The Peace of Jesus by Rocky Fleming

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. John 14:27 ESV

Peace, don’t we want it?  I feel that the majority of the world’s people are longing for peace.  But it seems elusive for mankind, for there is always a small minority of people who do not want a world of peace for its people.  This minority actually stirs up strife through anger, tapping into generational unforgiveness or conflicts, with its purpose to maneuver people to keep the strife going.  It is in their interest to do so,  and it is generally motivated by financial gain or political power.  But make no mistake in thinking that it is none other than the Father of Lies that stokes the fire.  It is his avowed purpose to create strife and conflict in mankind with one another.

Some might ask, “Why can we not see this about him?”  The answer is that Satan is also the Great Deceiver and Accuser.  This mean he cloaks his maneuvering within the mind of mankind so that we think it is right and justified the things we do to keep strife going.  That part of the nature of fallen man is natural.  We are born into it and we swim in that tainted water every day for the rest of our lives, unless our life is disrupted by the Prince of Peace.  However, this continued strife is not natural for the man or woman who has been redeemed by Jesus, unless we are not truly a redeemed child of God, or we have embraced the voice of evil into our life to a degree that we don’t know the difference.  Either way it is a shame that God’s child allows it.  We have a choice, if we will choose it.  We can either choose to listen to the Evil Man’s slander and upheaval, or we can listen to the voice of Jesus Christ.  What does He say?

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.”

The choice we must make as followers of Jesus Christ is, will we give His promise of peace a chance to live within us, or will we keep a strife going?  Is our racial strife against another race justified before Him as the Creator of both races?  Is our denominational strife justified before Him as a mutual follower of Christ?  Is God more interested in our fierce defense of a theological position that attacks other views with our spiritual pride, or is He interested more in a relational position with Him and His children with each other, who happen to be our spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ?  Is even our political and ideology strife justified before Him, when we see repulsive and immoral behavior, or fraud and abuse of power?  Keep in mind, I’m asking this as a Christian to Christians, for I believe the lost and dying world needs to see in us a different view of our world around us than those who are inspired by the evil man.  Don’t you think this is also consistent with what we read and see in Jesus?  Did He allow the religious, cultural and political norms and points of view of the day to influence His point of view, or did He change theirs?  It is always that way historically.  True Christianity is more often than not contrary to those point of views of a culture.  That is why we’ve seen two thousand years of persecution.  But, when we see ourselves acting the same, thinking the same, and following the same “Kool Aid” views of our culture, then we had better understand that God is not delighted in it.  In fact, He is likely to disrupt it or prune it away to get us back on course with Him.  Thank God He does this.

Jesus wants to give us peace, but not as the world defines it or provides it.  He wants to give us the deepest kind of peace that rides through any stormy weather while keeping in us the peace of mind and soul that He promises.  His peace is not circumstantial driven or erratic.  His peace is as solid as He is, and He never changes.  That’s the kind of peace that mankind longs for, and it is our choice to take what Jesus is giving to us.  Will you seek His peace above all else?  It’s there for the courageous Christian to take.  But it cannot coexist with the counterfeit views of peace that the world gives us.  A lie cannot coexist with the truth.  Believe the truth.  The peace of Jesus is the real deal.