God is Love and Love is Peace

Read: Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV)

¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Reflect:

Peace. Google defines peace as freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. How do you define peace? Is it sharing a memory with family, or an overdue vacation? What about a quiet house after the kids go to bed, or the moment when you are finally caught up on some of your bills? We can all define peace differently based on our particular perspective of the world. I challenge you as we come upon this Christmas season to look at peace from the perspective of the One who designed it, the creator             of peace Himself.

Imagine a world that has no war, no bills, and no sickness. How would someone living in a world like that define peace? True peace, the peace God intends for us to have, can only come from having a relationship with the One who created it. When life is viewed from a perspective of an eternal relationship with Jesus, versus living in the day-to-day stresses of this fallen world, the priorities in life change. Your focus is no longer on getting the best black Friday deal or worrying about whether or not the family will get along on Christmas Day. Your focus will be on God. God tells us that we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. He asks of us to forgive each other as He forgave us. And above all, He tells us to love. Love binds all of these virtues. God is love. Love is peace. Therefore, if you are seeking peace, you need to love, and in order to love, you need God.

Act:

To have peace in this life you must focus on God. Take the time to connect with Jesus by praying consistently, as if you were talking with a friend (because you are). Get into the Bible daily. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and hold you accountable, like a small group. Practice what God has asked us to do: have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Forgive each other. Love, and be thankful.

Pray:

Heavenly Father, You are an amazing God. Thank You for Your grace and the blessings that You pour out on us daily. Help us to keep our focus on You, Lord. Soften our hearts and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Help us to express compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love. Give us the strength to forgive others as You have forgiven us. Let us have peace — the peace You intended for us to have when You created us. Give us a peace that can only be experienced when You are with us. Jesus, You are our Savior and it is in Your Holy Name that we pray. Amen.

Joey and Michelle Shipman