week 2: Joy/Peace
thursday
Peace is to be Shared
“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:11-13
There is nothing worse than feeling like everything is falling apart. That you are being held by a very thin line between being ok and completely losing it. That you are just a wound up piece of string afraid you will come unraveled with one little pull. This place is a scary, unstable, and terrible place to be that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. So if you could create a way where people didn’t have to feel this way would you do it? I absolutely would. Here’s the thing though - you and I actually have the power to do so through Christ. Through believing in and sharing the Gospel.
Can I just say we downplay the Gospel a lot in terms of it really having power over our lives. How many Christians do you know that are still feeling like a wound up piece of string? Perhaps you are one of them, or you know someone who is in this fragile state. What you and others needs isn’t good advice or practical resources to help cope. Good advice is helpful and practical resources are just that, practical, but not ultimately sustainable. What we need is good news. As Christians we need to be reminded of the good news, and non-Christians need to hear the good news. We need hope. Love. Peace. A firm understanding that ultimately we’re going to be ok even though the world and our circumstances don’t feel ok. We need to hear that in our sinful states, Christ died for us and made us pure. That all suffering in this life is not meaningless but purposeful and planned. That there is nothing that slips from the eyes of God and all injustice will be made just. That God is good, and in control. That we have hope in this life because Jesus conquered the world and he promises us eternal peace and unity with our Creator.
Do you know the means by which God shares His Gospel to the world and brings peace? Through us! God reveals His glory through us. That is the purpose of your life. You were not created to be a wound up ball. God created you to be on display like a beautiful and sturdy crochet blanket for all to see the image of God revealed through you. You and I have the secret to finding true peace because we have been given it through being born again. The peace of Christ is not supposed to be kept for ourselves but shared. It is to be shared through leading by example and through verbally proclaiming the good news - the good news that hope, peace, joy, and love is found in God.
When you go to the gym, or are going about your day are you looking for opportunities to share the peace of God, or are you keeping the good news to yourself? With your Christian friends are you reminding them that God loves them. That they have been redeemed. That they should not lose hope because they are a new creation in Christ. Are you saying that to yourself? We are to be externally focused to pursue peace with God, peace with others, and to help others see the peace they can have in Christ so we can expand God’s kingdom and bring peace. This is what we should be ultimately focusing our lives on.
Questions to Ponder:
Are you a wound up piece of string today? What can you do to focus yourself back to the ultimate peace found in God?
When was the last time you shared the peace of Christ with someone?
Today’s Reading: