The Fruit of The Spirit - Peace

Read: Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 14:33a, Matthew 5:9, John 14:27, John 16:33, Isaiah 26:3, Romans 5:1, 1 Peter 3:10-11, 1 Peter 3:10-11, Romans 12:18, Colossians 3:15, Isaiah 48:18, 1 Peter 5:7  

Peace. It's something everyone deep down wants. Why wouldn't we?! Who really likes conflict, turmoil or anything else that is the opposite of peace?! 

We want peace in our home lives and work lives. 

We want peace during war time and peace in the world overall. 

We want peace within ourselves as we face much turmoil in this life. 

We want peace in every circumstance, however, the peace society has bought into isn't true peace because it's based on shifting standards.

So, what is peace and what is the Spiritual fruit of peace? How can we experience it? Do we have a responsibility to pursue it or can we go on "auto pilot" and let the Holy Spirit do it all?

In a practical sense, there are two types of peace. One is temporal while the other is lasting so we might call them Lasting Peace and General Pace. 

General Peace...Is based on momentary experiences - in other words, it's temporal. 

This type of peace is commonly what society wants and it's not bad in itself but it's flawed because again, it's temporal. It's also a common belief with this type of peace that peace is devoid of conflict however, peace doesn't mean you'll never experience conflict, rather, true peace can be experienced in the midst of conflict.

Lasting Peace...Comes through knowing The Prince of Peace. It comes from God through His Holy Spirit and isn't based on momentary experiences, in other words it's lasting and is not temporal. It's also based on the everlasting truths of God's Word. It's established on a firm foundation. God sent Jesus and Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Unless we receive Him (and not reject Him as the world does) we cannot experience true lasting peace. This peace, true peace can be experienced in the midst of conflict.

Jesus is the Prince of Prince and the Fruit of the Spirit of Peace is routed completely in Christ and comes from and can be experienced through abiding in and knowing Him!

Peace begins and ends with Jesus and He offers His peace to you freely! 

How do we experience Peace?...

1. You need to know Jesus to know lasting Peace! (See Romans 5:1)
2. You need to seek Peace and pursue it! (See 1 Peter 3:10-11) 
3. You are called to strive to be at Peace with others! (See Romans 12:18)
4. You need to let His Peace rule in your heart! (See Colossians 3:15) 
5. You need to pray often and ask The Holy Spirit to help you grow in Peace and all of The Fruit of The Spirit. 

As you experience and grow in true peace, you will (or should) also grow as a peacemaker! 

This isn't always easy but here are some practical thoughts on being a Peacemaker...

1. Abide in Christ always!
2. Remember when arguments come that it's not about being right!
3. Don't instigate quarrels.
4. Remember people are more important than opinions or viewpoints!
5. Stay calm in arguments - Don't respond in anger. 
6. Let go of unproductive conversations. 
7. Don't tear down others. 
8. Don't cause drama.
9. Seek to help restore people who are caught in sin...and don't be afraid to confront them in love about sin as that is part of being a peacemaker as well. (See Matthew 18 for God's process for confronting, correcting and restoring those in sin.)
10. Assume the best (and not the worst) of others.
11. Don't be a gossip or misrepresent others. 
12. As 1 Peter 3:10-11 says: 1. Keep Your Tongue from Evil!  2. Don’t speak deceitful things! 3. Turn Away from evil! 4. Do Good! 5. Seek Peace & Pursue it!

At the end of the day, it's like the saying goes: 

No Jesus, No Peace. 
Know Jesus, Know Peace! 

Seek the Lord with everything that is within you...heart, mind and soul. Know Him and make Him known!

You have a responsibility to seek peace and pursue it! I pray you will! 

Questions to get Started With:

1. Do I know the Prince of Peace?
2. Do I abide in Christ?
3. Do I see to grow in and experience true peace?
4. Do I ask the Holy Spirit for help to grow in peace?
5. Am I a peacemaker?
6. In relationships: Do I start from a place of suspicion with others or trust?
7. If I misunderstand someone's words or motives, do I seek first to understand and clarify with them or do I spend time stewing on it and thereby make the issue, assumption, etc much larger than it needs to be?
8. In considering your interactions with others via in person, e-Mail, Phone, text, Social media, or any other form of communication, ask yourself: A) Did my conversation, behavior or post help build peace or did it cause strife or hurt feelings? B) Did I misrepresent the other person or persons? 

In Christ Alone,

rlk

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