The One Quickest Way to Get to the Root of Peace
Someone paid for your peace judicially. Believe it. Receive it. Keep it.
What is my basis for saying this, you may ask. Well, let’s get to the root of the peace we all yearn for!
Why it is essential to know that peace is yours for the keeping?
The word ‘peace’ is derived from the Old French ‘pais’ through the Latin ‘pax’ whereas in the Greek language, peace is ‘eirene’.
Peace can mean liberty from disturbing occurrences, freedom from war, a state of calmness, tranquility or even an amicable agreement.
In a sense, peace is a state of well-being and being one in piece, being whole. Not being in one piece or not being held together would mean a lack of peace because peace is not to be dictated by our circumstances.
‘Hold your peace’ means being silent and not saying what you intended about something, as in holding your tongue or getting a hold of yourself. So where is this leading to?
The Root of ‘PEACE’
Further research into the Hebrew word, ‘shalom’ shows that the root word is ‘shelem’ – to pay for/ peace offering or ‘shulam’ – to be fully paid.
Shalom itself means peace, harmony, wholeness, tranquility, completeness, prosperity and welfare (Wikipedia, 2018).
Well, Jesus paid for our peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom and is it not remarkable to observe that the punishment for our peace fell upon Christ?
We can have this inner peace that no money on earth can buy and no ideal holiday spot can ever deliver.
This unshakeable peace, is based on the solid rock of Christ’s finished work on the cross, the Lamb of GOD.
Jesus paid for our peace, through His blood that was shed for the remission of our sins. It is an eternal and complete work that brings rest to our conscience efficaciously.
Jesus spoke shalom over the Sea of Galilee and calmed the storm for the disciples.
Creation became still and obeyed her Creator and the Redeemer.
Jesus is peace Himself. In Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).
Romans 5: 17 says that much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
Some may find it hard to receive this gift and feel they must earn this peace and conscience of rest with God, due to past experiences or mindsets.
However, if we really think about this, no amount of good works or self-punishment would satisfy or pay for the peace of our inward conscience.
How can it? That would leave one exhausted, burned out and disillusioned or even doing things out of the wrong motive.
Rest to Your Conscience
Receiving what Jesus did for us when he came down to us in our human form, in order to redeem us out of sin and eternal death, brings rest to our conscience. Receiving forgiveness of all our sins brings rest to our conscience.
Good works that proceed out of that clear and restful conscience would look and feel a whole lot different.
God had provided Himself a Lamb. Oh the love of God, that he made a covenant with Jesus, who is never failing, and we receive the blessing of His obedience.
The Apostle Paul presented a most compelling rhetoric and essence of the Gospel in the book of Romans. He emphasized that through the one man’s disobedience many became sinners, likewise, through the One Man’s obedience many shall be made righteous. It is not by works lest any man should boast.
Romans 5:19
19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. What does this mean though?
Taking Thoughts Captive
How about seeing this in a different light? Take our thoughts captive to the truth that Christ’s obedience on the cross has made us righteous before God.
Thus, it is having Christ- consciousness that leads to life rather than sin-consciousness that drives to self-condemnation.
This gift of His righteousness comes by faith (by believing) in the finished work of the Jesus, the Lamb of God on the cross.
Release and relinquish all self-efforts to get right with God. It takes practice to renew the mind and commit to a lifestyle of meditating on His truth day and night.
Repentance is fundamentally a process of changing one’s mind, as the original Greek word is ‘metanoia’.
Dr Caroline Leaf, a cognitive neuroscientist dissects the scientific aspect of ‘metanoia’, and unveils how our brain changes as a result of our thought life, and consequently affecting the state of our bodies and well-being.
“The process of thinking and choosing is the most powerful thing in the universe after God, and it is a phenomenal gift from God to be treasured and used properly.”
― Caroline Leaf, Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health
“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
Hurrah for The Easy Burden and Light Yoke!
Letting go to Jesus, trusting Him and His ability to see us through, does lift a weight off the shoulders. Hence, we begin to have an posture of looking upwards to Him.
His burden is easy and His yoke is light.
Bid Farewell to Worry and Re-align Our Thoughts
Matthew 6
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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