Peace is so important. Life isn’t worth living if you don’t have peace.
I know what it’s like to live with no peace at all. I grew up in a house that was full of turmoil, and I learned to respond to my frustrations with anger and bitterness and a lot of yelling and screaming. It was just the normal atmosphere that I lived in. But thankfully, God gave me a husband who is extremely peaceful, and that helped me realize what peace is and how I can have it.
There was a time when Dave’s peaceful temperament actually aggravated me because I wanted him to get upset when I was upset. At first, I thought it was because he just didn’t care if I was upset. But that wasn’t the case at all. He just knew how to cast his care on God (1 Peter 5:7), and his peaceful consistency became an example to me. Dave didn’t preach that message to me. He became the message. That’s what God wants us to do for other people.
We live in a world that’s full of anger, stress and strife. Even though many people have a desperate need for peace, they may not be interested in hearing about God and what He’s doing in your life. But you can share Christ with them by maintaining a peaceful attitude week after week, and month after month. Sometimes it takes years, but God will use you in an amazing way if you will consistently walk in the fruit of the Spirit.
Peace is not something that comes naturally to people. Sometimes it is downright difficult to stay peaceful, but God is always here to help us!
Jesus said in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you.
Peace is a gift God gives us, and it grows in us just like fruit grows on trees – with time and nurturing. As we work with the Holy Spirit to develop the fruit of peace in our life, He teaches us how to deal with our frustrations in a completely different way. One thing I learned is that it wasn’t my circumstances that made me upset, it was how I responded to them.
I remember getting so tired of being upset all the time. Finally, I decided I was going to learn to walk in peace if it was the last thing I ever did.
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: The Christian Post
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 90 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Do Yourself a Favor…Forgive (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.joycemeyer.org.
BCNN1 WP 