12/14/2025
Feeling the Peace of Christ is one of the most treasured and coveted aspects of the Christian faith; it is a reward for obedience and is our life’s harvest for believing and living our lives as disciples of Jesus. Do you have the Peace of Christ today? Do you understand the difference between the peace of the world and the Peace of Christ because they are quite different.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27 ESV
The Peace of Christ differs dramatically from the peace of the world. And yet we often confuse what we are feeling in the world with what Jesus has in store for us and by so doing we miss out on this great blessing.
When everything is going well at work and I am drawing a good paycheck, making my mortgage, feeding my family, buying them nice things, and not worrying about much of anything... this is the peace of the world. Yet in the length of time it takes for the phone to ring that peace can be disrupted. It can end in the twinkling of the eye when a child has been in an accident, or a parent has passed away... Have you experienced this abrupt interruption of the world’s peace in your life? Do you understand that the Peace of Christ remains with us even in these hard times… even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death?
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 ESV
The Peace of Christ remains because it is not predicated on what happens in this world; it can’t be taken away by human calamity. When a child is in an accident the Peace of Christ travels with us to the hospital and remains there as we pray during that fearful time. When a parent or loved one passes away the Holy Spirit dispenses the Peace of Christ to us by rubbing it over us spiritually like a warm salve. And in the midst of our sorrow we are consoled by the fact that life doesn’t end when we die to this world but only ends here to begin once more in eternity with God and Jesus Christ.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."”
Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
Our lives might be a physical mess, and we may be living in squalor, but if our faith in Jesus is intact, and we know He is providing for us each day (no matter how meager it may seem) then we not only have peace in the world but His unfailing Spiritual Peace to comfort us. Do you think that a prayer offered up from a pile of cardboard boxes underneath a downtown bridge is any less expectant than one that is offered in a warm cozy room from beneath goose-down comforters? Jesus has no respect for human position; His interest is in our faith in Him, and our obedience to God’s Word. When these two things are true, then His Peace fills us, and we have a feeling that the world can’t take away.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Matthew 16:33 ESV
On a couple of Tuesdays during the year, I used to participate in a mission of faith called “The Bridge Ministry.” Every Tuesday under a bridge in downtown Nashville this ministry holds a church service, and provides food, drink, and clothing for the naked and homeless. Something that will impress you when you attend one of these Tuesday events is the faith of many who are being helped there. They may be dressed in rags, and search each day for their next meal, but that doesn’t mean they are poor in spirit, nor that they lack the Peace of Christ. I stood listening as a volunteer choir sang there one Tuesday evening and heard the beautiful voice of a man behind me as he sang along. His words were joyful as they bubbled up from his heart. Finally, I was unable to stand it any longer, so I turned to see where this wonderful praise was coming from... it was being sung by one of those we were there to serve, and his worship brought tears to my eyes. When someone has the Peace of Christ it radiates from them, and I saw it in this destitute man that evening.
Jesus didn’t always sleep in a home, nor did He take His meals in the comfort of a cafe or house. He traveled by foot and slept nights under the stars along the road eating meager rations and wrapping Himself in His cloak along the way. He didn’t speak in plush amphitheaters or fine halls, but instead spoke from hillsides, alleyways, and even while hanging from a cross on Calvary. Yet there was a Peace about Him that each of us can feel for ourselves in our own lives today.
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7 ESV
So, are we tired of the fickle peace that the world has to offer? Are we ready to experience a Peace that no man or circumstance can take away from us? Are we ready for a Peace so deep and profound that it can change us to our very core and give us hope on the coldest winter night, or when we are on the verge of starvation? If we want such a Peace, and it is lacking in our life today, then join me as I pray this morning…
Prayer:
Holy Father, I want to feel the Peace of Christ in my life today. I want to know Him in a way that I never thought possible. Circumcise my heart Lord and let Jesus hear my prayer today and come into my life. Hear me Lod as I give myself to you and your Son Jesus completely. Hear my voice as I pray and know the trust I have in you to love, and provide for me. Help me Abba as I obey your commandments and live as Jesus’s teaching leads me. I ask now that my sins be forgiven and that you walk with me on a new journey of faith. Take me into your care Lord and breathe your Holy Spirit onto me as you fill me with Peace. Continue to draw me closer with each passing day, and I will love you and trust in you with all my heart. Let the Peace of Christ be my reward and great treasure. Let my faith in you and Jesus give it birth, and as you abide in me… cradle it within me forever.
Merciful Father, I thank you for your Son, and for the forgiveness of my sins that He has made possible by His life, death, and sacrifice. I thank you for your boundless mercy, and I worship you in whatever circumstance or hardship I find myself in. You are my God, my creator, my provider, my defender, and your Son Jesus is my Redeemer, Friend, and Savior. Father, how can I possibly thank you for all that you do for me each day? How can I possibly doubt you while facing the world, and feeling the Peace of Christ within me? See the flow of gratitude that pours from my heart Abba and know that even as it continues on for eternity it will still not quench my thirst for you and my desire to thank you more. Praised be your name, and Holy, Holy, Holy, art thou who gives me rest and shelters me in the eternal Peace of Christ as your grace flows over me like a warm fragrant oil and I worship you mightily from the depths of my soul.
“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Romans 8:6 ESV
Amen!
Rich Forbes