My wife, Susie, and I have always placed a premium on peace in our home. Peace is something we value in our family and peace is something we work to protect in our marriage. Not that we never have conflict or differing opinions, but our priority is always to face those situations head on, and to restore the peace as quickly as is possible. This is not an ideal that we came up with on our own, but rather the highest and best wish of God for all Christians, much less a family living under the same roof: 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 

These verses (as well as countless others), make it clear that peace is something that God has given to us that must be preserved and protected. If we are not experiencing the ‘bond of peace’ in our families and relationships it is because to have been negligent in our responsibility to, ‘make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit’.

Some other verses that I’ve found myself meditating on over the last few days, present practical instructions on how to not only pursue peace but to stay at peace: 

Psalm 131
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.

The writer of Psalm 131 has experienced how wonderful complete submission to God is. Submission implies an attitude of humility (Micah 6:8). The opposite of humility is “haughty eyes” and a preoccupation “with great matters” (v.1) or as I like to say, ‘things above their pay grade’. 

Many of the things that steal our peace are things we are not responsible for and can do nothing about. The proud person looks, compares, competes, and is never content. He plans and schemes in his heart as to how he can outdo and outperform. The godly knows that true godliness begins in the “heart” that is not proud (Prov. 18:12), with eyes that do not envy (Prov. 16:5), and with a walk of life that is not preoccupied with “greatness” and with accomplishments.  

Quieting one’s soul is not something that we can pray and ask God to do for us, but rather something that each follower of Christ must learn to do themselves on a daily basis. So here are a few questions about peace to reflect on today:
 

1. Have you ever found yourself falling into the subtle trap of concerning yourself with ‘great matters or things too wonderful’ for you? Did this add to your peace or steal it from you?
2. How much to you value peace in your family and in your home? Is it one of you top priorities?
3. What are you actively doing today, “to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”? 
    

The first, and probably most important, question to answer when it comes to PEACE is, “What is it”? Today, we think of PEACE much differently than in the time of Christ. We usually think of peace as the absence of war, trouble or conflict. Even though a country may be ravaged, dying of disease and starving, as long as there are no bullets flying or bombs being dropped, we think of them as a nation at PEACE.

In Jesus time, PEACE meant something much different than the absence of conflict. In the New Testament PEACE had two basic understandings: 

1. Perfect well-being
2. Perfect relationships

Perfect Well-Being: This included health of spirit, soul and body. Everything that contributed to one’s personal good.  

Perfect Relationships: This included intimacy, honesty, fellowship and good-will. Everything that contributed to one’s social good. 

PEACE is found 88 times in the New Testament and there is no book in the New Testament that does not mention PEACE. The Apostle Paul begins every epistle he wrote with a prayer for PEACE and concludes almost every epistle with a prayer for PEACE as well.

Remember Jesus words in John 14:27: 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

I’ve heard John 14:27 referred to as Jesus’ last will and testament. Jesus had no worldly goods to leave, but he left us PEACE! Just like someone who has a winning lottery ticket in their hand, it does them no good until they claim what is theirs, many Christians today have never claimed the PEACE that Jesus has given them. So here is the big question for today: 

What are you doing today, to receive or ‘claim’ the PEACE that Jesus gave to you as one of his followers?  

Care to comment?
   

This Sunday, at VALLEY I’m starting a new message series for the Christmas season, “He Will Be Called”. I love the Christmas season because people’s hearts are more open to God at this time of the year than any other. A Sunday Christmas series offers a relevant connection to everything that is going on in the lives of church attenders Monday through Saturday during the holiday.  

As with every message series, I’ve tried to immerse myself in all of the applicable Scripture for the messages I’m preparing. While I’ve been studying and meditating on the primary text for the series (Isaiah 9:6), I’ve found some incredible truths about PEACE that I’d like to begin sharing here on GWM.

I was listening to MercyMe’s Christmas CD while getting ready for work one morning and the lyrics to the song, “I Heard the Bells” captured my attention regarding peace: 

I Heard the Bells - MercyMe 

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on Earth, good will to men 

And thought how as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on Earth, good will to men
I can hear them
I can hear them
I can hear them 

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on Earth” I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on Earth, good will to men 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead nor does He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on Earth, good will to men 

I can hear You
I can hear You
I can hear You

I could still hear You
The World can hear You 

Maybe, like the writer of the song, we fail to recognize the PEACE that God has brought to us through Christ? Perhaps the problem of ‘no peace on Earth’ is our doing as God has provided everything we need to have, “peace on Earth and good will to men” today? 

Check back here throughout the month as we explore some of the 250 verses in the Bible regarding PEACE and incredible promises God has given to us. We may just discover PEACE is not what we think it is and it is so much more.  

Yesterday, in our church gatherings at VALLEY Christian Church, we celebrated communion. It's always seems to blow me away after we come together as a church family to do as Christ commanded us and to remember his death. Yesterday seemed to be especially meaningful given the timing. Communion is the ultimate Thanksgiving feast for a follower of Christ.

It's interesting that Jesus never commanded us to celebrate his birth (Christmas), but he did command us to celebrate his death (communion) and resurrection (baptism) in these two sacraments of the church. The word sacrament comes from Latin and literally means 'pledge of allegiance'. No wonder that the Scripture instructs us, "As often as you do this". As Christ's followers, we are to regularly declare our allegiance to him above all else. Certainly there are many ways to do this, but it seems communion is one of the primary ways through which he instructed us to do so.

At VALLEY, we have chosen to celebrate communion 4x a year. We do this rather than every week or monthly as some churches do because we desperately want this remembrance of Christ's death to always be fresh and full of meaning and not become a stale rote ritual. We build our entire gathering around coming to the Lord's Table to share; from the worship songs selected, to the message given and finally to the sharing of the bread and the cup. The result is a life impacting experience that releases the full power of these great symbols in the life of a believer.

All day today, my mind has been returning over and over again to what I personally, as well as our congregation experienced yesterday through communion and my heart is full. If you're a church leader, I encourage you to seek God for creative ways to focus those who you lead on the powerful sacrament of The Lord's Supper. You'll be glad you did!