The Gift Of Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” John 14:27

Have you ever thought about the three things you can do with a gift?

You have a few options. You can ignore gifts, which of course means you can’t reap the benefits of the gift. You can also just flat out reject gifts, maybe because you don’t need it or you just aren’t interested. Then, of course, you can accept a gift.

The peace of Jesus is a gift to you; you can ignore it, reject it, or accept it. But how do you receive this peace? Scripture shows us a few ways.

1) By casting your cares and anxieties on Christ (1 Peter 5:7). If you want this peace, you have to start by taking everything robbing you of peace and casting it on Jesus.

2) By prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). If you’re worried, anxious, or disturbed over something, you take it to Jesus in prayer. You say, “Lord, I’m anxious and I don’t want to be anxious, so I’m going to give this to you. The opposite of peace is discord, and prayer is the prescription for peace.

3) By keeping your mind on God. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” The source of many of your anxieties might be that you’re just focusing on the wrong things. What you focus on sets the agenda for your mind, so focus on God.

Today, reflect on times when you have ignored, rejected, or accepted the peace of Christ. What made the difference, and how can you be more intentional about receiving and living in the peace Jesus offers?