12-23-2021

Good Morning All!

     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 hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

     One of life’s ironies, if you ask people what they truly want in this world most would probably answer, peace. Yet we go at such a frenetic pace, we struggle to keep going and tomorrow will be no better. It will involve the same usual hectic pace. This pace will usually end up with us becoming stressed out about something.

   It might be our boss or coworker. Why does the boss give you an hour’s worth of work fifteen minutes before it is time to go home and want it the first thing in the morning? Why does he expect you to put in 20 hours of overtime one week but then show some skewed graph about the “average” overtime is only 4.75 hours in a week? It might be the people around you as you drive in the parking lot. Apparently, they got their driver’s license free with the purchase of a happy meal.  Maybe it is your family or family-in-law.  What do they mean that they decided to move the family get together up a week and they want you to bring the ham and roast beef? How many are planning on staying at our house?  Why does your neighbor have loud parties every weekend?

    There are many things which drive us crazy and cause us to have no peace. Some are outside of us, but they usually go away. It is the inward things which really cause us to have no peace. We are like the young rich man who, when told by Jesus that to be perfect he must sell everything, we go away sad; we go away without peace. The young man was not perfect, that is complete or whole, because he sought out his happiness and peace from sources other than God. We too, seek out peace and comfort in sources other than God.

     I read an article where they surveyed 1000 women and 23% said if they could do it over, they would choose a different spouse. I do not know how accurate that is, but it does indicate that they are not happy or (more likely) they think they could be happier. Someone else would have done a better job. The real danger of that is no person makes us happy or gives us peace. This only comes from God and knowing that we are saved by God, we are loved by God, and we are sustained by God.  It is when we seek peace in money or looks or fame or in drugs and alcohol; the world and our sinful nature pulls us down and pulls us away from true peace.

    God’s gift to us is his peace. This is what the heavenly host sang about on the first Christmas; “Peace on earth.”   This does not mean that suddenly everyone stopped fighting with their neighbor; it means that God gives us inner peace. We can have peace with ourselves because God gives it to us. The boss will still be who he is, and the other drivers will be who they are, but we can have true peace knowing that our salvation is secure, and that God wants us to have his peace here on earth.

Dear Father, we long for your peace and you generously give it. Yet there are times when we seek our peace form other sources and we become troubled and lost. Keep us in your arms and guide by your Word. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret