PEACE ~ THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

“I am leaving you with a gift—
peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give
is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27 NLT
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The gift of peace which Jesus gives, and the fruit which the Holy Spirit produces in us, is not dependent on the circumstances we face in this world. We can be in good health – be financially well off – have good marital and family relationships and still not have true peace of heart and mind.

We naturally are not at “peace with God,” and no matter how “good” life may be going for us, it cannot change the hostility we have toward God. Even neglecting him is a form of hostility because he requires our allegiance. The good news is that, “Our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies.” Romans 5:10 By faith in Christ we have “peace with God” and no longer are his enemies.

As believers we not only have “peace with God” but we also are able to experience the “peace of God.” The Holy Spirit produces a tranquility of soul, even in stressful and frightening times. Paul writes: “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 It is incredible, but even in times of devastating news from the doctor’s office, a foreclosure notice, the death of a loved one, or being served divorce papers; the fruit of the Spirit makes it possible for us to “experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand," as we “Tell God what we need, and thank him for all he has done.”

We cannot manufacture the “peace of God;” it is produced in our hearts by the Holy Spirit as we trust and obey God. However, all of us have had times when the “peace of God” eluded us; our hearts were troubled and we were aware that God was not pleased with us. What causes that sort of situation? When we neglect prayer and time in the Word, it doesn’t take long before we find ourselves thinking and doing things that dishonor God. And in faithfulness the Holy Spirit holds back God’s peace to alert us to the fact that we are displeasing him and need to repent. Sin will rob us of the “peace of God” every time! But praise God, when we acknowledge our shortcomings and repent, God forgives and his peace is restored!! The closer we walk with God, the fuller we will experience his peace.

Let’s Pray-
Thank you Father for the Holy Spirit who causes the fruit of peace to grow in our “hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.”
Amen