Monday, October 15, 2012

Fruit of the Spirit Series: Peace- Part 3 of 9

            One of the best verses on peace in the Bible is John 14:27:
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
            Here, we can see very explicitly that there is a difference between the peace that the world gives and the peace that the Lord gives. I think it is pretty easy to see that the peace that comes from God has more to do with a firm confidence in the Lord and his purposes rather than necessarily being relaxed. This is the peace of God that stays around when we enter seasons of trials and sufferings, just like I mentioned with the fruit of Joy in the last post. In fact, there seems to be a strong connection between the fruits of joy and peace in the Bible. Take a look at Romans 15:13:
 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
              Here, we see that peace being present in our hearts is a working of the Holy Spirit in our lives that grows as we trust in him, and, combined with joy, leads the the overflowing of hope in our lives. This means that as we grow in our relationship with God over time, we learn to have both joy and peace in situations that look bleak because we know the one who is in control. No matter how things look, there is a hope that God  will deliver us from our situation with a knowledge that things will work out for the best, even if that result means suffering. Romans 8:28 tells us:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
        When I say this, I do not mean that God does not have grace on our weakness and deliver us in the way that we hope he will. He is intimately connected with our hearts and can hear their cries. The Psalmist says in Psalm 38:9:
 9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.
        Therefore, I am not asking you to suppress your emotions in an attempt to be "spiritual". God welcomes our doubts and actually wants us to express those doubts. For instance, many people know about how Job showed peace and patience when the trials came into his life. However, many people do not meditate on the fact that Job called out to the Lord to relieve him of his sufferings and questioned God about his justice in the face of such a daunting situation. After Job was answered by God, he was commended for what he had said while his accusers, who were unwilling to ask God tough questions, were condemned for their treatment of Job and for not having spoken rightly of God. Job 42:7 shows this:
7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
         Therefore, peace is a state of trust in God that also trusts that God is tough enough to handle our difficult questions. Peace is a fruit that is grown over time, just like all the other fruit of the Spirit. This means that there are times to seek peace in everyday life at work, on the road, and at home. In these situations, whether they are incompetent customers, angry friends or family members, or irresponsible drivers, peace is not cultivated through the suppression of emotion, but by seeking out God's face and placing trust in him.
         Another word on peace: Many people view peace as a solitary fruit that is meant to be feasted on alone. However, peace is not meant to be kept to oneself; it is to be spread and cultivated into the lives of those around us. When we face trials and dark times, these experiences prepare us to comfort others who will go through similar times and we are responsible for using these dark experiences as gifts to those around us. Look at 2 Corinthians 1:3-7:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
          There are two parts to this process: Firstly, we receive comfort from our God, who comforts us in all troubles. Secondly, we comfort others with the comfort that we received from God. This is done best in community, where several people can offer similar experiences and let the suffering friend know that they are not alone. This theme is echoed in 1 Peter 5:9 when it talks about resisting the devil:
 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
          Our knowledge of the suffering of our brethren is supposed to encourage and strengthen us as we face the battles of life. Not only the Christians who speak into your life, but Christians throughout world, and throughout history, have faced, are facing, and will face the same kind of trial that you now face. Take comfort in this because we know that God has shown himself faithful again and again in various manners and does not overlook any of his children who are in mourning. God will comfort you. In closing, meditate on Matthew 5:4:

4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
         Know that God will bless you and mend the tears in your heart, even the ones that are hidden from the rest of the world.
In Christ,
Simeon Snow

No comments:

Post a Comment