Discover Peace that Makes Life Worth Living!

In John 14:27 (NIV), Jesus says, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not lest your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. I believe peace is the most valuable thing we can have because it’s the key to living a life you can thoroughly enjoy.

For many years, I didn’t know what it was like to have peace. And I was miserable! But when I realized that Jesus came to give me a life of peace—not a life ruled by worry, fear, or frustration—I became so hungry to have it that I was willing to do whatever I had to do to get it.

 
In my journey, I discovered three foundational areas of life that we must have peace in if we want to be fulfilled, content, and joyful: peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with others.

1. PEACE WITH GOD

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

—Romans 5:1 NIV

The first step to finding peace is learning to trust God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6), and when we know Him as Lord and Savior, we have access to everything we need to live a full, joyful and peaceful life.

We can develop a close, personal, intimate relationship with Him and be led by the Holy Spirit in everything we do.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

No one is smart enough in and of themselves to know how to best lead their life. And reasoning, struggling, and trying to figure everything out in life will steal our peace.

We need God’s wisdom to guide us along the right paths for our lives. When we spend time with God in prayer and studying the Bible, we learn how to hear His voice and follow His ways.

2. PEACE WITH YOURSELF

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.

The old has gone, the new is here!

—2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

In this world, it’s easy to struggle with feelings of insecurity, fear of rejection and other negative mindsets and attitudes. But you can have peace with yourself and love the person God made you to be as you discover the truth about your identity as a believer in Christ.

When you come into a personal relationship with Jesus, you become a new creation. You can accept yourself, knowing that as you grow in your faith in Christ, you will progressively become more like Him.

You can be confident that even though you have room for improvement (and we all do), you’re okay and you’re on your way!

3. PEACE WITH OTHERS

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

—John 13:34 NIV

Jesus is our source of peace, and the only way we can have peace in our relationships is if we are willing to humble ourselves and treat others the way Jesus would treat them (see Philippians 2:5-8).

When we give our hearts to Christ and He becomes our Lord and Savior, we can then receive God’s love and let it flow through us to others. The closer we get to Him—putting our trust, hope, and expectation in Him—the more we will show God’s unconditional love without selfish motives or expectations.

This is so important because when people don’t treat us the way we expect them to, we are usually disappointed. If we truly want to have peaceful relationships, we need to ask God to show us if we have expectations of others that we shouldn’t have.

As long as our mind is on Jesus, trusting Him and following His plans for our lives, we can avoid being easily offended by others and keep on loving them in every situation.

I want to encourage you with the truth that in Christ, you can operate in the peace He gives every day, in every area of your life. This is God’s plan for you...and it’s the key to having a life worth living!