“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
This is one of those verses in the Bible that can easily be overlooked. “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” Interesting! What does it mean? We will ask and answer two questions in trying to discover the meaning: (1) Why should we let the peace of God rule in our hearts? (2) What does it mean to be ruled by the peace of God in our hearts? Why should we let the peace of God rule in our hearts? First, we should let God’s peace in our hearts because it is, after all, the peace of God. It is a grace gift of God, which entered our hearts when with His Spirit when we became Christians. If it is of God, let it rule! Second, we should let God’s peace rule because we are “called” to God’s peace. God wants us to consciously have peace in our hearts; therefore, we should have it. God has placed His peace in our hearts, but like all other gifts, we need to claim it. What does it mean to be ruled by the peace of God? First, it means that life’s circumstances cannot steal our peace. The devil will certainly cause negative circumstances to steal our peace. There are, however, circumstances in the normal course of life that can steal our peace. A good case of the flu can do it. Illness of a member of the family can do it. Trouble in our church can do it. World affairs can do it. There are all kinds of circumstances that can make us forget about the peace of God in our hearts. However, if the peace of God is ruling in our hearts, this is not as likely to happen. Second, it means that we will keep peace within ourselves, and with others, no matter happens in this life. It is easy for us to get “our noses out of joint” so to speak. I’ve known people to get their “noses out of joint” over the most trivial of matters. If God’s peace is ruling in our hearts, we will not want to get out of sorts with fellow Christians over any matter. In fact, we will not let it happen – period.(It's called "disagreeing like Christians.") Incidentally, we will also not get out of sorts with ourselves as easily. The logical question for you now is to simply ask yourself if the peace of God is really and truly ruling in your heart? You answer is between God and you. If God’s peace is not ruling in your heart, you will already know, because you will not be at peace within your heart, and you are probably not at peace with other people. “Let the peace of God rule in your heart!” Bro. Joe
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“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
“Peace” is a great Bible word. The writer of Hebrews tied it into holiness. Without the holiness of Christ in us – His holiness not ours - we could not see God. But without the peace of God we would not experience or share the holiness of God. Peace was definitely one of Jesus’ favorite words. He said that in spite of the troubles that we will face in this life that He would give us peace. (John 16:33) According to Galatians 5:22, peace is part of the fruit of the Spirit. In other words when we are saved and receive the Holy Spirit, He brings peace into our lives. Since it is a gift, we have peace in our lives; we just need to claim it. We can have peace in our hearts, lives and minds in spite of all that is going on around us. I don’t have any formula to give you for claiming the peace that you have in your life, just know that it is there and claim it. I can give you a scripture reference that will help you to claim it: “Be careful for nothing (do not be anxious) but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 According to Hebrews 12:14, we are to “follow peace with all men (and women)….” Peace is a gift that the Spirit has given us to live at peace with people around us. In Matthew 5:9, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” People know that we are Christians if we seek to live at peace with them. This does not mean we have to agree with everybody; rather, it means that we should disagree like Christians. A nasty attitude does not reflect Christ at home, work, church, or wherever. Romans 14:19 brings me to the conclusion of the matter: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” What this means is that if we want to teach other people, we will need to be at peace with them. Romans 14 dealt with eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. You can substitute any question that would bring a disturbance in our Christian fellowship. Just refuse to argue. I cannot tell you how to not argue – just don’t do it. If you belong to Christ, the Holy Spirit has given you peace. Live in that peace in your personal life and in your dealings with other people. Bro. Joe The Greek word for peace, “eirene” (eiraynay), is derived from the Hebrew word “Shalom.” Peace as a fruit of the Spirit does not just mean an absence of conflict, but denotes a positive, upbeat, benevolent view of all of life. Paul certainly knew the meaning of this peace as he dealt with all of the troubles that he encountered. We need to look at least three results of “eirene” peace in our lives.
It is peace with God. In 1 Thessalonians 3:16, Paul wrote: “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” (NIV) Of course the Greek word translated peace here is eirene. The idea is that the Holy Spirit does not just give us peace; rather, it means that He is peace within us. Peace with God is part and parcel with being a Christian. Peace with God is not something that we merely hope for. It is a fact because it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. It is peace with ourselves. Pogo (Remember him?) was right when he said: “We has met the enemy and he is us.” Sometimes in the matter of peace of mind and heart we are our own worst enemies. As alluded to above, quite often we Christians do not claim the peace that we possess because we are unaware that we already have it. Paul encouraged the Philippians, and us, to claim it: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV) We need to remember this as we deal with ourselves. When life has us down and it does not feel worth living, we need to remember that God loves us, has, or will, forgive us, and that He has given us the peace that only His Holy Spirit can give – the peace “which transcends all understanding.” It is peace with others. If the Holy Spirit can give us peace with God and with ourselves, He can surely give us peace with other people. Again, it is a matter of claiming it. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to “live in peace with each other.” (1Thessalonians 5:13b NIV) In Romans 5:13 Paul wrote: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all (people).” In other words, if there is no peace between you and another person, don’t let it be your fault. You can’t control the other person, but you can let the Spirit control you. Think of what would happen if every Christian suddenly claimed peace with and in the power of the Holy Spirit today. Well, think about it! Bro. Joe “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
In the midst of Paul’s explanation of the inclusion of the Gentiles, he wrote this verse that points out three essentials of all who believe – Jew or Gentile. He wanted Roman believers, and all believers through the ages, to be filled with “joy and peace in believing,” and to “abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” I do not think that I am taking this verse out of context to say that those who believe in Christ will receive joy and peace, and through the Holy Spirit are filled with a hope that only God can give. These three essentials of joy, peace and hope are available to you if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. I am calling upon you to claim all three of these essentials for your life, or if you are not yet a Christian, these are available to you through Christ when you receive Him. The first essential is joy. (I have written about this many times, but it bears repeating.) Joy is essential, because of the promise that Jesus gave in John 15:11: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” When Christ comes into our lives by faith, His joy is guarenteed. It is a lasting joy that gets us through all of the troubles of life. I have realized this through three serious illnesses over the last twenty five years. In spite of life’s trials we have His joy. Claim this joy today, because it is yours, or can be yours. The second essential is peace. (Again, I have written about this many times, but it, too, bears repeating.) All who receive Christ by faith, have the peace that He has promised. Jesus promised this essential in John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation (trouble): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” In spite of the troubles of this world we can have peace of heart and mind. This is a promise of Jesus that will enable us to withstand all of the trouble, disappointments and ailments that we may have to encounter in our lives. Jesus wants His people to be at peace. As we face all that life might bring, the promise of Jesus that He has overcome the world remains true. I can give personal testimony about Christ’s peace in my own life, and I have seen that peace in many of the saints that I have ministered to over the years. If Jesus promised His joy and peace, they are yours to claim and you need to go to Him in prayer now and claim these for yourself if you have not. The third essential is hope. (I have written about this many times too. Just saying) When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives when we are saved, He fills us with the hope that only He can give. In fact, the Holy Spirit helps us to “abound in hope.” To abound in something means that we have plenty of it; therefore we have plenty of hope in Christ. If you feel hopeless, you need to claim Christ’s hope, for He has given you a lot of it. Like with joy and peace, we have hope in Christ in spite of what we might be facing in our lives. In all things that we face in life, Christ is at work getting us out, or through, whatever it is we face. Put your trust in Christ, and He will bring you through. Give all of your burdens to Him. As the old hymn reminds us: “Jesus will carry you through." Joy, peace and hope are yours in Christ. He promised them so you can have them – period. Do it! Bro. Joe “Seek peace, and pursue it…”
According to our text, personal peace is possible. In John 16:33, Jesus said: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (trouble): but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” We can have peace in spite of the troubles of the world, because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our text gives us a clue of how to claim this peace. First, the text tells us to “seek peace.” Here are some clues as to how to seek peace: Have peace with God. This is where all peace in our hearts begins, and is what Jesus meant in John 16:33. We find ourselves fighting against God sometimes without not even knowing it. Here is one example: We want to have our own way instead of following God’s will. We fight against the Holy Spirit; Who is trying to lead us to do what we should do instead of what we want to do. Come to peace with God in a saving relationship, take advantage of the gift of prayer, and the gift of God’s word, and this will help you to find peace. Have peace of mind. Having “peace of mind” means that we have come to terms with the troubles of life, and have given them to God. Having peace of mind also means that we have come to peace with ourselves and have peace in our hearts. Have peace with people. It is this that might hinder our own peace, and it is the most difficult thing to attain. Let’s just face it, some people are just hard to take. Nonetheless, having peace with other people, even the most troubling of people is demanded of us in the Bible. I believe that in order to have peace with other people in our lives, we have to have peace with God and within ourselves. Second, the text tells us to “pursue peace.” Here are some clues to how we can pursue peace. Prayer I alluded to this above, but it n eeds to be shared again. “Take it to the Lord in prayer” is not just an empty saying. We need a specific time of prayer, but we need to be aware that we can pray all of the time. You will not wear God out. The prayer room in heaven is always open to us. The following is my favorite call to prayer in the Bible: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. 7. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Bible Reading Prayer is our conduit to God, while the Bible is God’s revelation to us about Himself and his acts in history. We need to read all of it, but we can also find passages that will touch our hearts that will mean a lot to us. Two of my favorite “go to” texts are John 16:33 and Philippians 4:6-7 - both written above. Make some time for Bible reading. Christian Fellowship Part of our pursuit of peace, and our need for peace with people, is found in fellowship with fellow Christians. This means to have fellowship with God’s people in church and in daily life. Our Christian friends can give us the emotional support that we need to have peace. This is not to be taken lightly. I have often found peace in sharing with a Christian friend, or Christian friends. I hope this article will help you in your search for peace. Bro. Joe "The Best Of" #3
“Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because He trusts in You.” As I read this, I was thinking that Isaiah comes as close to New Testament themes as any of the Old Testament authors. Peace is a theme that runs throughout the whole Bible, but especially in the New Testament and in the ministry of Jesus. Isaiah writes here about “perfect peace.” Now, there is a real concept of peace. My title is “What in the world is perfect peace?” I used “in the world” because we don’t usually think of perfect peace in this world. Yet we have a promise of it here. Let’s see what this verse can tell us about perfect peace. The first thing that we note is that only God is able to give us perfect peace. Notice that Isaiah writes: “Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind in stayed on thee.” In other words, the world does not offer perfect peace. I have read that Jesus came into the world to bring “peace on earth.” I don’t think that Jesus ever promised that. In fact what Jesus did promise us is that there will be “wars and rumors of wars.” The Book of Revelation certainly doesn’t promise world peace. In my life time, there has never been a long period when our country was not in some conflict somewhere in the world. Jews and Arabs have been fighting since Ishmael and Isaac. It is just a fact that the world cannot offer perfect peace. The best that the world can do is to give us lulls between battles – in the world and in our personal lives. The Second thing that we note is that peace can come only by trust in God. Let’s refer again to Isaiah’s written statement that perfect peace comes to those “whose minds are stayed on Thee/God.” The only real relationship that we can have with God is one of trust – of faith. The author of Hebrews makes this plain in Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” In John 16:33 we read the words of Jesus on peace: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In this world you will have tribulation (trouble): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” What Jesus promises us from the world is trouble. (More on this later) What He promises us pertaining to Him is peace. Having a faith relationship with Jesus Christ is the gateway to perfect peace. The third thing that we note is that we can have this perfect peace in Jesus in spite of all of the troubles that we meet with in this life. Perfect peace, then, does not mean that we will never have conflict. In fact, we are promised that we will be in conflict with the world system at all times. In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul wrote: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Perfect peace is perfect because it comes from God, who promises to be with us through all of the troubles of life. David sensed this in Psalm 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” That is perfect peace on earth. Real perfect peace where we will be free from all troubles is when we get to heaven and live in the presence of Jesus. If you want perfect peace, let your mind be “stayed” on Christ, who is the author of our peace. Bro. Joe “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee.”
Isaiah prophesied during a crucial time in the history of the Jews. He prophesied at the time of the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel, and when the Assyrians were threatening the southern kingdom. As it is in many prophesies in the Bible, this chapter makes a promise to Israel, but there is also a promise that transcends time. Verse 3 of Isaiah 26 is a good example of this. It is a promise for a time and place, but it is also a promise that we can take for ourselves for it is true for all time. What is the promise? The promise is that “perfect peace” is possible. Peace is one of the most elusive things in this world. Thousands of books have been written that have endeavored to help people find peace. I have read some of these books over the years in order to be able to minister to troubled people – and for myself. The problem with a lot of these books was that they tried to show people how to have peace without reference to God and without making any moral and spiritual changes in their lives. The changes would be cosmetic changes that did not get to the real matter of why people feel guilty in the first place. People feel guilty because of a little three letter word that the world has tried to do away with but cannot. The word is s-i-n. Some of you might stop reading here, because you do not want to deal with the fact of your own sin. We cannot eradicate sin by denying its existence. We can deal with it by admitting it, and going to the real source of perfect peace. In the historical context of this verse, Isaiah was writing to people who were not dealing with their sins. He gives them, and us, the solution to the problem. The path to perfect peace does not have a human solution. The promise of the perfect peace that Isaiah was writing about has to do with our relationship to God, and in our case, to Jesus. We find perfect peace when our minds are “stayed on God.” The NIV translates “stayed” as “steadfast.” We can find peace when we steadfastly fasten our minds and hearts to a relationship with the God of the universe. We can find perfect peace when we take our minds off of our personal troubles and the troubles of the world, and trust in Almighty God to be with us during all of these troubles. The peace that we seek is perfect because it is peace from a perfect God, not because of our own perfections. That peace is available to us through our Lord. It is almost as if Paul had this verse in mind when he wrote Philippians 4:6-7: “Be careful for nothing (Do not be anxious about anything…) but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. 7. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Doesn’t that look something like perfect peace? Perfect peace is found when we put our faith and trust in God – in Jesus: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee.” Jesus taught that the path to a real relationship with God is faith in Him. We can have that perfect peace, the peace that “passes all understanding,” when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Having this peace does not mean that we will never encounter trouble. This peace enables us to go through all of the struggles of this life without panic and without fear. We can have peace in the midst of turmoil because our minds are not fastened on the turmoil, but on the Lord, the One Who we can trust to get us through it. I’m not writing this as a self-righteous person who is talking down to you. I am writing this as an imperfect human being who has found this perfect peace in my relationship with Jesus Christ. It does not mean that I have perfectly learned to have peace, but that by trusting in Jesus, I have found that I can have His perfect peace. The good news is that you can have it too. This peace is only a prayer away. Bro. Joe “Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because He trusts in you.”
As I read this, I was thinking that Isaiah comes as close to New Testament themes as any of the Old Testament authors. Peace is a theme that runs throughout the whole Bible, but especially in the New Testament and in the ministry of Jesus. Isaiah writes here about “perfect peace.” Now, there is a real concept of peace. My title is “What in the world is Perfect peace?” I used “in the world” because we don’t usually think of perfect peace in this world. Yet we have a promise of it here. Let’s see what this verse can tell us about perfect peace. The first thing that we note is that only God is able to give us perfect peace. Notice that Isaiah writes:“Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind in stayed on thee.” In other words, the world does not offer perfect peace. I have read that Jesus came into the world to bring “peace on earth.” I don’t think Jesus ever promised that. In fact what Jesus did promise us is that there will be “wars and rumors of wars.” The Book of Revelation certainly doesn’t promise world peace. In my life time, there has never been a long period when our country was not in some conflict somewhere in the world. Jews and Arabs have been fighting since Ishmael and Isaac. It is just a fact that the world cannot offer perfect peace. The best that the world can do is to give us lulls between battles – in the world and in our personal lives. The Second thing that we note is that peace can come only by trust in God. Let’s refer again to Isaiah’s written statement that perfect peace comes to those “whose minds are stayed on Thee/God.” The only real relationship that we can have with God is one of trust– of faith. The author of Hebrews makes this plain in Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” In John 16:33 we read the words of Jesus on peace: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In this world you will have tribulation (trouble): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. ”What Jesus promises us from the world is trouble. (More on this later) What He promises us pertaining to Him is peace. Having a faith relationship with Jesus Christ is the gateway to perfect peace. The third thing that we note is that we can have this perfect peace in Jesus in spite of all of the troubles that we meet with in this life. Perfect peace, then, does not mean that we will never have conflict. In fact, we are promised that we will be in conflict with the world system at all times. In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul wrote: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ”Perfect peace is perfect because it comes from God, who promises to be with us through all of the troubles of life. David sensed this in Psalm 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” That is perfect peace on earth. Real perfect peace where we will be free from all troubles is when we get to heaven and live in the presence of Jesus. . If you want perfect peace, let your mind be “stayed” on Christ, who is the author of our peace. Bro. Joe “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are called in one body; and be thankful. 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
It is sometimes difficult to give a title to a portion of scripture I feel led to write about. This is what I encountered as I read the above text this morning. These two verses are in the middle of Paul’s admonition to the Colossians to live the new life in Christ by loving and forgiving each other. The three things that he mentions in these verses seemed to me like good rules for us to follow if we are to love and forgive each other. As you read this, you will see what I mean. Rule one: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts….” I have written a lot about peace in CouchPotato articles, and what we have here is another view of what it means to live in God’s peace. Paul wrote that the peace of God is to rule in our hearts. I think that you will agree that what rules in our hearts will characterize the life that we live before others. If we want to live in harmony with our fellow Christians, and our fellow man, we will be at peace in our hearts. Therefore, ask yourself what is ruling in your heart right now. Are you holding a grudge against someone at your workplace, your home or your church? If so, the peace of God is not ruling in your life. Are you struggling with feelings of inferiority and inadequacy? It so, the peace of God is not ruling in your life. When we have God’s peace we do not think in terms of superiority or inferiority, and we don't worry about our adequacy, because we know that the God whose peace rules in our hearts is always adequate and that if we love and serve Him we will be adequate for anything that we do. These are just two examples of what it means to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. Rule two: “and be thankful...." I don’t think that we realize sometimes how unthankful we are. Stop and think about it: We have a lot to be thankful for – don’t we! For example, we live in a free country. Our country is not always what we would have it to be, but we are still free. We should be thankful for freedom. We should certainly pray about what is wrong in our country, but at the same time we should be thankful for the freedoms that we have. Another example is that if you are a Christian, you need to be thankful that you have been given abundant life here, and that you will live eternally with Jesus in heaven. Jesus told us in John 14 that He would prepare a place for us. We should certainly be thankful for that. Still another example: If you woke up this morning in good health, you should be thankful. Come to think of it, if you even woke up in poor health, you should be thankful. Doesn’t it stand to reason that if the peace of God is ruling in your heart, which is yet another reason to be thankful, you will be a thankful person regardless of what else is going on in your life? Rule three: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…. There are two ways that we can look at this. First, the “word of Christ” can mean the whole Bible, because the whole Bible is about Him. Second, the “word of Christ” is given in the four gospels. In most of my Bibles, His words are in red letters. Peace and thankfulness will result in our lives if we read, study, and digest the word of Christ. Notice that Paul wrote: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” What we read in God’s word should become a part of whom and what we are, just as the food that we eat becomes part of us. When we heed the word of God, we will have His wisdom, which is far greater than we can get in any other book. Think about how you are applying these three rules in your life. Bro. Joe “Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24. Grace to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ with undying love.”
These are the closing verses of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. They contain four qualities that should be, or will be, part of every Christian’s life. If we will cultivate these qualities in our lives, we can live victoriously for the Lord and we will be better witnesses for Him. “Peace to the brothers” One of the great promises of Jesus to His disciples was that He would give them His peace. He mentioned this specifically in John 16:33: "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” We already have the peace of Christ in our lives; we just need to claim it. Jesus means for us to be at peace within ourselves. We need to remember this when we come across hard times in our lives. Christ’s peace has come to my rescue many times in my Christian sojourn. In that peace we find victory. But this also means that we are to live at peace with other people. This means to be at peace with people at work, at church, and all other places that we might be. The inner peace of Christ makes us peaceable. Claim this great peace today and live at peace with those around you. It is really the best way to live. “And love” The Greek word for “love” used here is the most powerful definition of love. It is the word “agape” (Agahpay). This is God’s kind of love, which means that we are to love people as God loves them, i.e., sacrificially. It is the kind of love that is described in John 3:16. We should not just feel love for others, but we should act in love toward them as God did toward us in sending His Son to serve as a sacrifice for our sins. This kind of love is aptly described in 1 John 3:18: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue: but in deed and truth.” I guess every married man has heard his wife say at some time or other: “Don’t just say that you love me, that’s easy to do, show me that you love me.” The love that we have should be the kind that shows! “With faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Faith is, as we would say today, “belief on steroids.” To have true faith is not to just believe about Jesus, but to believe in Him and let that faith guide us in our everyday actions. Faith is a gift from “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” He gave it to us to use in our service to Him and in everything that we do in life. When you mix faith with love and peace, you have a better witness to the world. We should make decisions in our lives based on what we think God wants instead of always what we want. In other words, we should be guided by our faith in the Lord. “Grace to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ with undying love.” “Grace” is the word that makes everything possible in the Christian life. It comes before faith, peace or love. As you probably already know, grace is God’s unmerited favor. We don’t earn it; God just gives it to us. God’s grace enables us to be saved and to live the Christian life. But grace is not just something that we get from God; it is to be part of our lifestyles. We are to practice grace in our dealings with people. Think of how much better our lives would be, and the lives of those around us, if we practiced God’s grace in all of our dealings. I know that the witness of our churches would be much better. All four of these characteristics are, or should be, part of our lives. We need to prayerfully cultivate them in our lives. Bro. Joe |
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