The Fruit of the Spirit (Peace)

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you” (John 14:27 KJV).

Campground in southwest New York (2012)

Peace, we all want it.  Politicians proclaim it, and individuals pray for it.  On September 30, 1938, after a meeting with Adolph Hitler, Neville Chamberlan, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, announced:  “Peace for our time.”  He was right, but “our time” lasted less than a year.  On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland beginning one of the most costly wars ever in terms of lives—a war that ultimately lasted until September 2, 1945, six years and one day after it began.  I remember the long-drawn-out peace talks during the Korean War.  They lasted for more than two years and 159 formal meetings.  They argued about such things as the shape of the tables.  And it was not an armistice agreement; it was a cease-fire.  Well, that’s enough about mankind’s attempts to end military confrontations.  It turns out that it is difficult to stop fighting, and that is true even in personal conflicts.  We can’t do it ourselves, and the verse quoted above speaks to that point.   Jesus leaves us peace, and His peace is not like the world’s peace.  His peace is personal, and it lasts forever.

   Peace in our personal lives is sometimes just as hard to attain as peace between nations on the world stage.  Often “peace” occurs between individuals only when they stop talking to each other.   There is no forgiveness—there is no reconciliation, like the Korean War, just a halt to fighting.  

   So where does peace come from?  Obviously, it comes from God, but in Romans 12:18 (NIV), He has given us a responsibility to try our hardest to be the peacemakers:  “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  It’s important to notice that it does not say, “with your neighbors,” or “with you friends.”  It simply says, “with everyone.”  In the Bible when it says “everyone,” it means “everyone.”  We could make a long list of those we may not want to speak to in order to make peace.  The verse does give us an “out” by beginning with the words, “If it is possible.”  So, if it isn’t possible, should we stop trying to make peace with certain people?  Sorry, but the answer is “not yet!”   The next words in the Scripture, “as far as it depends on you,” tells us that we need to do whatever it takes to make peace, and if peace is refused, then we have done all we can, and the other person has made a decision to have no peace with us.  We may need to try several times.  If peace is not forthcoming at this point, we can walk away and let it alone.  Yes, we can let it alone except for that nagging suspicion that we may not have done everything possible.  The Lord will take that nagging suspicion away and give us peace Himself, and then we know that the lack of peace is not our fault, and we have received peace from our Lord.  And it can be said about us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9 NIV).