Christ Is Our Peace

 

My loaded-up to-do list sometimes gets me down. It seems like a mountain with steep walls and lots of slippery shale. Yesterday’s Scripture message put me on top of the mountain.

It was about the biblical teaching on work and reminded me that Jesus is my boss, and I do my work first and foremost for Him. How can I forget that, but sometimes I do. And when that happens, I know my own strength and abilities are insufficient and I become overwhelmed.

The young pastor who presented this message is a peacemaker because he restored to me that profound sense of peace that comes with trusting Jesus for everything. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Still, such peace is possible only because of Christ’s atonement. He made it possible to be at peace with God and with that reconciliation, I know His peace. This is far beyond any other peace; think of it — God is never the slightest bit ruffled over His to-do list!

Christ provided the forgiveness and righteousness that allows me to join hands with God and be involved in what He is doing. Not only that, He does His work through the work that I do. First and always, I need Him to deal with the sin issue. God did that: “Therefore, since I have been justified by faith, I have peace with God through my Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) His sacrifice is sufficient:

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him . . . . (Colossians 1:19–22)

Jesus paid the supreme price to give me that precious gift of peace with God and as He holds my hand, I also experience the peace of God and can say this:

For by grace I have been saved through faith. And this is not my own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that I cannot boast. For I am his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that I should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8–10)

Sunday’s message restored my sense of what I am doing and why I am doing it. This mountain is not about anything else but working for Jesus in His strength, and bringing His incredible presence into a dark and unhappy world. It is not about being a preacher, an evangelist, or a missionary, but being an ordinary person in whose heart the Prince of Peace reigns.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

What does this look like? It is about being filled with the Spirit and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:18–21). It is about letting the word of Christ dwell in me richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, joy and with thankfulness in my heart to God (Colossians 3:16). It is about not being anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let my requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6–7). It is about being kept in perfect peace because He is always on my mind and I am always trusting Him for everything (Isaiah 26:3). It is about bringing rightness and beauty to dark places in love and with joy.

Jesus, this peace is also about looking at You instead of the mountain, or the storm, or the mess, or all the problems of life. It is Your peace, not a check mark beside each to-do item. It is like my daughter once said, “Mom, you don’t have to hurry on the inside.” I thank You for the peace of heart that comes from knowing You. My to-do list is not shorter, but that sense of it being too much has shriveled up into, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Wow, how I love You!

READ Philippians 4:4–9 and try not to forget any of it as I tackle today’s tasks that God has given me, and do them as if Jesus is doing them. May I deeply desire to bring peace into the lives of those who need it.

 

 

Faith in Jesus wins spiritual wars

For the past few days, Satan attacked me but I didn’t recognize what he was doing. I’ve never felt so discouraged and helpless. His methods are deceptive and the results are not easily traced back to their source. For a day or two, I wondered if this was depression, insanity, paranoia, losing my mind, or what. I didn’t want to talk to anyone and anything I could do was by rote.

Last night, a cousin called. I’ve not talked to her for years. She is mildly religious, makes quilts, and likes to laugh. We chatted for 90 minutes. I almost felt normal until I got off the phone. Then those black clouds rolled over me again.

This morning, remembering Sunday’s good message on putting on the armor of God, I began to think about truth. I wanted to get out of the pit that pulled me down. Two songs came to mind: “Jesus loves me” and “I am a child of God.” Singing them helped.

After breakfast I came to my desk and remembered a file somewhere on my computer that lists truth about my identity in Christ. It was easy to find, so I printed it out and read the first two items:

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (John 1:12) I am a child of God.”

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) I have peace with God.”

As soon as I noted that today’s devotional heading is, “Getting Priorities in Order” I knew I was on the right track. While it seems obvious now, in that pit truth had been ground in the mud and made no sense. Seeing it in black and white drove away the fog.

Without going into details, the gist of the enemy’s attack was a strong example of: “If you cannot make a plain statement understandable to another person, how can you pray to God in such a way that He hears and understands you?”

Satan does not want me to pray. This lie seems silly and easy to identify now, but at the time it was as if all my light was turned off. If this ‘suggestion’ was not enough, he kept hitting me with negative reinforcement, such as “God never hears you.” “He never answers your prayers.” “He reinterprets them so what you say is not His will.” Blah, blah, blah.

Tozer’s words were not helpful. He was writing of a place I am not in, but his selected passage of Scripture blesses me:

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33–36)

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, even though I’m still feeling a bit weak and wounded, I now understand more about the ways of that old snake, and more about how to gain victory over his lies. Truth will do it. You do hear and answer our cries from the heart, even if I cannot express them with my mouth. You know how to open my eyes so I can see and understand what is happening. You know how much I can take, and what to do to bring me out of a dark place. In the innermost part of me, I know that the enemy’s strategy is to discourage me from praying. He will distract, destroy, and tell me lies so that I will not talk to You. He did all that, but You heard me anyway. To You be glory forever!