The heart of peace
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. - COLOSSIANS 3:15
The sea beneath the cliff leaps with the ferocity of hungry wolves, the white-tipped surf resembling claws. Odd vista for a painting called Peace. But under the cliff’s ledge the picture reveals a mother bird, sitting on a nest holding her babies. The storm rages, but they are sheltered away, in peace.
God’s peace is not the absence of turbulence, but calm in the midst of it. Peace comes from being restored to intimate relationship with God. Peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit Who comes into the heart of the person who receives Jesus Christ.
Jesus didn’t come to give us boredom, but drums. He didn’t come to sit us on the guru’s mountain above the fray, but to take us to Golgotha. The real miracle is giving us peace there, as the hammer pounds the nails into our hands. Peace that remains in those moments is the only peace worth having.
TODAY’S FOCUS
Do a “fruit inspection” of your life, assessing the development of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Jot in your journal ideas about how to nurture growth of this spiritual fruit.