True Peace: God's Gift vs. World's Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”John 14:27 Do you really know what true Peace is? Generally speaking, we would say it’s a life absent of conflict, war, bad relationships, etc. While those answers aren’t bad or wrong, they are usually from a viewpoint that doesn’t include God in the equation. The world’s peace is different from God’s peace. The peace desired and offered by the world does give us peace in a variety of ways, police officers, firefighters, retirement accounts, and health insurance to name a few. In addition to those things, having no war, experiencing happiness in our relationships, and not having oppressive thoughts are all great things. No question these are all very helpful and we’re blessed by them. Who wouldn’t want them? But this kind of peace is temporary and dependent upon circumstances, and they don’t provide the kind of peace Jesus is offering. When things are calm, we’re at peace. When our circumstances turn crappy, we’re not at peace. Simple right?Look, our God, our creator is also the creator of Peace. No matter how hard we try, we can’t create it. I encourage you today to think about what type of “peace” you’re experiencing currently, if at all. Is it the temporary kind that can change like the market? Or is it the real peace that can only come from a healthy relationship with our Creator?Be Nice, Grace Wins.