Are you lacking peace. Would you appreciate a path to peace?

Let’s talk together about a path to peace over the next several posts.

First of all, if you are a follower of The Way, more commonly known as a Christian–peace is your heritage. Peace is to be your possession. Consider this jewel from the Apostle Paul:

The Lord is at hand; do  not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:5-7)

That’s a powerful precept, but it raises a question…

Why Am I Not At Peace?

If you are a follower of Jesus, and have not found the path to peace, then what?

And if you are not a Christian and are reading this blog, I assume you are at least seeking to learn whether Jesus is for real?

Whatever the case, let us talk about the foundational problem of the path to peace.

Stumbling Down the Path to Peace?

Let’s go back to something Paul said above. He starts by saying, “The Lord is at hand.”

This “at hand” phrase is used by Jesus and others, and its meaning is this.

Whatever is “at hand” is within your reach.

In effect, the Lord of all creation is within your reach.

Wow…

Think about what this Scripture teaches. It is an admonishment (encouragement) to not be anxious and to live in peace.

We all want that, right?

But the basis of not being anxious, the way that we find peace is this.

The Lord is at hand and we take his hand.

The path to peace is not found by stumbling around and searching for peace. It is not enabled by getting psyched up and discovering peace.

No, the path to peace is something we are led to by the Lord, Jesus the Christ. Personally.

For Real.

We will never find the path to peace, or the peace that “surpasses understanding”, by our own intelligence and effort.

We must draw close to the Lord Jesus in a very personal way.

When we find Jesus, he leads us to the path of peace.

He is peace.

The Beatitudes as The Path to Peace

If you have not been a follower you may still have heard the beatitudes. They are the teachings of Jesus that begin “The Sermon on the Mount.” See if the following sounds familiar:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mt. 5;3-9)

Are the beatitudes a path to peace? Yes.

And no.

Jesus is the “At Hand” Path to Peace

For too long I tried to divide them up and “keep” them. You know, I wanted to have the kingdom of heaven, to be comforted, and to  be called a son of God. So I tried to be “poor in spirit,” “meek,” and to “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” as the “commands” in the beatitudes seemed to say.

The problem is, I missed the context of Jesus’ teaching. He had just in what we call Matthew 4 been teaching and healing. A large crowd surrounded him and nearly everyone was amazed at his power. He was definitely “good news” to everyone.

So the beatitudes, are they a path to righteousness? Are they a path to peace?

Yes, and no.

What Jesus is saying to the people who are amazed by his teaching and healing is this:

You are “blessed” because now I AM HERE. 

All of those items, mourning, meekness, and purity of heart–are things much of the world considers to be a weakness. It is a sign of failure, weakness, and a lack of asserting one’s power.

Jesus says that because he has arrived, that he is “at hand,” that those who realize they will never find peace in their own strength (which is everyone on planet earth without Jesus, by the way) that he is their path to peace.

He is your path to peace…

But…How Can Jesus Love Me?

This is one of the hardest questions…and a question that underlies most of our fear and anxiety.

We feel that perhaps Jesus could love me more, if only I were more…or less…or if I hadn’t… .

In other words, no one sins like I do.

We can see Jesus fully loving someone else in our life, because we can understand the attraction.

But we have the “goods” on us, and they are not good… .

For a more in-depth exploration of this topic of how to comprehend Gods love for you, click here. 

For now though, just know, that to God you are precious, priceless, and peculiar.

He is also involved in shuffling you towards himself, after all, why are you reading this now?

Who B U? The Path to Peace

Are you getting a glimmer of hope here? Do you see that for your entire life Jesus has been pursuing you because he loves you. 

You may have done some horrible, hurtful, and selfish things.

Welcome to the club. Me too.

But because of who God (the Father, the Son, and The Spirit) is to the core of who he is, he loves you. 

He loves me.

Who B U?

You are the beloved of God. Truly beloved.

If you cannot grasp this all at once, I get it. It took me years of walking with God before his lavish grace convinced me it was true.

If you need some help envisioning this, I wrote a book to help you see the beautiful loving nature of our Savior Jesus called First-Person Messiah: Transforming Your Life Through Amazing Encounters With Jesus.

This book shows through some creative writing about some of the “minor” people  Jesus met that no person is minor in his heart! 

Neither are you.

For a complete guide to becoming who you are in Jesus’ eyes, order my book Superhero: Being Who God Says You Are today.

Tune in for the next episode as we continue to explore the path to peace, and how to walk more comfortably with Jesus.

(Image by Arsen Volkov/IStockPhoto)