In Paul’s letter to the Galatian church, he listed several qualities that he felt marked the growth of a believer. He called those qualities, the Fruit of the Spirit. Among them is the fruit of ‘peace.’
Peace was important to Paul. So much so that he began every one of his 13 letters with the same greeting, ‘May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace’.
In Paul’s day, peace was not generally considered something to grasp. The Roman Empire had been built upon war and military occupation. On top of that, there was an ongoing dispute between the Jews and the Gentiles. Within the fledgling church, there were struggles between Jewish Christians and Gentile believers. Paul struggled with peace in his own life. Luke tells us in Acts 15, of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas that was so raucous, that it led to them going their separate ways.
You would think that with the word ‘Peace’ appearing 362 times in scripture, that peace would be fairly easy to find. Unfortunately, true peace is elusive. In our world, we see the results of the lack of peace everywhere we look. Warring nations, warring political parties, warring families, even warring within our denomination. Without a doubt, peace is something that we all need to add to our lives.
So, let’s start with a definition of ‘peace’. According to the Oxford dictionary, peace can be defined as ‘freedom from disturbance’ or ‘tranquility.’
The Hebrew word translated ‘peace’ is Shalom. Shalom is more than just ‘freedom from disturbance.’ Shalom is a blessing, a manifestation of God’s divine grace.
In the Psalms, peace is equated with God’s presence in one’s life.
Psalm 4:8: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone,
O Lord, will keep me safe.”
Psalm 23:2 “He leads me beside peaceful waters.”
In the Gospels, peace is a gift from God.
Mark 5:34: Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
John 14:7: “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 how do we add more peace to our lives? For me, the short answer is by turning off the television and social media and spending more time with Jesus.
Practices like prayer and meditation; fasting and submission; serving and worship all help to bring peace to my life. The more I fill my heart with practices that bring me closer to Jesus, the more ‘peace’ I have.
My prayer for you today, comes again from the pen of Paul whose final words to the Thessalonians were, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.”