Peace I Leave with you. james 3.17-18

Oh what a beautiful verse . . . what a brilliant piece of writing, bridging humility and the richness of peace.  James writes, “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.”

And you know, I have been thinking, if ‘love is a many splendored thing,’ then peace must certainly be a multi-faceted thing.  James 3.18 reads, ‘Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.’   Those who cultivate peace--with God and with others--will reap righteousness (the holiness of God).  The opposite of the one 'who sows in peace' is the one who is always ‘stirring it up’.  Makes me think of the Peanuts' character, Pigpen; in fact, from a Peanuts’ website, here is the description of Pigpen:  he walks around in a cloud of dust, sprinkling dirt on all he comes in contact with.  Hmmm . . . ‘know anyone like that?

 Peace. . . a multi-faceted concept. Let's break it down:                                                         

 --Living at peace with God - Because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we can have peace with God. "Therefore since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us." Romans 5.1  I love this about being a Christ follower--it is not what WE do to be at peace with our Maker, it is about what he DID for us.  Such love . . . He is our peace - Jesus represented peace in bodily form, and he still does today.  "For he himself is our peace."  Ephesians 2.14

We can have the peace of God within us;  Jesus is the only source for true peace in our inner hearts.  What is great is that we have immediate access to this peace; it doesn't have to be channeled by a swami or an auditor or anyone else . . . thank God!   "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." St. Augustine said.  And he was right.

Jesus' words have been life-giving to me: Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. I have written this verse out and given it to many a hurting heart; Jesus' words are so comforting—John 14.27.  Then there is this magnificent companion verse in Philippians 4.7 - And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  C.S. Lewis said "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”

Another facet of peace is that we should be peacemakers; we should not just be vessels of peace, whenever and wherever possible, but also brokers of peace as well.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God, Jesus included in his Sermon on the Mountainside. (Matthew 5.9) Most often, we can choose to live in harmony with others.  If we watch our words--so they don't provoke, incite or slander . . . if we make things right in the event of misunderstanding . . . if we keep short accounts . . . if we afford others the benefit of the doubt, then we are striving to be peacemakers.  If we are peacemakers, we will not be easily offended and will choose to think the best about others as well.  Yes, you can choose to be at peace with others.

'Peace to you, my brothers and sisters.  Are you a Pigpen or a peacemaker?  Something to consider honestly.

Do you have the peace of God in your heart? I pray that you do--if not, pray for yourself... reach out to Him.

Peace I leave with you,

Christine