Blessed Peace

 

Proverbs 4:20-23 “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

This week Michael write that the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12 are Jesus’ beautiful attitudes. The beautiful thing about attitudes is that they are a choice ... freedom of choice. God has given each of us a free will and we’re in control of our attitudes. The natural, humanistic world thinks that we’re victims of the world’s bad choices and negative attitudes. However, we’re not victims because God gives His people the power to control their hearts. 2 Peter 3:14 says, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.” This is why keeping our hearts aligned with God’s holy and righteous Word, Will and Way with all diligence is a command. Then when we keep our hearts with all diligence, the blessing of God will pour out of it. 

The Old Testament law shows us that we’re powerless in our sin nature to keep the letter of the Law of God. It shows us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everybody agrees that nobody is perfect. In order to reconcile, we must meet at the foot of the cross. Jesus Christ is the solution to irreconcilable differences. There is no peace without the prince of Peace.

In John 6:15, Jesus said to the multitude who tried to elect him as their king, That’s not why I’m here. The children of Israel had read the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. They thought that their Savior would be a political Messiah to deliver them from the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire. However, Jesus said, my peace is not of this world. In John 14: 27, He said, “my peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as this world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” This peace is truly “Heavenly rest”; the blessed happiness of heaven.

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers [one who makes peace by reconciling parties that are at variance] for they shall be called the children of God.” According to 2 Corinthians 5, God has sent His ambassadors to deliver a peace treaty from the kingdom of Heaven. We who are born again of His Spirit are His ambassadors sent by our Sovereign Lord to deliver God’s divine treaty to a fallen world. He has given us the word of reconciliation and committed to us the ministry of reconciliation to reconcile people back to God through His Son Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for their sins. To know Jesus is to know blessed peace. Luke 19:38 “‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

 

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace! 

Your brother in Christ, Michael