Can you believe we are already on the last week of Advent? Christmas is just a few days away. It is a good time to talk about peace, the concept our study of Advent concludes with. I know with the last of the shopping and cooking and wrapping still to be done in the next two days, peace could possibly be the furthest thing from our minds. However, I hope you will join me for a couple minutes to rest in some Christmas peace.
Similarly to the way I had thought about joy, I have usually thought of peace as momentary at best. A few stolen minutes of quiet before the next child ran in with an emergency, or a moment to watch a beautiful sunset. I had always thought of peace in terms of how I was feeling. I recently learned that peace with God means something different though.
When we are at peace with God, it doesn’t mean just a warm, fuzzy feeling. The peace Jesus came to give is far greater than that. Before He came, the entire human race was essentially at war with God. We didn’t have the ability to make ourselves good enough to have true relationship with Him. When Jesus came, He provided a way for that war to end and gave us peace, if we want to accept His gift of salvation.
So the peace we get to enjoy is actually a state of being, as when a war ends and a country gets to enjoy a time of peace. I love that idea because it does not hinge on how I am currently feeling. Whether I feel peaceful or not, I can have peace with my Father God! The more I lean into that idea, the more often I will feel peaceful as well.
As we move through the next week of this Christmas season, I hope the words Jesus spoke to us in John 14:27 will encourage us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Merry Christmas, and thank you for joining me on this journey through Advent!
I love Christmas music, so for each of these Advent posts I am including a song. Click here to listen!
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