Thoughts on Peace

Sweet peace, the gift of God’s love!

P. P. Bilhorn

The gift of peace is more than the absence of strife. True peace, is a gift the Father gives to those who have made peace with Him, through repentance of sin, humility, surrender, and sacrifice. In turn He gives peace through the Holy Spirit.

A “cease fire” is a negotiated peace, but does not necessarily mean surrender. This type of peace consists of an agreement to restrain one’s self and stop fighting; much like two armies. In physical warfare, the strongest, overpowers the weaker, forcing them into subjection. While this may bring them into subjection, it does not change their heart and spirit.

God’s peace is on different terms. While it is true that He requires a surrender of our will, He in return gives us a peace far beyond an earthly peace. His peace is evidence of salvation, founded in a surrender of one’s whole life; present, past, and future, as well as body, soul, and spirit. It is not dependent on change of circumstances, for it’s from inside out, not outside in. Neither is it dependent upon another person.

In an earthly agreement, both parties negotiate terms, until an acceptable agreement is made. Conversely, God set the terms of His peace long ago, and we can either accept or reject them. He is also full of grace and mercy; not dealing with us according to what we deserve, but with mercy He provides us with the power to choose and to change. 

While peace between individuals is a byproduct of reconciliation, the peace God gives is more than peace of mind; it is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 KJV 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. When we line up all those attributes of the Holy Spirit, they collectively bear the personage of Jesus himself. Here peace fits in alongside the other parts of the Holy Spirit. It is an extension of God’s love, which He freely gave through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ; reconciling all of lost humanity to Himself, while spanning the gulf of separation and making peace. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 KJV 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

The fruit of the Spirit may not be divided into individual fruits, as they are inseparable one from another. When the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of man, he will to one degree or another possess all these different attributes in his life. To attempt to separate them into individual fruits, would be like trying to separate the parts of a song and still call it a song. For example; we cannot say we have peace with God, yet carry unforgiveness in our hearts towards our brother. To do so would limit what the power of God can do through the Holy Spirit in our lives. 1 John 4:20 KJV If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

A song is composed of, melody, words, and rhythm. By removing any one of these components, we then cease to have a song. We may have a chant or we may have a tune; yet neither can be classified as a song. A beautiful voice alone does not produce harmony, no matter how well the individual sings.  Harmony consists of multiple voices; as well as combinations of notes which make chords. Those chords harmonize when the tones of the singers’ voices blend together at just the right pitch. When those tones do not perfectly align, we have discord. While the lead voice alone has no harmony; it is essential to the other voices in order to properly harmonize. This is much like the fruit of the Spirit and God in our lives. Man can have fruits that resemble the fruit of the Spirit, but without his leader, God, his life cannot properly harmonize; often producing discord instead.

Peace is the indicator of fellowship with God. It is like the last piece to the puzzle, the final sigh of relief. The ability to have peace and make peace is dependent upon how much one is willing to sacrifice of himself for God and others. Proverbs 16:7 KJV When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Peace comes at the end of the battle, but is the first thing to leave when trouble is in the heart. Most people who have committed their hearts and lives to God, did so in order to procure peace. Satan seeks through what ever means he can to destroy that peace. God created us to be a peace with ourselves, others, and Him.

The peace brought about by the fruit of the Spirit, is not the same as peace in the mind. Let me explain. Not always do we have peaceful thoughts. Perhaps circumstances arise which cause us to become stressed out, even a bit angry, or we may be facing grief or disappointment. Satan may bring troubling thoughts: doubts, fears, and worries, trying to disturb our peace of mind. Though these emotions are real and affect us, we can have a deep settled feeling in our hearts that all is at peace between us and God. During these times we must draw near to God, resting and trusting in His promises. Possibly the greatest battles man has ever faced, have been in the battlefield of the mind. By possessing the Holy Spirit, we have all the tools at our disposal to be able to make it through every trial. We may not win every battle, our courage may falter, yet we can always return to our Heavenly Father for restoration and peace.

Philippians 4:7-8 KJV 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

May we continue to live in the peace that God has intended for us.