The Fruit of the Spirit Pt.3: Peace (Part 2)
Last time in this series we focused on how we can have the immeasurable blessing of...
(1) PEACE WITH GOD
In this article, we'll focus on two other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit peace.
(2) PEACE WITHIN YOUR SOUL
By having peace with God, we can also experience the peace of God in our lives each day. Being reconciled to God through Jesus, we are no longer alienated from Him. We can abide in His presence (Psalm91v1-2). We can find our rest in Him (Psalm 62v1,6). Indeed, we can enjoy deep inner rest in our souls, even in disturbing, distressing circumstances (Matthew 11v28-29). This is Jesus' supernatural peace which He promises us in John 14v27, 'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you.' Isaiah recorded wonderful words of promise about this supernatural peace in chapter 26v3, 'You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because He trusts in You!' Believers in Christ who keep trusting in the Lord's complete sovereignty, infinite wisdom, and perfect goodness and love, even in dark, troubled hours, are kept in His perfect peace.
Romans 15v13 is Paul's prayer for the Christians at Rome in the midst of their persecution; 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him!' It is the believer who looks deliberately to Christ in faith hour by hour who experiences this wonderful, supernatural peace in their heart.
Paul likens the peace of God to a sentry standing on guard, protecting our hearts and minds. In Philippians 4v7, he wrote, 'the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus!' So, even when we're hit by devastating setbacks and sorrows, the peace of God can keep our souls still and calm. This peace of God is beyond human understanding. People who don't know Christ can't fathom why Christians can be so calm in the midst of trauma and tragedy. It is as we exercise our faith in Christ in every circumstance that we're blessed with this heavenly peace in our souls.
We must be aware of enemies to the fruit of the Spirit peace in our lives.
(i) UNCONFESSED SIN
Unconfessed sin and God's peace will never live together. No one can have sin ruling in their life and the peace of God guarding their heart. When peace is lost through wrong-doing in our lives, there is only one way to recover it. We must confess our sin to God and repent of it, placing all our trust solely in Christ's sacrifice for our forgiveness. We must rely on God's precious promise that, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1v9).
(ii) CONSTANT WORRY
One of the most common sins is worry. Unless worry is conquered day by day in our lives, we will not experience God's peace.
· In Matthew chapter 6v25-34 Jesus exhorts us not to be anxious about our daily needs but to trust our Heavenly Father to care for us. We are far more precious to Him than the birds of the air whom He feeds day by day.
· In Philippians chapter 4v6 Paul exhorts us, 'Do not to be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God!'
As we depend on our God and ask Him to meet our needs, He will grant us His peace.
Perhaps, as you read this article, you are weighed down by worries? Very few of us live carefree lives with no worries. This is the way to deal with our worries. Pour out your heart in prayer to God our Father and tell Him all about your cares and concerns. Ask Him for His gracious help and leave your burdens with Him. Trust Him to help you with your pressing concerns, and thank Him for all that He has done for you in the past and how He will undertake for you in the present and future. As you commit all your worries into His care, His peace will guard you from anxiety.
(iii) UNGODLY AMBITION
The desire to get to the top is one of the deepest drives of human nature. If such ambition gets a hold of our hearts, it can cause real restlessness in our souls. Many of us have a strong urge to get on in our careers, to achieve our goals, to develop our relationships, to increase our possessions. Of course, being ambitious isn't necessarily wrong. But our ambitions are often marred by our selfishness, and we can fall into the trap of thinking that we're failures if we don't achieve all our ambitions.
How are we to deal with unfulfilled ambitions? Paul had discovered the secret of being content in any and every situation. The secret is simple but profound.
we're to be captivated by Christ in every circumstance
we're to remember we possess in Christ the pearl of great price!
we're to treasure Jesus above all, even on our darkest days
we're to rejoice in our Master's incomparable character
we're to rest on our Saviour's finished work and promise of daily provision
we're to devote ourselves to Christ and to abide in Him each day
By the enabling of the Spirit, Paul was able to delight himself in Christ even when he was appallingly abused, mistreated and flung into prison without any justice!! That is why he was able to declare, 'I have learned the secret of being content in every situation!'
(iv) UNWISE OVERACTIVITY
The speed and pressure of life today can be a serious threat to our inner peace. With increased mobility, means of communication and opportunity in modern life, there can often be a temptation for us to be overactive. We can feel the urge to fill up every hour of every day with work and all sorts of other activities. But if we try to squeeze in too much to our day, the result will be lots of stress for us and those close to us. Our ability to carry out our most important responsibilities will suffer. In such a hectic lifestyle, we are always playing catch up, and we can become fretful and irritable.
There is a remedy for over-activity. The answer, of course, isn't to say 'No!' to everything. The remedy is to be discerning about what you take on. We need to be wise in what we commit ourselves to. We must choose to focus on matters of top priority. We must leave other activities to the side, even though they may be very worthwhile.
Our Saviour is a wonderful example. In His three-year ministry, Jesus didn't rush here, there and everywhere! Jesus confined Himself to the land of Israel and focused on His top priorities, of training His disciples and of declaring the Good News of the Kingdom of God. In His ministry, Jesus was busy in His Father's work, but He also took time out on a regular basis. He got His priorities right. He kept in step with the Spirit. He always made wise choices in line with His Father's will.
To grow more Christ-like and to experience Christ's peace, it's imperative that we learn to prioritise. Pray for discernment in your decisions about what to do and not to do. Pray for the Lord to help you to keep in step with the Spirit as you obey His commands. We live in a non-stop, 24/7 world. We're not to be running around like the proverbial headless chicken. We're to walk closely each day with our Good Shepherd, seeking to do the good works He has prepared for us to do.
(v) NEGATIVE THINKING
We can develop the damaging habit of entertaining negative thoughts. We can focus a lot on past failures or disappointments. We can be crippled with feelings of inferiority. We can be paralyzed with fears about the future. Our thoughts can be taken up with our weaknesses. Sometimes in our service for Christ, our minds can be dominated by defeatism. Instead of remembering that Christ has won the victory and that His saving purposes are being carried out in our rebellious world, our thoughts can be defeatist!
If such a pattern of negative thoughts takes hold of us, we can be overcome with despondency, discouragement and despair. And our peace in Christ is shattered. Such negative thinking can not only effect our relationships with God. It can also put great strain on our relationships with family and friends. We must take to heart and act on Paul's command in Philippians 4v8, 'Fill your minds with those things that are true and noble and right, with whatever is pure and lovely and admirable, with things that are excellent or praiseworthy!'
So, we've seen that the fruit of the Spirit peace involves firstly peace with God and, secondly, peace within our souls. Thirdly and finally, it also involves ...
(3) PEACE WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS
When Paul listed peace as one of the 9 fruit of the Spirit, he probably thought primarily of this peace between believers. The apostle had already warned the Galatians against 'biting and devouring each other' (Gal.5v15). Just before listing the fruit of the Spirit he warned the Galatians against sinful actions that would wreck their peace as God's family. He warned them about the danger of hatred, discord, jealousy and fits of rage in their church family. He warned them too about the danger of selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy in their church family.
The NT stresses the importance of being a peacemaker.
Matthew 5v9, Jesus said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers!'
Romans 12v18 Paul wrote, 'As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.'
Romans 14v19 Paul exhorts us, 'Make every effort to do what leads to peace.'
Ephesians 4v3 Paul urges, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Hebrews 12v14 'Make every effort to live at peace with all men.'
So the bible's exhortation is clear. Make every effort to be a peacemaker! But we must grasp that being a peacemaker doesn't mean having an easy-going, peace at any price kind of attitude. Being a peacemaker doesn't mean giving into wrong or injustice for the sake of maintaining the appearance of peace. The causes of disharmony in the church family must be courageously but graciously and wisely faced and dealt with. So, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit does not mean running away from the causes of disharmony, pretending they're not there!
In closing, note practical, biblical counsel about peace-making in times of conflict with fellow believers.
(i) Firstly, we must remember that we are fellow members of the same body and that we belong to one another. 1 Corinthians 12v12-13
(ii) Secondly, we must remember that it is Christ's body of which we are members. So, our Saviour's glory is at stake in our relationships with one another. Few things are as dishonouring to Christ as His people quarrelling and falling out.
(iii) Thirdly, in any fall-out, we must recognise our own responsibility, that possibly we are at least partly responsible for the difficulty or tension that has arisen. We must seek to have a genuine spirit of humility about our own responsibility rather than blaming the other person entirely and being blind to our own faults. If we are to be a peacemaker, we must be prepared to acknowledge to the other party any wrong action, attitude or words on our part. Being defensive about ourselves is dishonouring to Christ.
(iv) Fourthly, we must take the initiative to restore the peace.
Jesus taught in Matthew chapters 5 and 18 that it makes no difference whether you have wronged your brother or he has wronged you. Either way, you are always responsible to make the first move towards peace. If we are serious about being peacemakers, we won't be concerned about which of us is the offending party. We will have one goal - to restore peace in a godly manner.
These are practical, biblical steps to being a peacemaker.
The fruit of the Spirit is peace, peace with God, peace within our souls, and peace with brothers and sisters in Christ. May the Spirit produce His peace in all of us who know Christ day by day. For then, we will experience in increasing measure God's shalom reigning in our personal lives, our family lives and in our church family life. And the God of peace will be more fully glorified as we serve Him individually and together.
