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Peace that is wholeness, and the personal experience of it, is the continuing theme of our study through the word of God, in the words of the apostle Peter. He underscores its’ place in seeing good days in your life, saying, He who loves life to see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil, to do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it. [1 Peter 3:10,11] It does not happen in your own strength though, but only in the power of the Holy Spirit, as you believe that the chastisement for your peace was laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. And faith cannot appropriate in your life what grace has not provided for you. It is why you need to ask for the grace of God, in order to experience peace in your life. And how it all works out, the step by step process by which it happens is what the apostle Paul goes to great length to explain and give a right understanding of the truth in his letter to the Romans. [Romans chapters 6,7,8]
Knowing – it is the knowledge of the truth that sets you free,
Believing – what flows out of the truth, for otherwise it would be mere superstition, but Christianity is supernatural and not superstition,
Calculating – to reckon and count the cost of what the Lord has already done for you through the finished work of the Cross, and,
Offering – yielding yourself unto Him, to do His will in your life, as your grateful response.
But the word of God in Paul’s own experience, also declares the difficulty of it, the struggle that can be there in any child of God, for the sin principle or the capacity to sin is still there in a person, even after he has received Christ as his personal Savior. The problem though, is not the end of the story; for God’s word also gives you the solution, which is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in you, as a child of God. It is a mind that is led or governed by the Holy Spirit that leads to life and peace in you. [Romans 8:6] Christian life in itself is not about you trying to live a life that is pleasing to God in your own effort, but living your life in and through Christ, when you will see the all sufficiency of His grace making it all possible. And living in the power of God, you bring pleasure to God, as day by day, every day of your life, His grace comes to you, new every morning.
Not law, but grace:
Thus, not being under the law, but under grace is the overwhelming truth, as you live now in the greater glory of the new covenant, which is in essence the covenant of grace. [Romans 8:14] And His grace is sufficient, whatever the situation maybe; it is why even when you are weak, you can say, ‘I am strong’, and when you are poor in any realm of your life, you can confidently say, ‘I am rich’, as you trust in the gracious richness of the God to whom belongs the earth and all its’ fullness. It is all about grace. And wherever there is grace, it gives wholeness, the wholeness that is the scriptural definition of peace. And in many of the salutations of Paul, as he begins his epistles, you will find that he mentions grace and peace in combination. Grace gives, and it leads to peace in you. It is independent and irrespective of your life’s circumstances.
Grace that is genuine and true:
But in this world where to anything that is genuine, there is always a counterfeit, that runs very close to the original, the grace that you receive to make peace your experience, needs to be genuine, for it to bring about the desired result. And it is where your attitude of obedience to God and His word, becomes it’s distinguishing mark, the evidence and proof, that it is indeed the real thing, genuine grace.
Grace to obey – the evidence:
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart, the form of doctrine that was delivered to you. [Romans 6:17] It is obedience that counts, even when it comes to the nature of grace that is at work in you life, is what Paul writes, in his letter to the Corinthian church, as he describes the grace manifested in the Macedonian church, to excel in giving even in a time of great hardship, all by the grace of God. [2 Corinthians 8:1-5]
In distress and poverty, joy and generosity :
That in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. [vs 2] Being joyful during a time of distress and being generous while experiencing lack, a lack that is not limited to finances alone, for it could be in any area of your life, may not be humanly possible, but it is what Paul commends the Macedonian church for, attributing it all to the grace of God in them and through them. And it becomes possible in your life too, as you tap into the resource, the same grace that is available even to you today. Your distressing circumstance therefore, and any lack, if it exists, need not make you downcast or discouraged, and hinder you from being generous to those in genuine need. You can be cheerful, and still contribute, as the Macedonian church did, empowered by grace that is all sufficient, not just in your financial situation, however strained it may be at present, but in every area of your life.
And the verse that is so very familiar, needs to speak into your heart, in this context, for it is the promise of God, that is ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ in Christ Jesus. It summarizes what grace can do in your life and mine, in every situation ,And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, so that you having all things, at all times, will abound in every good work. [2 Corinthians 9:8] Distressing problems that disturb you, and pull you down emotionally, are bound to come to trouble you in this world. The Savior does not deny it; ‘In this world you will have trouble’, He has said. Where there are people, there is bound to be some problem or the other, at some time or the other; and the world is teeming with people! And the word of God only talks of the world getting more and more riddled with problems, as the coming of the Lord draws near.
But in the midst of it all, God’s peace will be your portion and experience, for in the sufficiency of His abundant grace that He has made available to you, you will find yourself overcoming to reign in life through Christ, your Risen Lord. Therefore, Christians and horses have one thing in common; and that is a long face, need not be a picture of you! “But, be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world”, are the Lord’s words. [John 16:33] You need to make some good connections therefore, that are contrary to the pattern of the world in order to experience peace in your life. For, you will find, that that to many, who live according to worldly principles, peace is connected to an abundance of possessions. But sadly, ‘a rich fool’, is how the Lord perceives such a person, and not because of his paltry intelligence! Rather, it is all about his faulty perception of life.
Peace and possessions – the world view:
‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years, take your ease, eat, drink and be merry’. [Luke 12:19] It is ever so often the creed, which the people of the world live by, They put their trust in their financial strength, in what they have stored up in their bank account, and the other assets that they have acquired, the plush residence, and the land they own, to make them feel safe and secure and at peace, to keep thoughts of uncertainty concerning their future at bay, or remove them completely. But, though people may equate peace with possessions, sadly, it is not the truth. And it is why, the Lord refers to such a person in rather uncomplimentary terms, to say, But God said to him, ‘Fool, this night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things will be which you have provided?’ [vs 20]
‘This very night …’:
The fool in God’s sight, is the one whose nature is rebellious against God, to edge Him out of his life’s calculations. It is indeed a very foolish thing for anyone to do, and it is what the man described in the parable did. He was rich in his material wealth, but not rich towards God. But trusting in your money power, has one big problem. The worth and value of it can fluctuate up and down depending on the global economy, and keeping track of it, can sometimes feel as if you are losing your senses. The rich man in the parable had visualized a very comfortable picture for himself, until his death, of the days and days that lay ahead of him, unaware that it was all going to end that very night. And the eternal destiny of his soul was the only thing that mattered, and not the abundance of his possessions that would be parted from him that very night. It is the sober reality even in your life and mine, of where true security lies, and how fleeting this temporal earthly life is, and the blessed hope of eternity with God.
The writing on the wall:
It has become an idiom that is used very casually now, but how frightening it must have been when it took place in the court of king Belshazzar, the ruler of Babylon, the then super power, the strength of which made the king do what was sacrilege in the sight of God, with the holy vessels that had been plundered from the temple of God in Jerusalem. Now though, the king stood trembling in fear, as he received the message from God, that only Daniel, who had been taken captive to Babylon, was able to rightly interpret, and say that the king had been found wanting in the sight of God, and his kingdom was going to be taken away from him. And, that very night found the mighty king slain, and his kingdom in the hand of Darius, the king of the Medes! [Daniel 5:13-30]
All is vanity, a grasping for the wind:
Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the one who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned my heart, and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. [Ecclesiastes 2:18-20] And these are the words of the king who had it all, blessed with wisdom from God, but had sadly drifted away, in his walk with God, only to find, all his abundant riches to be meaningless, and a fruitless vanity. This, is the other extreme, of the one who trusts in the abundance of his possessions. And the problem with both is that God is not in the picture, and His word is not the frame of reference. For, the promise of God is that, a good man will leave an inheritance, not just for his children, but even for his children’s children. And therefore, you can rest in the promise that your inheritance will bless even your grand children, not to mention your children. Is He not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ?!
But, what can bring this shift in understanding, and a right perspective concerning the riches of this world, is a relationship with God, through His word and His Spirit. For, an absence of it will find you placing your trust in your possessions, to give you security that leads to peace in you. And it is where idolatry can enter in. For money, can so easily become an idol, that in your heart takes the place of supremacy that needs to be rightfully occupied by God. It is then that you can prosper, and find true fulfillment in life. And, it is the thrust of the Savior’s words, in His word of caution about the impossibility of serving two masters, God and money. It does not as some mistakenly conclude that the Lord is talking about having to resign your job, whatever may be the nature of it, in order to serve Him.
True security:
Human nature being what it is, there is within every person the longing to feel secure, and safe in life. It is why the term ‘job security’ is a very common expression that is heard everywhere in society. And it is very often that particular felt need in them, that leads them to put their trust in their money and riches. The truth remains though, that, only God can be your true security in life. His Name is the mighty tower into which you can run to be safe, and find security. And when God is your Master, He alone is seated in the throne of your heart, you are in the privileged position of being His child. But when you turn to money as a means of security, and money takes the place of God, it becomes your master, and you become its’ slave.
Moreover, in simple terms, anything that can be taken away from you, can never be your security in life. And it rules out almost all of what the world perceives to be your security in life. For, whatever your assets maybe, however huge your bank balance, or the house that you own, it can all leave you. And, it could be the blink of an eye, or gradually, owing to many reasons. It is not a forecast of immediate doom on you though; and you are wise if you put by money in the bank, so that it can come in handy in a rainy season. But ,it can never be your place of security and safety though. And the same is true of the people in your life. You are designed to live in fellowship and trust with other people, but they can never be your security. They too can leave you, for reasons both genuine or otherwise, and you trust people because you trust God. He is your primary trust, and source of all that you need. And He is your true security. For, He is the God, who has promised never to leave or forsake you. You are safe and secure in Him.
What cannot be taken away from you :
The Lord Himself describes what it is, when He spoke of Mary, as she sat at His feet to listen to His word, even as he gently but very clearly reprimanded Martha her sister, saying, But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her. [Luke 10:42] And man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. [Deuteronomy 8:3] The very word of God itself completes the picture, to give the reason why it needs to be so! In the life of Isaac, in the bible, one can see it come to pass, and it establishes hope and faith, in your heart and mine. In a time of famine, he did not perish, but sowed in the land to flourish, as he walked in obedience to the word that came to him from God. [Genesis chapter 26]
He remained in the land of Gerar, instead of fleeing to Egypt, to sow and enjoy a marvelous increase, an abundant harvest. And, when his men opened up the well that had been dug by his father Abraham, which the Philistines had later on filled with earth, they found once again a miraculous spring of water. But when the people around in envy, came to claim ownership of it, Isaac let go of the well and moved to another place. And, there in the valley of Gerar, his men once again opened up another well, that had been dug by Abraham, to find running water!
How was Isaac able to move away and let go of the well ?
It was because he knew the truth He knew that people could take the well, but no one can take away the word from God to him, that gave him the well. And it was the word that made him prosperous, even as he heard and obeyed it. They could take away his harvest maybe, but the Lord who caused the increase, lived in him, to bless him according to His word. It was the security that the Macedonian church enjoyed too, all by the grace of God. In extreme distress, they had overflowing joy, and in deep poverty, they were able to express lavish generosity, not because they followed some kind of political or economic system or philosophy, but it was because, by grace and through faith, they were connected to a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And, with Him all things are possible, even today, and even in your life. Christ, and His word, need to be your security in life therefore, for heaven and earth will pass away, all the economies of the world, the systems on which they stand, will ultimately collapse, but His word will stand forever in victory and triumph, over all the evil forces of the world.
The saints exult over fallen Babylon:
They will rejoice with a big Hallelujah, when they see the harlot city, Babylon, that sits over all the trading systems and economies of the world collapse, to never rise again. It is the truth prophesied in the book of Revelation. [Revelation 19:1-9] It certainly does not imply, that you do not need to save for a rainy day, but it goes to reveal very clearly, two things. One is the futility of trusting in your finances for your security, and secondly, it shows that when you are a child of God, you can rejoice as the saints exult over the fallen Babylon, for your security is true and real. You exult when you are connected to a person, Lord Jesus Christ, for security, and not a financial system. And how does it happen? You know then, that the earth and its’ fullness is His, you belong to Him, and He belongs to you. You can indeed shout a big hallelujah! Peace that brings wholeness and security in you is connected to Christ. In fact, He Himself is our peace, asserts the word of God.
Peace connected to Christ, a Person:
It is the Word view – and oh, so beautifully different from the man described in the parable, the rich fool who trusted in the abundance of his possessions for experiencing peace. You can see it all in the words of the psalmist, who speaking to his own soul, points out very clearly the reason for the rest within him, as he says, Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. [Psalm 116:6] It is the very opposite of the rich ‘fool’, who thought he had enough to cover all potential risks in his life. And so, the rest of his life until his death, was in his eyes, only a matter of ‘eat, drink and be merry’. He was trusting in his feelings alone.
But, the righteous shall live by faith. And faith is more than a good feeling. It is fact, that comes through the word of God, as the psalmist sets forth , For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. [vs 7,8] Christian life is not about risk taking, but rest taking, it has been said. Thus, to the psalmist, it is all about resting in what the Lord has done for him, and not what he has managed to accomplish for himself.
It is what he asserts and declares in other psalms too, saying :
Yes, my soul find rest in God, my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. [Psalm 62:5,6] Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. He forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. [Psalm 103:2-4] His focus is on God, and what God has done for him, of having been rescued from death and destruction, and life that lay ahead of him, in the land of the living. And the truth applied even in your own life, is a return to your rest for the Lord has done great things, the greatest of it being your salvation.
Connected to a Person – Jesus Christ:
When you become a child of God, you are connected to a person, the Lord Jesus; and it is how you experience peace. It is independent of your circumstance. It is the truth displayed through the Macedonian church in their time of distress and poverty, when in the midst of it, they were able to be joyful and generous. It was the evidence of grace in their lives. Yes and even in your life, your circumstance may be painful; but it can still find you resting in your soul, for it is what grace does in you; a grace that is yours, when you are connected to Christ, to lean and put your trust in the empowering grace of God. It changes you, before it changes your circumstance. And today, grace that leads to peace can become your experience.
The sufficiency of God’s grace :
‘My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness’. [2 Corinthians 12:9] These were the Lord’s words to Paul, and it describes Paul’s own personal experience, the evidence of grace working in his life in a time of affliction that was extremely distressing to him, leading him to call out to the Lord to be set free of it. And then, having experienced the promise of the sufficiency of God’s grace in his life in the midst of distress, he is able to lay down in words, in his letter to the Philippians, writing from a prison cell, in very unfavorable circumstances, how he has learnt the ‘secret’ of being content in any situation, be it abundance or poverty. [Philippians 4:12] And to make the picture complete, one has to remember that what is referred to as ‘secret’, or ‘mystery’ in the new testament is a revelation truth, to the one who has a relationship with God. Thus, being a child of God, you can lay claim to knowing the secret too!
Through Christ :
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:13] Even as Paul expresses it, you and I can be content in any circumstance, through Christ. In His sufficiency, you can trust and rest without any anxiety, to experience peace beyond understanding. Nothing is beyond the power and scope of Christ in you, the hope of glory. All things, whatever life may throw at you, suddenly, out of the blue, to radically alter your circumstance from one extreme to the other, in any realm of your life, will not find you lacking in any way in the resources and the power that you need to handle it, when you do it all through Christ. It could leave an ordinary person, who does not have a relationship with God, staggering and reeling under its’ impact, but in you, it will become the evidence, and manifestation of grace at work. For, you will exhibit a rest and peace that can only be the sufficiency and empowerment of grace in you.
In the sufficiency of God, you find your sufficiency, would be an apt summary of it all. It would be like a little child marching happily to the shopping mall, to come back fully loaded, filled with its’ heart’s desires. And it was possible, not because it had a hefty bank balance, but because its’ father’s purse was full to overflowing! The principle remains the same, even when it comes to your attitude towards lack in any area of your life, and especially in your finances. Your hand maybe empty, or have very little, but you have a Heavenly Father, who knows your every need, and the earth and its fullness is His! He replenishes and restores you, as you seek Him, His Kingdom and His righteousness.
You need to rest therefore, in the knowledge that though you do not see the answer, or have what you asked for in your hand yet, you have a Father who abounds in riches, and also knows it all. And in His all sufficiency, you can rest and find your security, knowing that He is the Master and Possessor of all. You can find joy in every good thing, that comes to you from the Father above, without having to own it all. For example, the luxury of an air travel may come to you as a pleasant surprise, but you do not have to own the airlines, in order to enjoy the flight! Rather, it is in His sufficiency, that you find your security. Your hand may be empty, but His hand is always full and overflowing. After His resurrection, the Lord appeared to His disciples, and saying, ‘Peace to you’, He showed them His nail pierced hands. He gave all of Himself for you on the Cross of Calvary. And when you are connected to Christ, you can rest in the promise of God, that He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for you, will He not together with Him, give you every other thing that you need in your life? [Romans 8:32]
And without Him, all other things would be fruitless. But if you have Him, and even if you have nothing else, through Him, in His sufficiency, you can find your security, to do all that He has called you to do. You can also face up to any challenge that arises, without shrinking back, for He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. It is what Paul describes in being able to do all things through Christ who strengthens him, and what was displayed in the Macedonian church. They were joyful and generous in difficult circumstances, for it was a dependence on the grace of God, to know in the midst of your problem, that God will certainly solve it to take you to the other side; He who began a good work in you will complete it.
How does grace work in you, to bring about inner security and sufficiency that leads to peace ?
And not only as we hoped, but they gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us, by the will of God. [2 Corinthians 8:5] They gave themselves to the Lord unreservedly. It is as you offer yourself wholly unto the Lord that grace begins to work in you. For everything of you belongs to God, and that includes your body that one day will be sown in dishonor, when physical death happens, but will be raised up in honor, when the Lord returns in glory.
And the God who is going to resurrect your body that has become dust from which it was taken, will He not take care of everything else connected to your body, every problem that you face, every need that comes to you, as you live here on earth? Your problem is His, for you yourself are His! And, with Him, there is no problem! He is the solution to your problem! And when you receive this marvelous truth, to trust in it and find rest in you, it becomes your sufficiency and security.
The whole house:
A very practical illustration of it would be when you visualize your life to be a house and two different scenario that can happen in it, and the ensuing result of it. Being saved is similar to inviting the Lord into your house, but keeping Him in the upper room, and not giving Him access into what is happening elsewhere in it, and the devil could still try to trouble you in some areas of your life. But, when you hand over the keys of your home to Him, offering yourself wholly unto Him, the next time the devil tries to enter in, it would be a scenario that is very different. The Lord Himself will open the door to say, ‘This belongs to me’, and the devil will quickly flee, saying, ‘sorry, wrong house’!
Your body – the temple of the Holy Spirit:
He is the God who has declared that heaven is His throne, and the earth, His foot stool, in order to show the unimaginable difference when it came to building a temple for Him to dwell. But He is also the very same God who stooped down in love, to give you His Beloved Son, to die for your sins and the sins of the whole world, on the Cross. The Lord laid down His life in love, and grace enlarges your heart to receive Christ as your personal Savior, making your body the temple of the Holy Spirit. The knowledge of it gives you the understanding that the grace which saved you, also gives the empowering to live by grace and through faith. And the psalmist’s words will then describe the peaceful reality of your life; one that gives you rest that leads to peace, as you find your sufficiency in Him alone, and His sufficiency.
In HIM alone – gladness & peace & safety:
There are many who say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lord, lift up the light of your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season when their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace and sleep; For you alone O Lord, make me dwell in safety. [Psalm 4:6-8] You may be able to identify with the painful emotions of the psalmist, when people may have expressed opinions about you, that discouraged you, and could be driving you to the brink of despair. But the psalmist shows the way out of it, as he turns away from the opinion of men to focus on God, and His word. And then there is a marvelous change in him, and it is what will happen in you too. He experiences gladness, that is greater, much greater, than the people who increased and trusted in the abundance of their possessions. It is the truth even in your life. And the source of it all is a Person, Jesus Christ, and not a principle, system or philosophy. It is in His sufficiency that you find your security, your strength, and all that you need in your life. He is your All in All.
Therefore, you do not have to wait for your circumstance to change, in order to be joyful. For, the joy of the Lord is your strength even today. And let the peace of God, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And in His sufficiency, His sufficiency alone, may you find your rest and security, one that leads to the experience of peace that is wholeness, an absence of lack in you. Find your rest, in Christ alone; and know His power in quietness and trust, as you cease from all fleshly striving, to know that He alone is God; and to soar with Him above every stormy circumstance that comes at you in life. Giving thanks unto the Father, may you rise up to reign in life, even in your extreme circumstance, by your dependence upon Him, and Him alone ,For, He is the All Sufficient, Almighty God ,And He is your God; you are His child. May His blessing rest upon you, crowning you with His goodness, and may peace become your experience, all by the sufficiency of His grace.
In the name of Christ Jesus Amen.
