dailywordofdestiny

“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it: for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:11; Psalm 34:11-14).

PEACE: “a voluntary refusal or indisposition to speak; to be calm”

Peace is more than the absence of conflict; it suggests completeness, health, justice, prosperity, and protection. The world cannot provide this peace because peacemaking is not always popular. Some prefer to fight for what they believe in and the glory of battle is in the hope that you or your group will win, but in this scenario someone has to be a loser. The glory of peacemaking is that it may actually produce only winners and PEACEMAKING IS GOD’S WAY (Psalm 34:14; 120:7; Proverbs 20:3; 1Timothy 6:1). Those who have Christ as Lord in their lives see persecution, wars, natural disasters upon us and around us yet, at the same time, we can experience the JOY OF KNOWING that the Messiah’s return is near. We look forward to His reign of justice and perfect peace (Isaiah 2:1-4; Micah 4:3; Luke 21:28)! When we received God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ; it brought peace into our hearts and minds through FAITH (1Corinthians 1:3; Philippians 4:7) for Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

The peace God gives is different than the world’s peace (John 14:27); it cannot be found through positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from KNOWING GOD IS IN CONTROL and that our true citizenship and eternal destiny is set, oh hallelujah!

I love the LORD with all my heart and yet there are many times that my feelings of peace fly away in the face of certain day-to-day situations. How do I maintain my peace in the midst of storms about me? God’s Word has the answers for any and all of our questions and in Colossians 3:15,16 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful,Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” If I am anxious about something and it causes emotional upheaval or unrest, I KNOW it is because I have taken my eyes off Christ. I have allowed my mind to think on something that the enemy is using in an effort to destroy me.  God’s word tells us that “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, we are to think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, PUT IT INTO PRACTICE (obedience). And the God of peace WILL be with you” (Philippians 4: 8,9).

I CHOOSE what I think about and what I allow my mind to dwell on. I CHOOSE how I REACT to my thought life. I CHOOSE whether or not I meditate on God’s word and put it into daily practice!

Christians are called to live in peace. We should work together by making a conscious decision to see the others’ needs as more important than our own (1 Corinthians 13) and by seeing differences of opinion as opportunities to become more Christ-like in attitudes, words, and actions (Mark 12: 29-31). Peacemakers build good relationships because peace is a byproduct of commitment!

Peacemakers anticipate problems and deal with them before they occur. When conflict does arise, the peacemaker will bring it into the open and deal with it before it grows into something unmanageable. Making peace is often harder than waging war (think about your own life and relationship issues), but it results NOT in death but in life, hope, and happiness (1 Peter 3: 8-12). When Christ rules our thoughts and emotions we cannot be shaken by anything our enemies may do!

“You will know them by their fruit” (Matthew 11: 17-20). This is such an awesome truth. It is Holy Spirit who produces the GOOD FRUIT in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit are the character traits of Christ; they will be brought forth in our lives as the by-products of Christ’s control in our lives. Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. Then the Father WILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK IN MY NAME. This is My command: ‘Love each other’ ” (John 15:16,17). James 3:13-18 addresses genuine wisdom, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you WILL FIND DISORDER and every evil practice. But, the wisdom that comes from heaven is FIRST OF ALL PURE; THEN PEACE-LOVING, CONSIDERATE, SUBMISSIVE, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUIT, IMPARTIAL AND SINCERE. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5: 9).

As I close, this song to comes to mind and I pray that the words will bring blessing and comfort to you this very hour:
“Wonderful Peace” Words by W. D. Cornwell. Music by W. G. Cooper – recorded in 1933.

1) Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight // Rolls a melody sweeter than Psalm // In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls // O’er my soul like an infinite calm.

2) What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace // Buried deep in the heart of my soul // So secure that no power can mine it away // While the years of eternity roll.

3) I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace // Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control // For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day // And His glory is flooding my soul.

4) And me thinks that I rise to that city of peace // Where the Author of Peace I shall see // That one strain of the song that the ransomed will sing // In that heavenly kingdom shall be.

5) Ah! Soul, are you here without comfort and rest // Marching down the rough pathway of time // Make JESUS your friend, ere the shadows grow dark // And accept this sweet peace so sublime.

CHORUS Peace, peace! Wonderful peace // Coming down from the Father above. // Sweep over my spirit forever I pray // In fathomless billows of love.

The LORD would say unto you:
“My child, I feel your weariness. Let My peace flow over you like a river. When My body grew weary, just like yours will, I withdrew from the crowds to commune with My Father. So must you. Let neither care nor worry, or lack of love block the channel between us. Even when you are hurt most by the one you love; leave it to Me to deal with their heart, temptations, and with your own suspicions. Rest your mind; a tired mind will wander and be distracted from Me. I will comfort and sustain you in the midst of threats. Doubt not. Worry not. Simply trust and obey. Walk in My peace, make it your choice.”