Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)
Stand fast in the liberty Christ makes us free by! Not only does Christ possess and grant peace, but according to our key verse, He is the Prince of Peace. Besides the definition of nobility, inferring Kingship, prince is also defined in the dictionary as someone who is the preeminent or chief of anything specific. Jesus Christ is not only then a giver of peace but He is peace itself. He is the prince, the king and the preeminent authority of peace!
Unfortunately, some fall for the trappings of the worldly definition of peace. We can fool ourselves into thinking that peace means that we will have no hardships in our Christian walk. That is unscriptural as Jesus Himself said we would have tribulation in this world. Peace is not the absence of tribulation but the assurance that God is bigger than it. It is why Jesus taught that we need to build our spiritual house upon the rock. If our foundation is in Christ then no matter the size of the storm in our life, we have the peace to know that God is bigger! What does peace actually do for us?
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7
The peace the world offers is false and fleeting. It erodes with time and pressure. The peace of God however, transcends all understanding. What does it do? It guards your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That is the core of what peace really is. Not the absence of problems but the assurance that those problems will not adversely affect our hearts or our minds because the peace of God is guarding them! That is what the Prince of Peace can do for you today!
So as we draw ever closer to Christmas 2009 let us never forget that hundreds of years before Christ would walk the earth, the Prophet Isaiah described who He would be and what He would provide for us. These are just four attributes out of an immeasurable character but what a start we have in Isaiah 9: 6. As we unwrap the temporal gifts this year, let us reflect on the eternal ones already given to us. These represent His awesome presence in our lives. Jesus is wonderful, mighty and everlasting. He is our counselor, our father and the ruler of the peace we so desperately seek in our lives.
We do not have to struggle as the world struggles. We do not have to wake up with despair in our hearts and doubt in our minds. We do not have to suffer from anxiety or depression. We do not need the solutions the world offers because we already have all of the eternal answers at our right hand. We need only remember who God is and allow Him to be the promises He has made. Just allow the present we so eagerly want to open up, be the very presence of God in our lives.
Reverend Anthony Wade Merry Christmas 2009
