their "paradise"
was soon turned into a war zone by Great Britain and Argentina in April, 1982.
Everyone wants peace.
Whether you're a national leader sitting across a table from other world
leaders, or a businessman facing the pressures and deadlines at the office, a
homemaker trying to corral the kids, or a student just trying to make it
through the semester, everyone wants peace. And most people will go to whatever
limits to find peace. But most of us, if we're honest with ourselves, have to
admit that we experience more stress than peace.
Wouldn't you agree that
there is nothing that people talk more about and experience less than peace?
Our day is like Jeremiah's, in that people cry "Peace, peace, when there
is no peace" (Jer. 6:14). Americans live in comfortable homes, but
domestic violence is at an all-time high. Our cities are the most modern in the
world, yet the streets are unsafe. Our communication technology is unsurpassed,
but there has never been more misunderstanding. In fact, people come to church
so filled with anxiety that is almost impossible for sermons to put them to
sleep.
Where can we go for
peace? Where on this earth can we discover lasting and fulfilling peace? For
many the destination for finding peace may seem preposterous. The place of
peace is actually a person of peace. The only lasting source of peace is God
himself.
I. Where can we go for
peace?
The Bible talks about
two kinds of peace related to God. These two avenues are the beginning of
lasting peace for your life.
A. Spiritual peace is
peace with God
"Therefore, since we
have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). That's the foundation, the bottom line. We've
got to have peace with God before we can have any other kind of peace.
A man visited his doctor
for an examination. The physician asked, "Now, what seems to be the
trouble?"
The patient answered:
"Doc, I've got troubles everywhere I look. I've got troubles in my
business; troubles at home; troubles everywhere - and I'm just plain run
down!"
When the examination was
finished, the physician said to the patient, "You're not run-down. Just
the opposite - you're wound up!"
The man responded,
"Well, Doc, give me something to slow me down then."
"What do you
want?" asked the doctor.
"Give me a
tranquilizer or something."
"Very well,"
responded the doctor as he sat down and began writing a prescription.
The man took the
prescription and stuck it in his pocket without looking at it. He rushed off to
the neighborhood drugstore to get the prescription filled. The pharmacist
looked at the prescription and said to the man, "I'm sorry, but I can't
fill the prescription!"
"What do you mean,
you can't fill the prescription!" retorted the man. "This is a
drugstore, isn't it? You are a pharmacist, aren't you? That's a doctor's
prescription, so why can't you fill it?"
The pharmacist answered,
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't stock this in our store. If you want this
prescription filled, go home and get your Bible."
The man looked at the
prescription for the first time and read: "Take three doses of Romans 5:1
every day." He went home and looked up the verse in his Bible. It read:
"Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
Immediately, the man
called the doctor and asked, "What do you mean by this prescription?"
The physician answered. "Your trouble is spiritual, not physical. What you
need is peace. I can't give it to you; the pharmacist can't give it to you;
only God can give you peace."
The fact remains that
before you can experience personal peace you must receive the Prince of Peace
in your life. How can you do this? Simple. Admit to God that you are a sinner
and your sins separate you from God. Believe that Jesus Christ id God's Son and
accept God's gift of forgiveness from sin. Confess your faith in Jesus Christ
as Savior and Lord.
B. Emotional peace is
the peace of God
We must have peace with
God before we can experience the peace of God - emotional peace. This is what
most people think of when they think of the word peace - an internal sense of
well-being and order. The Scriptures say, ". . . since God is not a God of
disorder but of peace" (1 Cor. 14:33).
Everyone who knows the
Lord Jesus Christ can go through any problem, and face death, and still have
the peace of God in his heart. When your spouse dies, or your children get
sick, or you lose your job, you can have a peace that you don't understand.
This peace is not the absence of conflict, but an ability to cope with the conflicts
and frustrations of life. Even in the midst of difficulties God's peace will be
present.
A psychiatrist was
quoted in the newspaper as saying that he could not improve upon the Apostle
Paul's prescription for human worry. Paul wrote, "Don't worry about
anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every
thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil.
4:6-7). How many times do you fret and turn, looking for a little peace? God's
peace can be in your heart--right now.
"And let the peace
of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts.
Be thankful" (Col. 3:15). The Greek word translated control or rule is
used only this one time in the Bible and it means "to umpire." This
verse says we should let the peace of God be the umpire in our lives. What does
an umpire do? He keeps the peace. He makes sure the game is played in a smooth
and orderly fashion. God wants to give you an internal umpire who will keep you
at peace even when everything seems chaotic.
Peace with God speaks of
God's Saviorhood, the peace of God speaks of his Lordship. If we truly want to
live a life of peace and experience the peace of God continually we must allow
Christ to rule and control our lives.
II. How do we maintain
peace?
The Bible says, "So
then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another"
(Rom. 14:19). So what must we do?
A. If we want peace, we must
obey God's Word
As simple as what it may
sound, we need to just do what the Bible says. "Abundant peace belongs to
those who love Your instruction; nothing makes them stumble. . . . I obey Your
decrees and love them greatly" (Ps. 119:165, 167). God says peace comes
when we live in harmony with him - when we do what he tells us to do.
In your car is an
owner's manual. The owner's manual tells you that if you do certain things at
certain times, you'll get more mileage out of the car.
God's Word is your
owner's manual for life. It contains principles for health, finance, marriage,
relationships, business, and much more. If you don't obey the principles as
they relate to the various areas of your life you won't experience peace. Just
as a car runs more smoothly when you operate it according to its design, your
life will run more smoothly if you live it according to God's design as
presented in his Word.
B. If we want peace, we
must focus on God's presence
We must realize that God
is always with us, and we must learn to sense his presence. We are reminded by
Isaiah to fix our gaze on God, " You will keep in perfect peace the mind
[that is] dependent [on You], for it is trusting in You " (Isa. 26:3). We
have a choice of either focusing on our problems of focusing on God, who holds
the solution. If you look at the world, you'll be distressed; if you look
within, you'll be depressed; but it you look at Christ, you'll be at rest. It's
what you concentrate on that determines your level of personal peace.
C. If we want God's
peace, we must trust God's purpose
Even when things don't
make sense, we must trust God's purpose. "Trust in the LORD with all your
heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your
ways, and He will guide you on the right paths" (Prov. 3:5-6). Have you
noticed that a lot of things in life don't make sense? And do you feel that a
lot of things in life are beyond your control? What do you do in such
situations? You trust! That's really all you can do. Don't try to figure life
out yourself. We do that all the time, don't we? We waste a lot of time and
energy trying to figure things out. God urges us to just trust him.
People have told me on
more than a few occasions that when they finally stopped trying to figure out why
God allowed something to happen and just started trusting him, and then the
peace came. We need to face the fact that not all of our questions are going to
be answered in this lifetime.
D. If we want God's
peace, we need to ask for it
Again, Paul tells us,
"Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and
petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). Notice the order - first prayer and
then peace. There's a cause and effect relationship here. Prayer is the cause;
peace is the effect.
If you're not praying,
you're likely to be worrying. And worry is such a useless emotion, such a
waste. Worry is the opposite of peace; they cannot coexist.
What do you need to ask
of God now? Do you need to ask him to come into your life so that you may
experience peace with God? Do you need to ask him to control your life so that
you can experience the peace of God?
You will not experience
true or lasting peace until Jesus Christ is in charge of your life. Peace,
remember, is not a trouble-free life; it's a sense of calm in the midst of
life's storms.
What is robbing you of
peace today? Is it guilt? Turn to God for forgiveness? Is it worry? A job
change? Finances? Major surgery? A difficult person? You can talk to Christ
about all of these things and anything else that is bothering you.
The God of all peace
wants to give you peace and he is here now ready to make that gift to you. Will
you accept it?
Hope to see you on Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
