Do you have peace?
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| Jesus Christ Crucifix (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Isaiah proclaimed to the Jewish nation that the effect of righteousness would be peace. If they wanted real peace—not the transitory peace of easy living and prosperity, but peace that would fill their hearts and set their souls at rest—then they would need to be righteous. When righteousness reigns in the life of an individual, he is living according to the laws of Christ by the grace of God. Righteousness means justice and judgment. The truly peaceful person is the one who lives before the tribunal of God, not as one condemned but as one who recognizes that he is a sinner deserving God’s wrath and that he lives solely by the mercy of God. The same can be said for an entire nation. If a country lives in accordance with the laws of God, if its governors rule in truth, then it will be a peaceful nation. Whether the case is an individual or a nation, peace can be had only through righteousness. There might not be physical prosperity; there will often be suffering and affliction. But if a man is righteous, he will have a growing “quietness and assurance forever.”
Such a peace is totally foreign to the world, which is why it is called a peace that passes all understanding. The godless man equates peace with a life of ease. He doesn’t understand the kind of peace that transcends our physical ailments and concerns. He doesn’t understand the kind of peace that allows a person to face even the most difficult circumstances with confidence and joy. The unbeliever looks at outward things and measures his happiness according to them. But the believer, the one who trusts in the Lord, knows that peace can come only when one is living within the will of God. That means primarily that we live according to His commandments, for when we do this our consciences are clear and we no longer are plagued with doubt.
The troubled conscience brings disruption to the soul. The person who refuses to rest on the righteousness of Jesus Christ for his salvation and to emulate Him by keeping God’s commands will never know true peace. This is because the person who refuses to be conformed to God’s righteous standards is placing himself in opposition to God. This means war, which is the antithesis of peace. Only those who are at peace with God, who are reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ and are living by His Spirit, know true, lasting peace.
Do you have peace? Christians can slip into times of restlessness. Maybe you are resting on your own righteousness instead of the righteousness of Christ, which reconciles you to God. Pray today for your heart to be at peace, and that the delusion of self-reconciliation with God would be removed.
