As we meditate on the events of the biblical meaning of the Easter Season, our hearts burst and overflow with worship and gratitude as we celebrate the Cross. The redemption for the sin of mankind was sealed at that moment in time by the substitutionary, sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. His death and resurrection bridged the gulf between man and God and paved the way for every man to be reconciled to God.
Romans 3:23-24 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 10:9 “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
Many people in the world live in such turmoil and anxiety. There are lives lived in chaos with no acknowledgement of God. Only the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, can bring order and peace to the chaos. One of the hall marks of the Indwelling Christ in our hearts is His peace. The price for this peace was paid for with the shed blood of Jesus Christ at Calvary. The agony of Christ purchased this costly treasure. Do I value it as I should? Do I appreciate the price paid for it?…or do I lose sight of it when my rights and will are challenged? We have all fallen short in this respect, but we all have God given opportunities for change. This costly gift of peace has purpose in my life. My responsibility lies in ensuring my heart is peace controlled by keeping my eyes on the Lord in every situation in life that comes my way.
A friend gave testimony that she had lived all her childhood and early adult life in anxiety. When the Lord gave her a baptism of His peace, it was a new experience for her. She revelled in the joy of the God-given calm and tranquility that was operating in her life for weeks. When she fully understood what it was like to experience the peace of God, then the Lord began to teach her that she had responsibility in keeping that peace during the trials of life. When we keep our eyes on the Lord in difficult situations and eat from the “Tree of Life”, we will be peace controlled. If we look at the difficulties we are facing, eat from the wrong tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, (Genesis 3), judge God, blame the devil, blame others, take our eyes off the Lord….we forfeit God’s peace in our lives.
PEACE HAS PURPOSE!
To be peace ruled keeps me on track with the Lord. When my peace is disturbed, it is a spiritual warning, like a thermometer. I need to learn to heed the ripple in the disturbance. If I heed the ripple, and enquire of the Lord, I do not need to encounter a storm. But if I disregard the ripple and “dig my heels in,” I may well encounter the loss of God’s peace and have to weather the storm.
John 14:27 Jesus said “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled.” He was teaching us that our heart is our “trouble spot.” So “trouble” is not in “trouble”….it is in our unbelieving heart. Heart purity is seeing God in all things, in all situations. If God be for us, who can be against us? We can enter into God’s Rest and be peace controlled in the midst of a storm by the power of the Indwelling Christ, demonstrating to a needy world the life of Another, lived through me and you. The power of the Cross, the resurrected Christ living out the Easter message in every day of our lives.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts and His kingdom will come to you…. and flow out through you. Let us encourage ourselves in God to celebrate the Cross and resurrection life in each of us. HE IS RISEN! Let us arise and follow on, to live our lives to the glory of God.
