The Peace of God

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

The world longs for it. We have access to it. The scriptures describe it. God blesses us with it. Heaven overflows with it. Yet it seems there is never enough to go around.

Psalm 85:4 Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.

No one can have peace until they are right with God. The covering of the sacrifices in the Old Testament times gave a temporary peace, but didn't settle the problem that kept cropping up deep down, because it did not change the nature of a person. The value of an animal's life was not equal to the value of a person.

Psalms 85:7 Show us Your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation.

Only God, the holy, righteous Creator, was untouched by the curse which distorted creation and brought sin into the world as our nature was warped from the way God made it. He was willing to plunge into the cesspool we lived in so that we would have a way out to the cleanliness He inhabits.

Psalm 85:9 Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land.

As we accept His offer and start rejecting the old life, repenting of our old choices, letting the Spirit wash us with the Word and cleanse our lives of even those "choice" things we used to hold as valuable, walking out our salvation process, we find that His love, which is evidenced daily in so many little ways, saturates our thoughts and feelings, building in us confidence and assurance that His grace is what lifts us up, and not our works or worth which we know are all too fallible.

Psalm 85:10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Grim, stern, unyielding righteousness and peaceable, accepting love meet, bridging the gap we could never span. Holiness and grace find a common ground of love for mankind and form a way where there was none. Hope blossoms where only starkness existed before. Peace starts to grow on the inside and the fruit is visible to those outside. Others take notice of it, looking at their own lives and wondering how they can get the same thing for themselves.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.

God of our salvation, thank You again today for Your salvation that we are walking in. Your peace is a hallmark of the work You are doing in our hearts and lives. You deserve the praise for this alone, Lord, as it is the foundation for all You desire to do in us and for us. Give us a greater revelation of Your love that we may give You the greater praise as we love You with all our hearts, minds, soul, and strength.

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