Peaceful Times

Galatians 5:23 – “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace…”

Peace is one of the most sought for things in the world.  You’ve heard the cliché line on the pageants, “World peace”.  Our nation looks to make peace with other nations.  We fight for peace.  We look to be at peace with others.  We hate tension between our friends when there is an argument or something nasty was said – well what’s lacking here?  Peace.  In John 15:27, Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.”  It’s clear that Jesus was a peaceful person.  Now I’m not saying Jesus was out in a field of lilies all the time in a cross legged position meditating, He wasn’t.  He was always on the move, He was about the Father’s business.  So what about us?  What about our hectic schedules?  What about schoolwork that seems to be so overbearing?  What about our job that is so stressful?  What about bills and not having too much money left over or any at all?  What about these things, and how in the world can we find peace?  How can there be peace in a world that is full of stress, chaos, and fear?  The answer is found in Matthew.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Jesus told us to come to Him, for in Him is true peace.  It’s not just temporary peace for your soul but a lifestyle of peace.  It’s the ability to come to Him when life is really hard on you, when times are stressful.  If there are times of trouble and times of stress, they are right now, and Jesus is inviting you to come to Him so He can give you His peace.  And the best part about it is this – you don’t have to leave His peace.  When things start to look up and alright, we may start to drift, to back away, slip back into the old way of doing things, leaving His peace behind;  we had our temporary fix, we are okay for now, I’ll come back when I need some more…But we don’t ever have to leave.  Jesus said to “Abide in Me”, He wants you to abide in Him, in His peace at all times.  Now things will still come, stressful times will come, troubled times will come, but when we are with Him, His peace is there and will carry you through just as long as you abide in Him – It’s our choice.  Run to Him, let Him wrap you in His arms, for in Him there is peace that passes comprehension.