Guest post by Russell Smithson – Let Peace Rule

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

We are about 10 days away from one of the days that we as Christians anxiously await to celebrate every year. Undoubtedly, you have prepped, cooked, cleaned, shopped, decorated, mailed cards and gifts, volunteered, etc. There is always so much to do during this time. But, wait! Have we taken time to have a cup of coffee with a friend, go to church with a smile and joy, thanked the many people who make our life the wonderous adventure it is every day, spent time with God without a timer set, accepted the gift of peace from God? Wait, peace during this time of year?

We all let the stresses of this time of the year wear us down and defeat us and then by Christmas day we are more ready for it to be over than to celebrate what this day symbolizes. The birth of our Lord and Savior who came here for you and me. He came on this day knowing what the future held for Him. Yet He decided you were worth it. I was worth it. He came with peace from God that He was doing the right thing for His family. US! His brothers and sisters.

Peace can happen anywhere even in the middle of chaos. Think about that night so many years ago. They had traveled for days in the dust and wind. All they want is to clean up and rest. But there is no place. They end up in a stable. The water around them used for the animals to drink from. The place to rest is the bedding of the animals in the stable. No fire for warmth because the stable would burn up. Yet in this setting, Christ chose to come and all the pictures we see are of peace. We see a mother happy to see her child. A father looking over his family. A child sleeping in this unlikely place of peace on a cold night in December. Where did the peace come from? God.

We cannot produce peace on our own. No matter how hard we try. Nothing is going to be perfect. We all have feelings, and they are fragile. One wrong word from someone or someone else’s actions can cause us to start worrying and stressing over everything. We cannot produce peace on our own. Our hearts and minds will not allow us to ignore everything. Work, family, obligations, illnesses, desires, our own mistakes, etc. all cause us to worry and fear. We cannot produce peace on our own. The heart is the source of our feelings. The Bible does not teach that the very thing that we fear will not take place; rather, what the Bible does teach is that God will keep your heart and your mind in a state of peace whatever happens. As Psalm 4:8 tells us, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord make me dwell in safety.” We cannot produce peace on our own. Our God is solid. We proclaim Him to be our rock. If we want peace in our lives, we must accept that it is a gift from God. We get peace when we pray to God and seek HIs peace in our lives. Among all the challenges, struggles, striving for perfection we must humble ourselves and acknowledge the only way to have peace in our lives, in our families, in our church, in our community, in our world is to ask God and accept this glorious gift He has for us.

This is a great time of the year to let go of all those feelings we have harbored all year. What someone did or didn’t do, how we were wronged, what awful thing someone said, that someone who sat in our spot at church, the person who didn’t say thank you after we worked so hard, that person that walked by and didn’t say anything after we greeted them, and so many other things that we allow our heart and mind carry around. Let it go and let God’s gift of peace settle in our hearts and minds. Start a new year with a new goal of accepting God’s gift of peace in your life daily and letting go of those things that we were never in control of anyway. Let God’s peace settle over you like the snow on a cold winter’s night. For the coming year I pray that “the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:26

Merry Christmas my family.

What situations in your life do you need to turn over to God? (Pray right now about them)

What are some of the things in your life to be thankful to God for this past year?

What can you do to fix your eyes on God and not your problems?

What scripture speaks to you about God’s gift of peace? Memorize it and keep it in your heart.

Until next time!

Love,

Dena