Peace Be With You

               The means of attaining true peace in your life is in submitting it to the will of God.  Genuine peace isn’t the absence of turmoil or trouble; it is the quiet assurance of God’s love and providence. The book of I Peter was written in the AD 60s to the believers scattered in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.  It is an encouragement to those suffering for Christ, and it offers us a solid framework for gaining peace in our lives even in the midst of adversity.  The content of the book is as relevant to us today as it was to the early church.  Peter exhorts the faithful in I Peter 1:4, “To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (KJV).  A vitally significant element of the Christian walk is the consecration or hagios in the Greek, of our speech to the Lord.  I Peter 1:15 teaches, “But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (KJV Capitalization theirs).  Another vital factor in the Christian course is obedience.  I Peter 1:22 instructs, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (KJV).  The only sound foundation on which to build your life upon is Christ.  I Peter 2:6 reveals, “Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone elect precious and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded”(KJV).  Believers are given liberty through the Blood of Christ and are called to behave in a manner befitting of Him.  I Peter 2:13 instructs us to be subject to government mandates, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme” (KJV).  We are to seek peace and follow God’s will.  As believers, we are not to be ashamed of our suffering, but we are to allow God to work in our anguish.  I Peter 4:19 tells us, “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (KJV Capitalization theirs).  We are all on a journey, and each of us is at our own point on that road.  God doesn’t expect us to be faultless, He wants us to forgive, repent, pray and keep going.  Even in hardship this is the path of real peace.  Peter ends this book with I Peter 5:14, “Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity.  Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen” (KJV).