Speak Lord; I’m Listening – Daily Bite-Size Encouragement – Day 3
“My peace I leave with you”1 is an intriguing statement. How do I leave people? Are they left in a state of Curiosity? Anger? Bewildered? Mystified? Comforted? And how do people feel when you walk away from them?
Are there intentional things we can do to help people feel better because they spent time with us? As carriers of the Presence of God, I do believe we can provide guidance that will help people find peace. And you will find peace too!
Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself; he is not at peace with himself, because he is not at peace with God. ~Thomas Merton.
Step One: Peace with God
“God took the initiative in pursuing peace with us by sending His son to earth. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He is the One who gives us peace with God. That’s why the message of salvation in Christ is called the gospel of peace.”2
“Peace with God is, at its core, a spiritual reconciliation between family members. It’s a restored relationship between Heavenly Father and earthly child, made possible simply because Jesus wanted it so.”3
Step Two: Peace with Yourself
If Jesus “leaves His peace with us,” then how do we walk in peace? Walking in peace takes intentionality. We must make a conscious decision to walk in peace by refusing stress, anxiety and fear. Walking in peace takes practice. Practice means we take our thoughts captive, and we leave our cares and worries with Him.4
Life always has its challenges. It doesn’t mean that we will never be upset or frustrated again, but it does mean that starting today we can choose to walk in a more peaceful and harmonious state by emotionally releasing things to God.
Step Three: Peace with Others
Living at peace is both an inward and outward process. Outwardly, we respect each other despite our cultural, political, racial, and religious variations. When we choose to be kind and gracious to each other, we create a space to learn and grow. And we establish leeway for peace, harmony and unity despite our differences.
Therefore, our three steps to living a more peaceful life are reconciliation with God, intentionally taking steps to release things to Him, then extending our inward peace to those around us.
Recommendation:
To go dive deeper into Peace, you can read Peace – One of the 9 Fruits of the Spirit – Strength with Dignity
References:
1 John 14:27 NASB
2 What does it mean to have peace with God? Published June 12, 2018. Accessed September 27, 2021 from https://www.gotquestions.org/peace-with-God.html
3 Nappa, Mike. What does it mean to have peace with God? Published May 7, 2019. Accessed September 27, 2021 from https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/what-does-it-mean-to-have-peace-with-god.html
4 2 Corinthians 10:5; Matthew 11:28
New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Bible Scriptures were retrieved September 27, 2021, from https://www.biblegateway.com #bgbg2 #BibleGateway
