"The Source of Peace"

READ

John 15:5-8

Jesus is our peace. God offers everyone serenity of heart, but only those who receive Christ can actually accept the gift. The Holy Spirit, who lives inside everybody that believes in the Savior, can keep peace flowing like sap from a vine to its branches.

But sadly, this internal wellspring of peace is overlooked by many believers. Misguided Christians instead make false assumptions:

1. Some wrongly think peace is the result of perfect conditions. Even if we were able to achieve an ideal existence on this earth, we certainly couldn’t maintain it—or any resulting happiness—for long. This world is broken and will not yield serenity through circumstances.

2. Others believe peace and help must be requested from a faraway God. This is the best guess of people who don’t under-stand the union between the Lord and His followers. We do not need tranquility delivered from heaven; it is available to us immediately from Christ, who lives in us.

The Living Bible translation beautifully captures how a vital, peaceful relationship with Jesus should look: “And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him . . . Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him” (Col. 2:6-7).

We cannot be forced out of a state of tranquility unless we decide to seek peace apart from Jesus Christ. Serenity is a direct result of keeping a right relationship with Him. No outside force or situation can tamper with that connection—we partake of Jesus’ vital life through His Holy Spirit.

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!
 
DAWN