The Fruit of the Spirit is...PEACE

A toddler and a dog - they could bring peace or chaos I suppose.
We are happy to have both of them in our lives. :-) And though there
is sometimes some physical chaos that doesn't need to change our peace that is on the inside.

  Peace.... the Greek word "eirene" means prosperity, one, peace, quietness, rest, set at one again. I think this is something that we all crave but something many in this world are missing. I believe that the peace that God gives by His Spirit inside us could be one of the biggest attractions of Christianity. We live in a world full of anxiety and strife and we have a God who offers us peace. This peace doesn't mean we won't face hard times or angry people or other troubling circumstances but it does allow us to have inner peace in the midst of the struggles.

    One of my biggest prayers for the people in Ukraine this past year has been that they would find peace. I would love for the peace to be obvious to the world by the fighting to stop but I have also been praying that they would find the inner peace that comes from Jesus Christ even in the midst of their war torn country. It has been so very exciting to me to hear many stories of just that happening - of so many turning their lives over to Jesus Christ. God is at work in Ukraine and that is so very exciting to me.

   Anyway, I want to share some verses that I have been meditating on for the month of March....

"Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it." Psalm 34:14

We know that peace is a fruit of the Spirit - it is also something that we should pursue. How do we do that? I think part of it is mentally making the choice to be someone who is not easily angered or offended. Also to daily (hourly!)make the choice to trust God with everything that is going on in our life. 

This song reminds me to do that in a beautiful way.

Romans 5:1-11 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

The only peace that truly matters in life is having peace with God. We gain access to that through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross to pay the price for our sins.

This scripture explains it more...

Eph 2:11-22 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
   For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

How thankful I am to Jesus Christ who has given us peace with God and peace with others!

Here is one of my favorite verses on the subject of peace. I challenge you to follow this to the 
very best of your ability and see how God will transform your life. I have experienced this sort of peace in my life and I am incredibly grateful!

Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

 Romans 8:5 & 6 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

  I find that it needs to be a daily effort to keep my mind focused on the Spirit. Some practical things that help with that is to spend time in God's word (by reading, meditating, memorizing), Pray through your day, pray with others, be intentionally grateful and spend time listening to (and singing) songs of worship to God. 

 I included this picture that I took a week or so ago after I had shoveled out the front walks following a snowstorm. It hasn't changed a lot since - we have gotten a little more snow but some has also melted. It is a very peaceful sort of setting but most people don't find it so when it is Spring and they are really hoping for some grass instead of snow. People can get a little testy up here when another snowstorm gets predicted at this time of year. I think weather is one of the easiest ways for me to sit back and realize that God has this all in control. There isn't anything that I can do to change it anyway - I might as well enjoy whatever comes and live in peace. That area is easy for me to pursue peace in but I do have my own struggles. This picture also shows some ice dams that our roof has collected this winter. I have had a few anxious thoughts about those and the potential damage that they could do to our house. I have taken it to God though and researched things to do to solve the problem and I have been working at getting them to melt in a good way and I do have peace in this situation. It isn't solved completely yet but I know God is with me in it. 

I just had to share also this picture of my pretty baby sister and her newest baby (along with the 2nd youngest). Juliette came out into the world to join our big family in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. We are so happy that she is here!

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.