peace , 5. an undisturbed state of mind; serenity, 6. calm; quite. (Webster's New World Dictionary, 1968 edition) peace , eirene G1515, Strong's Greek Lexicon: 3. security, safety, prosperity, felicity( because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous).
Many times in my life I have sought peace. In one of my trials I asked God for just 15 minutes of peace each day. I would even daydream of being back on the farm, chopping weeds out of the bean field, in the heat of the day and chopping weeds anytime of the day was dreaded back then. Why did I look back to that point of time? Because chopping weeds didn't require much interaction with things and the world, it was just the weeds and me, and the only prerequisite was to know the difference between a weed and a soybean.
I have sought peace in this world by changing jobs, reading every self-help book I could get my hands on, meeting new people, buying things, and going on vacation etc..., but I haven't realized until just recently that I was born with peace. My peace has been with me all along. I have just traded it for doubt, disbelief, pride, anger, selfishness, material possessions, pleasing others, and worldly thinking.
Satan had done a good job of throwing the lure of negative thinking before me, and I took it. I then allowed those thoughts to take me from the lake of serenity and promise, to being tossed aside to a self imagined bank of fear, self doubt, and for a moment, a state of hopelessness. I had traded the peace of mind I had as a child, over time, for thoughts of self-doubt, fear, and unfulfilled goals. He robbed me of my peace through deception, but he didn't cause me to lose my faith in God nor my family, although my faith was weak at times. I trusted in myself to get my peace of mind back instead of using God and His word. (The reason I now have a library full of self help books.)
I can remember when my peace started to leave me. It was my freshman year of college. The spirit of my identity was slowly crushed. I am getting my spirit back, my identity, and also the inner peace I have been missing for several years. I have read in Colossians 2:8, Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. I wish I had read this in High School. I could have saved myself a lot of inner turmoil.
I have desired peace many times and I pursued the things I thought would give me peace. What I learned was if I seek after material things, I will only receive material peace. Meaning material things are only temporary. Here is a good example. Do you have money in an I.R.A., 401K or other investments? With the market going down do you have peace or fear. The majority of my clients the last several years were peaceful when the market was going up, but when the market turned south, fear quickly displaced their peace.
Here is what I have learned, and I have learned it the hard way, that for peace to remain with me, I have to pursue it among eternal things. Here is an example of what I am talking about. I have tried to lay up treasures on earth and it was like a dog chasing its tail and peace of mind was a continual chase also. I finally started practicing what I had been preaching and followed the advice of our savior, Jesus Christ. He said, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is , there your heart will also be. (Matthew 6:19-21,NKJV) God has promised if I lay up treasures in heaven, they are safe. The market of the world and the Devil can't steal them from me.
These treasures provide eternal peace. How do I obtain these treasures and eternal peace? I have to pursue them. Let's look at the apostle Paul. Before he was converted, he persecuted Christians with a passion. He caused some to be stoned to death. After he was converted, he went and preached the Gospel of Christ. How could he have peace, knowing he had persecuted the very people he was now a part of? In Philippians 3:13-14, he says, Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal and the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (NKJV) Paul did not let the sins and guilt of the past rob him of reaching toward those eternal things of the future. Paul then said in Philippians 4:6-7, Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.(NKJV) In other words, fear will not overtake your peace if you do this.
Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22 to pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. Peter tells Christians in 1 Peter 3:11 to turn from evil, do good and seek peace and pursue it. How do we pursue peace? Can I build such a faith and trust in God that the trials I have in this life will not rob me of my peace? Deb has Parkinson's disease, I have just retired from one career and started another with a dream so big I will fail unless I depend upon God and His strength to help me. Fear of uncertainties is banging on the door trying to get in and replace the peace I now have. How can I maintain my peace? How can you?
I have found in order to hold on to the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, I have to have a pleasing faith in Him. I have to believe in His promises and His love for me. In writing my first book, The Heart Behind the Stone, I learned how to build a faith that pleases God. One that builds a trust in God and the word He has left us with. When David went to carry provisions to his brothers, he never dreamed he would be slaying the giant, Goliath. His quiet time with God in the wilderness helped him to develop such a belief, faith and trust in his God, that he was always giant ready.
David writes in Psalm 34:14 to depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. Please read all of Psalm 34. David writes about the happiness of those who trust in God. Did David ever sin against God? Yes he did, but it grieved him when he was confronted with his sin. He wrote the beautiful Psalm 51. A psalm of his repentance. You can read in this psalm the love David had for God. We can read of his desire to have his relationship with God restored. In verse 10-13 we read of his plea. Create in me a clean heart , O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me to the joy of your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. (NKJV)
David's faith in God was developed at an early age. He had many trials in his life, but he valued the peace of God in his life. We can have that same peace. A peace that is eternal and nothing can replace it, unless we let it. Satan used the lust of the flesh to rob David of his peace. It worked, but David's love for God caused him to pursue that same peace again, and I believe he did. We are the gatekeepers of our peace. Do you have this peace or the traditional, temporary peace?
Got Peace? You can have it? Pursue it with belief, faith, hope and trust in God, His Son and His Spirit and you will learn how to get it and keep it.
Thanks for reading. You can read to your children how David obtained his faith in my book, The Heart Behind the Stone: Develop a Giant Slaying Heart, by going to www.amazon.com . If you enjoyed today's post please send me your comments at rhepler52@yahoo.com.
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Rick
