Peacemaker Primjer

The Gift of Peace

John 14:27 says, “I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Jesus promises the peace that passes all understanding because we will find ourselves in situations we do not understand.

This peace promise from Jesus came at a time when his disciples’ lives were falling apart, yet Jesus was guaranteeing peace. Obviously, the peace Jesus has to offer has nothing to do with how things are going.

We tend to blame our tensions and stress on the latest crisis surrounding us. If we have to eliminate crises to get peace, then we’re doomed to be slaves to stress.

But remember, stress has little to do with external pressure. It comes from the inside. A house doesn’t get messy because it’s windy outside. It is messy because of internal disorder.

Peace is not the absence of warlike darkness is the absence of light. Peace is not refraining from shooting your neighbor when his dog digs a hole in your new lawn. Peace is not avoiding a fight with your spouse by avoiding the hot topic. Peace is not found in the stillness of a mountain meadow, or the steam of a warm bath, or the disjointed tinkling of spa music with your tea.

It is estimated that in all the history of humanity, less than eight percent of recorded history can be described as times of peace. In the last thirty-two centuries, there have been fewer than three hundred years of peace. Historians tell us that within the previous three hundred years, there have been 286 wars in Europe alone. And from 1500 B.C to AD. 1860, more than 8000 treaties of peace were signed, meant to remain in force forever. However, the average time they actually stayed in effect was only two years.

The truth is, that people (you and I), on our own do not get along with each other. Our courts are full of people who cannot get along. We fight and we bicker. We criticize each other. We tear each other down. On our own, we have difficulty living in harmony and peace with one another.

Yet, into our squabbling, war-torn world, God sent His personal, visible, representative of “peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” Jesus came to proclaim peace. His gift to us.