Finding a More Peaceful Way of Life
If I told you that our society makes it difficult for us to have peace in life, you would probably agree with that. In fact, you might question whether or not it's even possible for someone to have any peace in today's hectic, complex world.
Well, I have good news for you. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and believe the words He spoke to His disciples, then you can definitely find peace in your life. He's helped me find a lot more peace than I used to have. And He can help you find peace too.
What Jesus Said About Peace
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Peace is important to Jesus because He talked about it many times, especially in His final moments before He ascended to heaven. Now, I think it's important to remember that these were some of the final points Jesus chose to make to His disciples before leaving them. Have you ever thought about what you would want to say to your loved ones before you died? You would probably choose to say some things that were really important to you.
Let's look at what Jesus told His disciples in John chapter 14. Verse 27 (AMP) says, "Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]"
Jesus essentially said, "I'm leaving you My peace. Now you need to do all you can to hold on to your peace and stop letting yourself get upset."
John 20:19 (AMP) is another good example of Jesus giving His peace: "Then on that same first day of the week, when it was evening, though the disciples were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you!" Now, Jesus had already been crucified at this point. He had risen from the dead and was presenting Himself to the disciples for the first time. And the first thing He said to them is "Peace to you."
And then in verse 21, Jesus says it again: "Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you."
So Jesus started His final visit with peace and one of the last things He spoke about was peace.
Now, you might be thinking: "Okay, we can see that Jesus likes peace and wants us to have it. But how can I have it today? What are some practical things I can do to have more peace in my life?"
Here are seven ways you can immediately increase your peace.
#1 See the value of peace. Maybe you need to take peace a little more seriously? If you don't think it's a big deal to lose your temper, worry all day or get stressed out, you may have underappreciated the gift of peace more than you realize. First Peter 3:11 (AMP) tells us to "search for peace." And whatever you value, you will seek out with gusto.
#2 Take a serious inventory of what you spend your time on. Do you have an unsustainable life? Many of you reading this have way too much on your plate, but you keep saying yes to things and filling up your calendar. Remember that Jesus called us to be fruitful, not busy. So cut away the branches that are not bearing fruit.
#3 Trust God. Believers in Christ are supposed to believe, right? That means we trust what He says in His Word and completely give everything over to Him. When we do that, we enter His rest (peace). Proverbs 3:5 (AMP) says, "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding."
#4 Make a decision not to be a people pleaser. It's not possible to keep all the people in your life happy all the time. This doesn't mean you can act rudely toward them. Just don't try to please another person at the expense of displeasing or being disobedient to God. Live to please God first.
#5 Mind your own business. I've learned that usually, the less I know about other people, the better off I am. Being nosy and spending energy trying to learn what others are doing or saying produces anything but peace in life. First Thessalonians 4:11 (AMP) tells us to "make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs…as we charged you."
#6 Let peace be the umpire of your life. If you are thinking about doing something, but you don't have peace about it, don't do it-because if it's not peaceful, it's not God.
#7 Do whatever you can to work toward simplicity. I've been working on simplifying my life for awhile now because I learned that the busier you are, the more vital it is to have simplicity. This means sometimes it's best to let things go instead of starting a war over something petty. Also, it might be simpler to not own so much stuff. Trying to take care of too much can just overwhelm and frustrate you.
If you will put these suggestions into practice, a more peaceful life is possible for you. Remember that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He can provide the tranquility you long for…even in today's modern world.
