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The Gift of Peace, January 29
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
.
Sin has destroyed our peace. While self is unsubdued we can find no
rest. The masterful passions of the heart no human power can control.
We are as helpless here as were the disciples to control the raging storm.
But He who spoke peace to the billows of Galilee has spoken the word
of peace for every soul. However fierce the tempest, those who turn to
Jesus with the cry, “Lord, save us,” will find deliverance. His grace, which
reconciles the soul to God, quiets the strife of human passion, and in
His love the heart is at rest.... “Being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (
Romans 5:1
). “The work of
righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness
and assurance for ever” (
Isaiah 32:17
).
Whoever consents to renounce sin and open his heart to the love of
Christ, becomes a partaker of this heavenly peace. There is no other
ground of peace than this. The grace of Christ, received into the heart,
subdues enmity; it allays strife and fills the soul with love. He who is at
peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made miserable. Envy will
not be in his heart; evil surmisings will find no room there; hatred cannot
exist. The heart that is in harmony with God is a partaker of the peace
of heaven and will diffuse its blessed influence on all around. The spirit
of peace will rest like dew upon hearts weary and troubled with worldly
strife.
Christ’s followers are sent to the world with the message of peace.
Whoever, by the quiet, unconscious influence of a holy life, shall reveal the
love of Christ; whoever, by word or deed, shall lead another to renounce
sin and yield his heart to God is a peacemaker.
And “blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God” (
Matthew 5:9
). The spirit of peace is evidence of their connection
with heaven. The sweet savor of Christ surrounds them. The fragrance of
the life, the loveliness of the character, reveal to the world the fact that
they are children of God. Men take knowledge of them that they have
been with Jesus.
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