The Gift of Peace
Peace – not out of reach
Peace with others, peace in ourselves, and peace with God. If you’re skeptical that peace is even possible, you might think God and other people aren’t willing to give the gift of peace. Keep on reading to see why you can have reasonable hope—for peace.
Peace with Others - Unity
Have you ever been given a gift that had more than just your name on the tag? Some gifts, like board games, only work when shared. The fun of the game comes when people come together (unify) and play it. If someone wants to selfishly keep the game and not share with anyone, it just doesn’t work. DISunity and selfishness go hand-in-hand.
Jesus is the best example of selflessly sharing: He is God with all the power in the universe. Instead of just sitting around and enjoying what he had, he gave the gift of himself on the cross to bring real peace to any who will receive it.
How does this one historic act of selfless sacrifice unlock peace with other people and promote unity? Check out Philippians 2:1-11. Jesus wasn’t selfish. In one way, that’s an example for us to follow, and we should. But it’s far more than that. Because of his sacrifice, He has shared the gift of life and peace with any who will accept it. Will you, and not just for your own sake, but for those around you, too?
Peace within Yourself
This one always seems to be one step away (and sometimes ten steps). You’re dealing with loss. With grief. With disappointing yourself and others. Not being good enough. Not being wanted. With bills, expectations, hurt—from long ago or more recent. Too often in turmoil.
You might have tried to give yourself the gift of peace, to tell yourself something like, “I’m OK with who I am, with what I’ve done and become.” But inner peace that lasts doesn’t depend on how good you tell yourself you are. If you’ve ever played Solitaire, you may have adjusted a few things to make sure you win. But you know deep down that changing the standard rules doesn’t lead to happiness—or lasting peace. We can’t give ourselves peace.
Where does it come from? It’s a gift from God. We just have to accept it. Peace within yourself is directly tied to peace with God.
Peace with God
The gift of true peace is enormously expensive and therefore impossible for us to get on our own. But it’s been paid for. Jesus is God and came to earth—this is what we celebrate at Christmas. He lived here, worked here, suffered here, and always did what was right in God’s sight.
“Sin” is a word used to describe when someone does something that goes against what God shows is right. Sin separates us from God, wrecks relationships, and destroys life. Jesus suffered and was crucified on a cross for sin, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Being certain that your sins are forgiven is the source of genuine peace with God.
God is clear that those who don’t believe in Jesus and trust in Him for forgiveness of their sins are His enemies. But those who do believe have peace with Him.
Unless you have peace with God, you will never experience true peace with yourself or have true peace with others.
So talk to God, thank Him for what He’s done, tell Him what you believe. Tell Him you’re ready to accept that He paid the price for you to have ultimate peace.
We receive eternal life in heaven with God when we accept Jesus as our Savior from sin. Now that’s a wonderful Christmas gift!
What’s Next?
Accept the gift. God wants you to have peace. Not just the peace that we might feel early in the morning on the lake. That only lasts for an hour. Ongoing, non-stop, always-and-forever peace. It’s possible. And Jesus paid for it.
God wants a relationship with you and was willing to die on a cross so that could happen.
Connect with someone who knows Jesus already. You are welcome at Oak Grove Church. There are many in the Church who know Jesus. Come as you are. We’re about Jesus here. We want to be like Him and help other people do the same.
Want to know more about peace? Here are a couple great books:
- Peace with God by Billy Graham
- The Bible. Check out the Gospel of John.
