1 Timothy: Love From a Pure Heart, a Good Conscience, and Sincere Faithნიმუში

How to live a life of peace

This chapter tells us four different ways we can live a life marked by peace and tranquility. There are real things that happen in our lives that prohibit peace and tranquility, but we can overcome many of them.

• Pray for those in authority
• Know Christ
• Pray for others and let it go
• Be tranquil or quiet

Pray for those in authority.

The first is to pray for those in authority. We all have a boss or someone we answer to. We all have someone who, at times, can call us out or can interfere with our daily business.

One way we can live a life of peace is by praying for those in authority over us.

Know Christ

We cannot know true peace apart from Christ. Why is that? Two reasons.

First, it is because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace; it is His domain. He rules peace; it’s His.

Second, because Jesus gives peace as John 14:27 says. He is the Prince of Peace, and He gives us His peace. He says, “I give you, my peace.” To receive it is first to know Him. We cannot receive it apart from Him. You can’t receive it from Him if He is just a good moral teacher. You can’t receive it if He is just a smart rabbi, you can’t receive it if He was just a revolutionary. No, if we want the peace of Jesus, then we get it by receiving Him.

We can’t get peace without the Prince of Peace. No Jesus, No Peace, Know Jesus, Know Peace.

Pray for others and let it go.

We not only pray for those in authority, but we pray for others, and we learn to let “it” go.

When we pray for our brothers and sisters, we experience peace because we are drawing closer to the heart of the Father. If we are pressing into the heart of the Father, we will experience peace because God is not in chaos but always above it (see Genesis 1).

God is the God of peace. When we enter His presence, we enter peace, and that peace transforms us and sticks with us. Matthew 5:44 tells us to pray for those who persecute us or are opposed to us. Pray for those who trouble you and learn to let “it” go.

Be tranquil or quiet.

Lastly, from 1 Timothy 2 is if we want quiet, tranquil, or peaceful lives, then we just need to be quiet, tranquil, or peaceful.

You are what you do. Do you practice being peaceful? Do you give yourself over to it? Do you press into it, or do you press into chaos? One of my favorite biblical principles is this: Things reproduce after their own kind. Things reproduce after their own kind, so what we plant is what we harvest. If we plant or give ourselves over to complaining or disunity, then we reap or get disunity. If we plant seeds of peace, we will reap peace.

If we want to live lives marked by peace, like God desires:

• Pray for those in authority
• Know Christ
• Pray for others and let it go
• Be tranquil or quiet