“For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; And the government shall be upon His shoulder, And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 AMP).
Long before Jesus’s birth, the prophet Isaiah identified Him as the Prince of Peace. Of all the names attributed to Jesus, this one always strikes a chord in my spirit, and warms my heart. After so many decades of living in this broken world, full of disappointments, hurt, and pain, if there’s one thing I consistently crave, it’s peace.
But what makes Jesus the Prince of Peace; and how can we obtain the peace He offers?
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
Jesus was born into the world, for the sole purpose of dying for our sins to reconcile us to God, so that we can have a relationship with Him and live with Him eternally.
Part of that reconciliation involves restoring peace between us and our Heavenly Father.
Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, because He is the one who was born into this world, lived a completely sinless life, died for the forgiveness of sins for all of humanity, defeated death, and rose again on the third day, ascending to heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father.
We are able to have peace with Holy God, and peace in our everyday lives, because of Jesus’s sacrifice. Without His sacrifice, we would still be enemies of God.
So how do we obtain this peace for ourselves?
Through Jesus.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’”(John 14:6).
Would you agree, it is reasonable to assume, that if Jesus is the one who died and rose again so that we can have peace, surely He is also the way to peace?
Choosing to place your faith in Jesus, and committing to following His ways, rather than your own, is the path to the peace He offers.
All good things, come through a life fully surrendered to Jesus.
But what exactly is the peace Jesus offers?
“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]” (Philippians 4:6-7AMP).
The peace Jesus offers us, is transformational peace. His peace:
· Sticks with you through the hardships and trials. It’s not just there during the good times, and then abandons you during the bad times.
· Is laced with hope. It won’t just get you through the tough times, it’ll have you believing there is something good waiting for you on the other side of the tough times.
· Is a package deal. You can’t have the Peace of God, without the Presence of God. With His peace, you are never alone; you are never without help.
· Increases your joy. The peace of God lifts your spirit because you can trust in it; and be confident in it.
Just as the writer says in Philippians, His peace transcends all understanding. It makes no sense to be at peace when you’re going through some of the worst times in your life, and yet, that’s exactly what Jesus extends us, when He extends us His peace.
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).
Jesus not only wants us to have peace with God, and peace within ourselves, but He also wants us to live at peace with others.
This can be challenging, can’t it?
Thankfully, Jesus never asks us to do something, He isn’t ready and willing to equip us to do.
He offers us His peace not only as a gift for ourselves, but as a gift for others.
Just think about your everyday life. There’s always someone who crosses our path, whether family, friend, or total stranger, that could very obviously use:
Love
Grace
Patience
Kindness
Respect
Forgiveness
Friendliness
Gentleness
A Helping Hand
These are all extensions of peace.
Yes, some people can be difficult to get along with. Some people push back at kind gestures at every turn. Unfortunately, we don’t know what people are dealing with from day to day.
Our responsibility is simply to maintain and extend our peace, to everyone; whether or not they choose to accept it, is up to them.
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You - in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]” (Isaiah 26:3).
World renowned Bible Teacher and Author Joyce Meyer has a popular saying, “Where the mind goes, the man follows.” One of the quickest ways to stray away from the peace Jesus gives, is to take your eyes off of the giver Himself.
When there are things taking place in your life that are overwhelming, stressful, disappointing, and frustrating, it’s easy to turn all of your attention towards that particular situation and problem at hand.
But if you want to maintain this transformational peace, which didn’t come by cheap, you need to learn to keep your focus on the Prince of Peace, during the good times and the bad.
I’d like to share with you three actions I have taken in my own life, to keep my focus on Jesus and maintain the peace He has given me, even on difficult days or during difficult seasons in my life.
1. Read Your Bible. Spending time in God’s Word each day needs to become a life long habit. It’s one of the primary ways you can grow in relationship with Jesus. It’s how you learn about His character and His ways. It’s also how you’ll learn about His complete and perfect love for you.
Without a personal relationship with Him, you will not be motivated to keep your focus on Him.
Think about it, do you keep your focus and attention on the child who lives down the street from you? My guess is that you do not. Do you keep your focus and attention on the man who lives around the corner from you? Unless your single, and he’s single, I certainly hope not.
My point is, our focus and attention are most often reserved for our loved ones, be it a child, a spouse, a parent, a sibling, or whomever; simply because those are the people we have a close and personal relationship with.
Without a close and personal relationship with Jesus, your focus will always drift away from Him.
2. Spend Time in Prayer. Prayer is not a good idea, it’s a necessity.
Prayer grows our intimacy with Jesus. When you choose to be honest, vulnerable, and completely transparent with the Lord, sharing your most inward thoughts, feelings, weaknesses and failures, that helps to solidify a deep intimate relationship with Him.
Spending time each day reading the Bible, coupled with time in prayer, opens the doorway to communication with Jesus.
It also helps grow your trust in Him, as you learn His character and see Him work in your life for good, especially in those particular areas you’ve been praying about.
As your intimacy and friendship grows with Jesus, the more you will naturally keep your focus on Him, because you trust Him in all things concerning you.
3. Choose a life of obedience. We can’t have a right relationship with Jesus, apart from obedience.
As I mentioned earlier, Jesus died for us because we were engulfed in sin, and therefore separated from God. Without an on-purpose life of obedience, we’ll find ourselves once again separated from God.
Sin in its very nature causes division. If you’re living a life of sin, you’re not going to be driven to maintain a relationship with Jesus, the Son of God; let alone keep your focus on Him. You’ll most likely be struggling with guilt and shame, because you’ll know you’ve chosen a path that is contrary to Him.
Please understand that I am not advocating perfection. The Prince of Peace is the only one who has ever lived a sinless life (1 Peter 2:22). But we do carry the responsibility of aiming to live in obedience to Jesus, in every area of our lives, every single day; and it’s never something God expected us to do alone. He is always ready and willing to help us live in obedience to Him.
Weaving these three habits into your everyday life will not only serve to help you keep your focus on Jesus and maintain your peace, but they will also help you grow a relationship with the Prince of Peace, that brings fulfillment to every area of your life, like no other relationship can.
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).
Initiating new friendships can be awkward.
But the wonderful thing about Jesus is, He already initiated it for us. When He died on the cross for our sins, He swung open the door to friendship for us. All we need to do, is accept His invitation.
Have you accepted Jesus’s invitation? Are you a follower of Jesus, who has committed to following His commands? If so, know that He considers you His friend; and as you grow that friendship, you’ll quickly find that He is a friend greater than any other.
If you haven’t yet accepted that invitation, He awaits you. He longs to have a friendship with you. He paid a high price just for you. And when you are ready to step into that relationship with Him, all you need to do is tell Him so.
Tell Him that you believe He died on the cross for your sins. That you confess you are a sinner, in need of a savior. That you believe He died, rose again, defeated death, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, as the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. He has already initiated the friendship, you just need to accept it, and surrender.
I guarantee you, there’s no greater friendship, than a friendship with Jesus.
Now, let’s go and pursue peace.
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