Thursday, February 16, 2012

The Gift of Peace


“I searched all over…couldn’t find nobody! I looked high and low…still couldn’t find nobody! Nobody greater, nobody greater…nobody greater than you!” It’s funny how we often get caught searching for the answers to our problems everywhere but in God. As I thought about the death of Whitney Houston this week, I was saddened because it seemed that she just couldn’t find what she was looking for. Many of us are like Whitney Houston, our vices are just different. Some of us look for peace in alcohol, some in marijuana. Some of us look to other people to give us what we need. The truth is we can look all over but there’s nobody greater than God.

I believe it all comes down to peace. When we are at peace, we can be satisfied in any situation. It’s similar to when you see a parent that has lost a child and they can still smile. It’s not that they don’t grieve or miss their child, but they have a peace. Psalm 34:14 tells us to seek peace and pursue it. Are you seeking peace or are you seeking a temporary solution? When God gives you peace, Philippians 4: 7(NLT) says that it exceeds anything we can understand and it will guard your heart and mind as you live in Christ. I don’t know about you but I want to be in that place. I want to know that God has me and my situations under control. That’s what peace is. To paraphrase Philippians 4:6, it’s when you pray about a situation instead of worrying. It’s telling God what you need and thanking Him that it’s done.

Peace was a gift that Jesus Christ left with us. Think back to the Last Supper when Jesus is comforting the disciples and telling them of the Holy Spirit. He says in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” When you get the peace of Christ, the world can’t take it away from you. Embrace it and walk in it. God doesn’t give temporary things like the world, He gives eternal gifts. Open your heart and receive this precious gift from God. Life is too short to spend it anxious and upset, especially when God is a God of peace and not confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).

I challenge you to stop searching for foundation and stability in the world. There is nobody greater than God and in Him, you will find perfect peace. It doesn’t matter what you need or what has happened to you, God can give you peace. Allow Him to operate on your heart and mind and replace the old hurts and bitterness with His peace. When you come out of that spiritual surgery, you won’t even understand why you can love that mother that hurt you or why you can think of that loved one you lost with sweet memories instead of tears.  You might even wonder why you can celebrate with someone else when they receive the blessing you need or rejoice in your singleness.  The answer is simple…it’s God and above Him there’s no other!

May God’s peace rest in your life today and forever.  AMEN!

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