Monday, September 3, 2012

Think on these Things: Peace

What does it mean to be at peace? Does it mean that someone who has peace is a happy person? No, a “happy” person is a joyful person but not necessarily content. He or she who is happy is a person who is not sad or downcast. Instead, the happy person is delighted with his/her present situation in life. They feel good about themselves, others, and their situation in life.

Peace is in some contrast to happiness. A person who is experiencing peace is a person who is content. Peace and contentment are synonymous. They go together. When we experience peace, we are content. We are at rest with ourselves and those around us, but not necessarily happy all the time. Benjamin Franklin is reputed to have said: “To be content makes a poor person rich, but to be malcontent makes a rich man poor.”

God’s peace, the Bible tells us, passes all understanding and keeps our hearts and minds through Christ (Phil. 4:7). There is a difference between the peace of God and the peace with God. God is the God of peace whether one is a Christian or not. He is by His very nature in possession of divine peace. Paul the apostle told the believers in Rome that because they were justified, or declared righteous, by God, they also had made peace with God (Rom. 5:1). What wonderful truth that is. There is nothing better than to be at peace with God Almighty. All who have made peace with God also have the peace of God available to them.