Please Allow Me To Have Peace

The picture above is of the courtyard of a church built on the mountain where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus preached peace for his followers.

The Greek word for peace in the New Testament is eirene. It is the opposite of dissension and trouble. And it is a quality directly associated with and given by God.

Some of the antonyms of peace are; war, fight, conflict, anguish, distress, anxiety, fear, disturbance, confusion, tumult, division, and strife. Jesus is called "...the Prince of Peace..." (Rev.1:5)

God is the giver of peace. Romans 5:1 says "Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The fruit of the Holy Spirit is: "...love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith..."(Gal. 5:22)

Where does one put oneself when he or she constantly attempts to ruin peace in another Christian's life. If we make war in the lives of others I fear we follow the "...prince of this world..." (John 12:31), "...the accuser of our brethren. " (Rev. 12:10), "...a roaring lion ...seeking whom he may devour..." (I Pet. 5:8), "...the god of this world ..." (II Cor.4:4) who promotes the works of the flesh which are "...quarrels..." "...a contentious temper..." "...fits of rage..." and "...dissensions ..." (Gal. 5:19) Jesus desire is that "...we may have peace..." (John 16:33)

What is wrong with a Christian who persists in conflict, upset, fights, trouble. He claims to be a Christian, he is a follower of Christ. Yet, he makes war and creates division. Why? What is the cause? What is the motivation? What spirit causes that? I suppose multiple reasons could be listed. But none can be associated with Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace. Jealousy, pride, contempt, hate, possessiveness or a number of other like negative qualities should not be found "...in Christ...".

Jesus said "...blessed are the peace makers..." (Matt. 5:9) Where does that leave warmongers of the world? Peacemakers are called sons of God. Where does that leave the strivers, contenders, disputers, and antagonizers?

Paul said "...let us pursue the things which make for peace." (Rom. 14:19); "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. " (Rom. 8:6); "...let the peace of God rule in your hearts..." (Col. 3:15); "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way." (II Thess. 3:6); "Be at peace among yourselves..." (I Thess. 5:13)

James wrote "...the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (Ja. 3:18)

It is about time in my opinion that Christians stop hurting one another. And it is about time we all listened very carefully to our Lord and Saviour. There is too much of a pugnacious, quarrelsome, contentious spirit in Christendom.

Jesus said "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) Jesus said "These things have I spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. (John 16:33) Paul wrote of "...the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. " (Phil. 4:7) And Paul said this peace comes "...through Jesus Christ."(Phil. 4:7)

Fact is no man can take that away from a true child of God. Please. Christ came to give His children peace. Don't try to destroy our peace.