3 Kinds of Peace Christ Offers

December 13, 2023

Do you need peace this Christmas season? Have you felt unsettled and concerned this year?

As we come to the end of 2023, you’re likely pretty tired. Many

people I know are worn out physically, mentally, and spiritually. What

we need is peace.

As we head into 2024, the Lord specifically wants to give you three different kinds of peace.

Peace with God. This is spiritual peace — and it’s the most important. It affects everything else. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:18, “God … sent Christ to make peace between himself and us” (CEV).

God doesn’t want us to live disconnected from him. Peace with God doesn’t come from something we do. Peace with God comes from what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. God wants to give you that important peace this Christmas season.

Peace within. The Bible has a word for this: emotional peace. It’s called the peace of God. When I have peace with God, then I get the peace of God inside me. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (NIV). God wants his peace to rule in our lives.

I don’t know what the new year will hold for any of us, but I do know

that, no matter what, God can offer you and I an inner peace that

doesn’t rely on peaceful circumstances. And, we need that in this world

today. There is very little external peace in our world.

We need the inner peace that only Christ, the Prince of Peace offers us.

Peace with others. Then the Lord offers relational peace. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:16, “Together

as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death

on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death” (NLT,

second edition). The further we are from God, the more our

relationships with others are messed up. If you want to strengthen your

relationship with others — like your spouse or your kids — strengthen

your relationship with God. It’ll pull you together.

The only way to have lasting peace with others is to be united as children of God.

This Christmas, as we sing and talk about peace on Earth, know that

God wants to give you real and lasting peace in each of these three

areas.

Peace isn’t an unattainable dream. It’s a free gift from God.