Peace Brings Hope!
Are you living a peaceful life? I am. Or on the other hand, are you tossing and turning at night? Are you worried about what is going to happen? There have been times in my life where I have been restless, worried, and sleepless. Are you filled with hope or are you filled with dread when you are not at peace? For me I was filled with dread. I worried about what might happen next. I lived in that state for many years after my wife Laura attempted suicide the first time. I found there was only one way to have peace and then have hope. What do we do when we are not at peace?
I turned to the Holy Bible for my answers and in it I found the only way to have true peace. First it showed me the source of peace was God Himself, it does not just happen. God is the one that gives peace. Galatians 5:22-24 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (ESV) I see here that peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit. I am given this when I belong to Jesus. Like all the gifts God gives me, I must earnestly accept them from Him. Because of Him, I have all these fruits because the Holy Spirit who dwells in us has manifested them in our lives. I however, must choose to live in the Spirit not in the flesh. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 (ESV) I must set my mind on the Spirit and I believe I do this by following Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (ESV)
So, I pray, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (ESV)
So, join me in living by the Spirit and receive peace from God. Knowing when we fail being faithful, God will still be faithful and receive peace and hope from the hands of the only One who can give you true peace, faithfulness and hope. He can make all things right. Have peace and hope for yourself and give peace and hope to others by living in God’s faithfulness. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present and in the future. My penalty and yours was satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because of that we ought to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in choosing Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here.
You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here.
eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press or Christianbook.com at Amazon or Google
