“…walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3
There was a very wise man who once said, “If I have peace in my home, I can deal with anything on the outside.” What was the essential thing that he was seeking to convey? It is the secret, and yet the great reality, which God reveals to us in Scripture: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Is. 29:15) How does this matter of “rest,” of quietness apply to the believer, and groups of believers, and to the church, it being revealed in the world?
One of the great and primary manifestations of the presence of Christ in the life of a believer, is the Peace which Christ IS, and which He gives. Just as Christ is the LIFE of the believer from the moment of the new birth, so Christ’s peace is His gift, not only with regard to one’s standing before God, Christ’s blood having made peace with God, being reconciled to God, but also the power of Christ’s peace in and through the life. In the greatness of Christ’s salvation, the peace of God is one of the great testimonies to the world of God’s presence, but also, in the believer, the proof of His power quietly working in the life to give strength to glorify God.
So, where does one begin in the consideration of the Peace of Christ to be known by the believer, every day, and in an increasing measure? The study begins with a prayer to the God of peace. It was Moses’ prayer: “…Show me now Your way, that I may know You.” (Exodus 33:13) David would pray the same thing, though slightly differently in his choice of words: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.” (Ps.25:4,5) Both of these godly men saw the necessity of knowing the ways of God, as opposed to those of men. They also understood that unless they prayed, and sought the Lord, living in the EXPECTATION of Him speaking to the heart in response to their prayers, they would not receive what they desired. If they would know, then they must seek, and this by believing prayer. This they did, and God answered their prayers. This is the reason for which both of these men wrote extensively of the grace, mercy, truth, holiness, goodness and power of God. God revealed His ways to them, so that they could know Him.
On this side of Pentecost, since the Spirit of God was poured out upon all flesh, the church became the beneficiary of the Spirit of God becoming her teacher, always willing to teach, encourage, and reveal the things of God to her. As each individual member of the body of Christ seeks Him for the knowledge of His ways concerning His peace, knowledge will be given specifically to the one who waits for Him.
God’s peace begins with God. The knowledge of His peace begins with the fact that Christ is the believer’s only source of true peace, the very fruit of the Spirit of God. Secondly, God GIVES His peace by the Spirit to those who will receive it. It is a gift that He desires continually to give as the believer walks by faith. Christ’s peace is not only a blessed calm of soul, mind, and spirit, but a POWER by which one knows which way one must go, and what one must do. It is a power in relationships first between Christ and His disciples, then one disciple with another. It is a unifying bond in the church, and great blessing in the home. Where there is the unity of the Spirit, confirmed by His peace, there is the blessing of God.
Dear Father, Fill us with Peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.