PEACE I GIVE TO YOU

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Blessed are the peacemakers…Matthew 5:9

In our little gathering at AHOP in Xenia this past Sunday my fellow Pastor Josh encouraged us to be PEACEMAKERS and PEACEKEEPERS. 

Not an easy task when the pressures and pain of the past continue to creep into our present. 

Not an easy task when our culture rewards the snarky and promotes conflict.  

Not easy when we have levied some hurt or have been hurt ourselves.

And many struggle with that “call to peace" even though we know that bitterness and offense have a way of blocking our peace keeping or peace-making efforts; that they strangle our options to resolve, repent or repair.

“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr King was right on the money.

We are to take the latter course in our responses to “less than peaceful” situations.  We are to keep the peace.  We are to levy the peace.

It can be transformative!

Yet often the question is “HOW do I?” “How do I become a peace-maker and a peace keeper?”

Well here is the answer.

By first recognizing that as FOLLOWERS of CHRIST we have been given the gift of PEACE from CHRIST HIMSELF! 

John 14:27 (CEB)

 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.

Philippians 4:7 (ERV)

And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.

That means HIS PEACE is our peace my friends.

That means it is HIS PEACE that is ours to extend.  

HIS PEACE is now ours to distribute!  

We don’t have to manufacture it to share it! We just need to SHARE IT! Jesus has done the hard part!

That is wonderful news!

But in order to do our part we must lay down our grievances and pettiness so we CAN extend this great gift to others. 

That is our job as followers of CHRIST. 

We must constantly remember that it is HIS peace that transcends our human minds and gives us the ability to BREATHE peace into situations and circumstances that would otherwise remain broken and tarnished in bitterness.  It is HIS peace that allows us to pray for those who persecute us and to “be at peace with all men” whenever possible as we are asked to do.

Romans 12:18 (AMP)

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

So we can be peace makers and keepers today! 

It is possible thanks to Jesus.

So extend HIS peace today.  JESUS will bless you!

Make it your “way” today.

” Peace Isn’t The Destination, Peace Is The Way ” – Author Unknown

Love you all

Freedom Church