Send us some feedback!
| Peace is more than an absence of conflict; it is more than a feeling of serenity; it is genuine well being, inner wellness of soul. The Hebrew term, “shalom,” means completeness, harmony, wholeness, and fulfillment. Implicit in the term is the idea of unimpaired relationships. Most of us long for such a rest of the soul, for “shalom.” The Bible makes it clear that this peace is tied to being at peace with God! “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we also have obtained access by faith into this grace, in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2). “Justified by faith” means that we are accepted by God because of our faith in Jesus, not because we are relying on our own goodness or good works. This means we have laid down the burden of trying to justify ourselves before God. Once a person humbly accepts that he is not righteous or totally competent on his own he can learn to rest in the security of God’s love. When God accepts us it gives us a solid inner core that provides stability against all of the attacks on our self-esteem. I am referring to failures, mistakes, shortcomings, errors in judgment, poor behavior, and other people’s propensity to point out and exploit those failures. But if our inner core is solidly connected to God we will cease trying to justify ourselves before people. As Blaise Pascal observed centuries ago, many people try to “live an imaginary life in the minds of others.” We spend a lot of time, energy, and anxiety trying to manage other people’s perceptions of us. But if we are firmly entrenched in God’s love, other people’s perceptions of us will matter less and we won’t be defensive. We will no longer feel the need to put on airs, pretending we are more than we are. Even so, facing our failures and sins will still be painful and humbling. Yet if our view of ourselves is shaped by God’s acceptance then while we may feel badly about our sins and failures and we may only be average in our skills and abilities, it will not shake our core sense of self and peace. This is because our inner peace is not anchored in our performance and ability but in our relationship with God. The disappointment and remorse we feel over sin will not lead us to be defensive but rather to be repentant. This in turn leads to forgiveness and peace. I should mention that many of us who are Christians do not have this pattern down very well yet. We still get caught up in justifying ourselves before people and excusing our sins. Consequently, we often are not at peace because we are still striving to take our comfort from our being good. Our defensiveness and justifications betray a lack of genuine inner peace because we are not firmly fixed to the security of God’s love and acceptance. Wellness of soul – peace – will never be attained by striving and doing, but by being at peace with God. But of course, genuine peace with God will always have an impact on how we act, especially toward God and toward others. God’s shalom to you. |
|
by Dr. J. Patrick Curtis, Senior Pastor |
Send us some feedback!