I believe that peace is one of the most important benefits and greatest blessings God has given us.
However, in the busyness of rushing around and getting ready for the holidays, we often feel anything but peaceful. By the time Christmas Day arrives, many of us just want to get it over with so we can have some peace! But it doesn’t need to be that way.
Luke 1:79 says that one of the things God sent Jesus to do is …guide our feet into the path of peace (NIV). As believers we have the wonderful privilege of walking in God’s supernatural peace, regardless of how busy we may be or what is going on around us. I lived the first forty years of my life without the blessing of peace, and I can say from experience that life without peace is miserable. I finally came to a point of being so hungry for peace that I was willing to work with God to make whatever changes were necessary in order to have it. Thankfully, I now enjoy a life of peace that often passes understanding. I am able to walk in the path of peace during the storms of life, not just when storms don’t exist.
Christmas usually comes with a “storm” of activity and pressure to have more things and do more things. As a result, many people end up miserable during what should be a joyous time of celebrating with family and friends. They trade in their peace for the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. As believers, God’s plan is for us to walk in the path of peace all year round. But peace doesn’t come automatically. We have to pursue it in order to experience it in our daily lives.
Have you made pursuing peace a priority? God wants you to. In John 14:27 Jesus says, …My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you…. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed....] Don’t allow the increased activity of Christmastime to rob you of the peace that is rightfully yours in Christ.
Remember, peace doesn’t come from having certain people as friends, having a lot of money or feeling good about everything in life. Neither does it come from having the best decorations, the biggest tree or the most Christmas presents. Peace is a fruit of living in God’s kingdom, and that kingdom is within us. With His help we can learn to tap in to and walk on the path of peace.
As you read this month’s issue, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a holy determination to walk in peace and deal with anything that may be robbing you of it. Crave peace, pursue it, go after it. Make up your mind that nothing will keep you from enjoying a life filled with the peace Jesus came to give you the kind that passes all understanding!
Merry Christmas! And may God’s grace and peace cradle you this holiday season.
