Tag Archives: Peace

September 15, 2021 · 9:32 am

Making Our Peace

Musings #2

How many times have you sought to make peace with someone or even yourself? I would be willing to say that we have gone about this task many times. Unfortunately, we do not seem to be able to come to a lasting peace. That is because we do not understand where to start. Our minds tell us we must start with ourselves and seek a solution that we can understand. I am sorry to say that our solution will likely fail, and many times make the problem worse. Merton points very clearly at the way we must approach this in ordered steps. Peace begins with us, but the source is far outside of ourselves.

We seek peace with others by making peace with God. There are so many promises in the Bible that we receive the moment we make peace with God. Here are just a few:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ~~~John 14:27
Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ~~~Hebrews 12:14
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ~~~Romans 12:18

We begin our journey to peace by making our devotion to God our source of strength. Making peace with God means relying on him for everything. We get a strange sense of warmth and comfort when we turn things over to him. Suddenly, delightfully, we are no longer alone, and peace floods our souls. Let us look at those three biblical concepts of peace.

When God gives his peace to you it is radically different than the peace of the world. World peace is temporary and never given without a price that we must pay. We proclaim peaceful compromise, even forgiveness of offences, but we can never forget. All human forgiveness is merely clemency and not the true forgiveness of God. With true forgiveness comes a peace that surpasses understanding. That is the peace that only God can give. Once we receive God’s peace new avenues of opportunity come our way.

An important one of these opportunities is the ability to pursue peace. Every Christian should have the goal of being at peace with all. Without God’s peace in us, we are not even capable of pursuing peace with others. The word pursue means to chase. God wants us to chase peace with our brothers and sisters throughout the world. A sort of utopian peace is the pinnacle of the Christian life.

The writer of Romans gives us the charge and the reality of living life as a peace pursing follower of Christ. He tells us to expend all of the resources and energy that we can muster to live in peace with the world. A lack of peace should never be our choice. We must always do everything we can to achieve that goal. The ultimate goal of every Christ follower is to live peaceably with all.

Let us all try to make the lyrics of the familiar chorus become true. “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me; let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.” We are called to do our part to lead this world to where God meant it to be.

LORD, lead me this day to be an instrument of peace to the world. May I trust you enough to truly have your peace in my heart. With your peace in my heart, I know that I can make a difference. Please give me opportunities and means to be your spokesman to the world. I trust in you and your ability to lead me this and every day.

Amen

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July 22, 2020 · 10:11 am

Peace

THIS WEEK -PEACE

Peace – Freedom from, or cessation of, war or hostility; the state of nation or community in which It is not at war with another. Freedom from disturbance or perturbation, especially as a condition of an individual; quiet, tranquility.

(Oxford Dictionary)

The word peace has a variety of implications. We all know that peace is an absence of war or conflict, but it is much more. Peace relives us of anxiety, worry and even physical illnesses. A person who lives with a sense of inner peace can face the toughest of times. That inner peace acts as a shield to the arrows of harm and difficulty that are directed their way. The scripture puts it this way-” Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) When we surrender ourselves to the care of Jesus, we discover a peace that is beyond this world.

The peace of Christ will lead to the solution of those times of conflict and strife that we face. We live in times of peril and strife, and I believe that a great deal of it comes from our refusal to call on the one who gives real peace. Jesus promised to leave his peace with us, and that peace would not be as the world’s peace but would cross new frontiers. The peace of Jesus is the key that opens the door to peace in the world. We must open that door.

We open the floodgate of peace by surrendering our selfish desires to an unselfish God who loved us even when we did not love him. His peace can give us what the world cannot give:

Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace that destroys conflict
Peace that is everlasting
Peace that is personal and corporate

The quotes ad scripture in this musing are meant to lead us in that direction. Read them and meditate on them and let God give you peace.

You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level. ~~~Eckhart Tolle

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves. ~~~Dalai Lama

There are no makers of peace because the making of peace is at least as costly as the making of war. ~~~Daniel Berrigan

Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other. ~~~Elie Wiesel

Peace is a day-to-day problem, the product of a multitude of events and judgments. Peace is not an ‘is,’ it is a ‘becoming.’ ~~~Haile Selassie

We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom. ~~~Dwight D. Eisenhower
We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.~~~Thomas Merton

Peace is not the product of a victory or a command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement. Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions. ~~~Oscar Hammerstein II

You may call for peace as loudly as you wish, but where there is no brotherhood there can in the end be no peace. ~~~Max Lerner

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. ~~~ Mahatma Gandhi

Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be. ~~~Wayne W. Dyer

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.~~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14:27

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace— in peace because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3

do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. Psalm 4:8

Let us therefore no longer pass judgement on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling-block or hindrance in the way of another. Romans 14:13

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:17-18

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Lord, I seek peace today. First give me peace in my heart and soul so that I may be able to face the trials of life. My ability to face the trials of life will make me a peacemaker to those who are in conflict. Let the peace that you put in my heart so shine to the rest of the world that they can see that you are real and can make a difference. Amen

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April 4, 2020 · 9:45 am

Transcendent Peace

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

—–Philippians 4:7-10

Question- What must I do to find the peace of God on this day?

Prayer- LORD, your peace is what we seek. The peace you offer frees us from the tyranny of this world and the uncertainty of its achievements. We are surrounded by frightening and disturbing things right now and we seek your peace with all our heart. Amen

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February 7, 2017 · 2:51 pm

Peace Within

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

—–Teresa of Avila

We sometimes lose sight of our own purpose and how we are meant to play a part in bringing peace to the world. So often it starts here: with internal peace–a peace with Our Lord and a deep sense of rest in the creation He has made us. Such a peace radiates out into our families and our communities. Cultivated in each of us, it could bring about great change in our world. And yet, suffering and death, pain and loss, will all continue to be part of our experience. Let us pray to be instruments of peace even in moments when it seems the battle is lost. Let us never submit to the lie that violence is victorious.

REMEMBER God is our Lord (reflectionsintheword.org)
Faith In Action ‘Be Our Focus’ (mylordmyfriend.com)

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September 28, 2016 · 9:18 am

How to Find Peace?

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

—- Philippians 4:7-9

There were two old men who dwelt together for many years and who never quarreled. Then one said to the other: “Let us pick a quarrel with each other like other men do.” “I do not know how quarrels arise,” answered his companion. So the other said to him: “Look, I will put a brick down here between us and I will say ‘This is mine.’ Then you can say ‘No it is not, it is mine.’ Then we will be able to have a quarrel.” So they placed the brick between them and the first one said: “This is mine.” His companion answered him: “This is not so, for it is mine.” To this, the first one said: “If it is so and the brick is yours, then take it and go your way.” And so they were not able to have a quarrel.

—-Sayings of the Desert

Recently I was teaching a Bible study group and said the best decision I ever made was to keep politics out of my ministry. A person quickly replied that as long as I was a pastor of a church I would be involved in politics. I was of course thinking of secular politics, but the point hit hard. We as Christians have surrendered to the idea that political conflict is an unavoidable part of the church. Yes, decisions have to be made and people will naturally not all think the same, but do we really all have to have it our way?

The quintessential question for the church is: are we doing church our way or God’s way?

The two old Monks had lived a life of harmony for many years. Because of their commitment to Christ they had not lived as others had lived. Heaven forbid, they had not had a quarrel. Their plan was to find something to quarrel about. The brick was picked and the quarrel was supposed to ensue, but it did not. Why? The simple answer is that if we put others first we won’t have anything to argue about. That is quite a novel idea for our society.

Years before that Paul was writing to the church at Philippi, and they were obviously in a struggle. His advice was to see the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. God’s peace is honorable and good. Such a peace seeks out things to praise, and majors on what is good. God’s peace never seeks to be selfish or grudging. Our challenge is to look at the story from the desert and from Paul and make it our story. Perhaps if we spent some time trying to live as peacemakers, we could find more fulfillment than we ever imagined. I will pray every day that God will allow the church to escape the politics and conflict of the world and be truly a sanctuary for all who enter its doors.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Prayer

Lord allow us to be first and foremost a peacemaker. Help us to understand that all conflict comes from our need to control. When we encounter controlling people give us the patience and grace to hold our tongue and allow you to do your work. We pray for this elusive gift of your peace, Lord. May we receive it today.

Amen

Grace and Peace (genesisone.wordpress.com)
Let peace come (forloveandliberty.wordpress.com)
Pope: peace begins with small things, from each of our hearts (asianews.it)
What does the Bible have to say peace? (christiantoday.com)
The In-Your-Face Peace Plan (blogs.timesofisrael.com)
Everyday Asceticism: Racism and Asceticism (dylanpahman.com)
A landscape the Desert Fathers wouldn’t recognize… (catholic.com)
A Deeper Freedom (stsimonsorder.org)

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July 17, 2014 · 9:27 am

Thursday Prayer — July 17

If There Is Righteousness in Your Heart

If there is righteousness in the heart,
there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character,
there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.
So let it be

—A Scottish Blessing

A Brief Celtic Prayer with a Powerful Message (lifebrook.wordpress.com)
A BIBLIOGRAPHY of CELTIC PRAYER – More Resources from Tom Cashman (godspace.wordpress.com)
The mystery of Celtic and Irish symbols (IrishCentral) (irishcentral.com)

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May 8, 2014 · 5:47 am

A Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you,
wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing
once again into our doors.

—– Northumbria Abbey

Wondering Wednesdays – celebrating for the first time (markerpostsandshelters.wordpress.com)

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March 8, 2014 · 9:03 am

Peacemakers

March 8 — Day 4

Philippians 4:7-9

7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

There were two old men who dwelt together for many years and who never quarreled. Then one said to the other: “Let us pick a quarrel with each other like other men do.” “I do not know how quarrels arise,” answered his companion. So the other said to him: “Look, I will put a brick down here between us and I will say ‘This is mine.’ Then you can say ‘No it is not, it is mine.’ Then we will be able to have a quarrel.” So they placed the brick between them and the first one said: “This is mine.” His companion answered him: “This is not so, for it is mine.” To this, the first one said: “If it is so and the brick is yours, then take it and go your way.” And so they were not able to have a quarrel.

—-Sayings of the Desert

Prayer Starter — Lord help me to be a peacemaker above all else.

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January 21, 2014 · 10:53 am

Peace

Abba Poeman

“If you take little account of yourself, you will have peace wherever you live.”

—-Abba Poeman

Over inflated egos are an ancient problem. Abba Poeman gives us these simple words from his desert monastery fourteen hundred years ago. If we are to take little account of ourselves, we must develop a sense of self that is beyond our earthly reach. My world, your world, is dominated by goals and ambitions to further quality of life. This is not wrong in and of itself, but it must be tempered by acknowledging that all comes from the Lord God.

There are countless stories of people living lives plagued by self-doubt and restlessness, and all of their pain is rooted in their own self-gratification. They move from place to place, relationship to relationship, and job to job searching for that perfect place of peace. The key to peace is knowing who we are in the sight of God. He created us for good. He created us in His image, and yes, He wants us to live in peace. Such a peace is found when we offer ourselves to Him. In offering ourselves to Him, we become smaller to the things of the earth and larger to the things of heaven.

Give it some thought. Begin to see yourself as a child of God and not a child of man. This transition could give you abundant peace.

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September 22, 2013 · 5:44 am