Peace

Peace on earth...good will towards men

Peace be with you...and also with you

Shalom...

..and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will be yours..

Peace.  It's a beautiful term we throw around often.  In the 70's, it was an icon.  Today, it's more a state-of-mind.  Do you have it?  Where do you get it?  How does it come?  How can you make it last?

Most of my life I've viewed peace as an emotion or a feeling.  Almost like an overwhelming calmness that saturates every inch of my being, inside and out.  Regardless of situation, circumstance or any external forces...peace is being 'ok' in spite of those.  Right?

Jesus talked about peace often.
"the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives." John14:27

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me" John16:33

"go, in peace" Mark5:34

"live in peace with one another" Mark9:50

Paul, one of the major New Testament authors, greets his readers repeatedly with the phrase, "grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus!"

What does it mean, exactly?  What was Jesus (and Paul) trying to communicate with that word?  Was it merely the absence of affliction, conflict or turmoil?  A warm, fuzzy feeling or emotion?  Maybe, but maybe it's more...

Romans tells us that 'the wages of sin is death.'  That without the sacrificial covering and work that Jesus did for us on the cross and the power held in His resurrection..we are enemies of God.  Enemies.  At war.  Our sin-nature is literally at war with the holiness of God...where there is sin there cannot be peace.  We cannot be friends.  In Him there is no sin, so because He is holy and without sin, He cannot be with it...it would mean He was no longer holy...effectively making Him no longer God.

THIS is what makes the gospel aka 'the good news' of Jesus not just good but GRACE!  Jesus accomplishes for us, what we cannot do on our own.  His payment of our sin (not His own, He led a sin-less life) on the cross and resurrection not only defeats sin and death on our behalf but it allows us to be friends with God.  The battle was won...where there was once war and death, we now have peace..and life!  Picture Israel right now if they were in a time of peace, instead of war.

Jesus told us that He doesn't give us peace like the world gives...the peace He brings isn't a mere emotion or state of being, though it can be those things too.  It's  not just the absence of conflict or affliction, though it can encompass that.  But the peace we have in Jesus is that the war of sin and death is over...defeated...He is victorious!  And in Him, we are too.  No longer enemies of God, but friends, at peace...and even better...adopted, beloved children!

I'm not sure I'll be able to throw the word around as much now that I've seen a bigger picture of just what peace we truly have in Christ!  The next time you pray for peace in someone's life or circumstances...remember that we're praying for the battle of sin to be won in their lives through Jesus, more than a warm fuzzy feeling in their heart...though, sometimes the two go hand in hand :)

Reminder

My son is 5...well, he'll be 6 very soon.  He is rambunctious, curious, energetic, creative, rambunctious...!  Sometimes I forget that this sweet, kind, very big hearted little boy is just that-a little boy!  Sometimes I expect him to act like a big kid or to remember the 25 times previous (in one day) that I've told him to stop fighting the sofa with his light saber!  But the truth is, he's 5.  Sure he can be a 'selective listener' (a skill I'm pretty sure he's learning from his daddy), and he can be rebellious and defiant.  But 98% of the time, he's just a little boy, who is so enthralled and enchanted by his surroundings and his imagination that he needs to be lovingly lead...carefully reminded who he is and the boundaries of  his world.

I'm not 5 anymore, by a lot of years!  I'm reliable on most days to behave, listen and not entice the couch to a light saber battle.  But I still forget.  I still lose sight of who I am, and the boundaries of my world.  I still need to be lovingly lead, carefully guided and reminded.  It's a task I can't do for myself the way I can for my own son and daughter, while they are young.

Romans 1:3-4 says:
'Concerning the Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord'

Paul needed to remind his fellow believers in Rome just Who this Jesus that they were building their faith upon and church around, was.  He wasn't just a good Rabbi, though He was the best to ever live.  He wasn't just a performer of miraculous signs and wonders, though He revealed the absolute power of God in amazing ways during His life.  He wasn't just a prophet as they had learned of in previous generations.  Jesus is the Messiah!  He's the One the scriptures have been pointing to, revealing and prophesying about!  He is fully man-descended from the line of David, just like scriptures foretold.  He's also fully and powerfully God's own son-shown in His all-powerful defeat and victory over all sin and death itself in His resurrection from the grave!  This Jesus, isn't just good and helpful, He IS life itself, the reason we are here and the rock on which we build our faith, our church, our everything!

I needed this reminder today, just as those in Rome did so many years ago.  I need this reminder everyday as I forget who I am, or should I say whose I am.  This story isn't about me.  But because of who He is, I get to be a part if it.  This isn't about my perfection or successes, but His perfection for me!  I'm sure to forget, but He is faithful to remind.

identity

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures," (Romans 1:1, 2 ESV)

I typically glaze over introductory words like these. Even in study, I would expect to find the 'meatier' words found within the middle of books/chapters. But have you ever started to read a book from the middle? Oh sure, most times we can catch up to what the author is saying, who each character is, storyline etc...but if we miss those first introductions, we miss richness and context that enhance and enlighten the words that follow after.  In fact, it might even change the whole story.

If you read much Scripture, the first words in this chapter can seem redundant. Paul is credited with writing many New Testament books. He often begins in this same manner, introducing or reaffirming who he is to the audience of his letter. But this isn't just a generic reminder of his genealogy or an apathetic spring board so he can get to his point. These words contain his very identity, and it's within this identity that the rest of his words, found in many letters written to many new testament churches, find their meaning and authority.

Identity. It's a pretty hot topic in our culture right now. Who am I? Why am I here? These questions have been asked by every living soul since the beginning of time--literally. What Paul is communicating here is that the message he brings to the believers in Rome isn't his own. In fact, he isn't his own. He belongs to Christ (see first post on Romans), has been called to 'go and teach/make students' of Jesus by Christ himself. The message of rescue and freedom he is bringing is a message straight from God-for the glory of God..not from Paul, for the glory of Paul. It is the message of hope that has been told since the fall of man as recorded in earliest of Scriptures. Every word, every person, every law spoken through prophets in the holy scriptures (old testament) has pointed to and proclaimed the coming rescue, redemption and reconciliation for us-to God-in Jesus.

Without this introduction, Paul's identification, the words that follow don't hold water. If Paul was just Paul-a guy trying to make a name for himself, his readers wouldn't have found life and hope in the words that followed.  The rest of the letter wouldn't make much impact. Who we are, reflects in what and how we speak and act and how our lives play out.  Are we the main character or is Christ?

Identity. Who am I? Why am I here? These aren't just cliche words. If I were to examine every facet of my life- Who/what am I identified by? 
What propels how I live and the choices I make every day? 
Am I here to try and make a name for myself or is there more? 
As a follower of Jesus, a student-called by God, am I living to tell others about Him, as an ambassador of His great love and freedom?

This thing called life...it's His story...let's not skip the introductions and miss out on who we are and why we're here.