At Christmas we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace. Yet we seem to get mixed signals from scripture. Did Jesus come to bring peace on earth or a sword? I suppose you could say "Yes" to both. It turns out that, like so many things, we tend to define peace differently than the Lord. Apparently before we can enjoy the peace we need the work of the "sword" referred to in Matthew 10:34. Perhaps we could view the sword as a divine scalpal that does spiritual surgery. Certainly we know that we must do war with sin and coming to faith sometimes creates conflict with loved ones while providing holy peace to the one who has trusted in the Savior We often hear these days how "freedom isn't free" and "peace comes at a price". Certainly that is true regarding the peace given by our Lord. We are aware of the great price paid on the Cross. Often believers also pay a price in human relationships and social acceptance for the greater benefit of the peace of our Lord. It turns out that peace is experienced within individual human hearts even when surrounded by the storms of life. Truly we find great encouragement from those last words of John 14:27, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Blessings and peace (heart peace from the Lord, Himself),
Rob Smith
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