The Gift List That Mattersনমুনা

The Gift of Peace

"God . . . sent Christ to make peace between himself and us." 2 Corinthians 5:18 (CEV)

Whether you’ve had a good year or a not-so-good year, as we come to the end of this year, do you find yourself tired? Maybe you're worn out physically, mentally, or spiritually.

The good news is there's hope! God doesn't want you to go through another year worn out and depleted—a year without his peace.

As we head into next year, the Lord specifically wants to give you three different kinds of peace.

Peace with God. This is spiritual peace—and it's the most important. It affects everything else. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:18, "God . . . sent Christ to make peace between himself and us" (CEV).

God doesn't want us to live disconnected from him. Peace with God doesn't come from anything we do. Peace with God comes from what Jesus did for us on the cross. God wants to give you that important peace this Christmas season.

Peace within. The Bible has a word for this: emotional peace. It's called the peace of God. When I have peace with God, then I get the peace of God inside me. Colossians 3:15 says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts" (NIV). God wants his peace to rule in our hearts and in our lives.

The Hebrew word for "peace" in the Bible is shalom. You've heard this word. In fact, you'll find more than 790 verses about the peace of God in Scripture. For those with a broken heart, God gives comforting peace. For those with a confused heart, he gives guiding peace. For those with a shamed heart, he gives forgiving peace. For those with a worried heart, he gives confident peace.

God provides peace for every problem we face.

Peace with others. This is relational peace. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:16, "Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death" (NLT). The further we are from God, the more our relationships with others are strained. If you want to strengthen your relationships, first strengthen your relationship with God. As a result it will pull you and others back together too.

The only way to have lasting peace with others is to be united as children of God.

This Christmas, as we sing and talk about peace on earth, know that God wants to give you real and lasting peace in each of these three areas.

Peace isn't an unattainable dream. It's a free gift from God.

Questions to Consider

·When you look at the three kinds of peace described above, which one seems most elusive to you right now?

·How have you seen your relationships with others improve as your relationship with God has improved?

·What first step can you take this week to begin to restore a broken relationship in your life?