Meditations on Peace

I am not into the peace symbol, mainly because of its association with pot smoking and protests. But I was given a necklace that has 'peace' repeated across its pendant and stamped once on the back. I like the look of the necklace. I've been wearing it the last couple of days, and have found myself lost in meditations on peace. The first one that looped through my mind was just the phrase 'peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ'.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Romans 5:1

Peace with God?! It overwhelms me. In Christ, the constant state of war with God into which I was born has been made PEACE. God accepts me as a friend because of the position I hold in Christ.

Have you read Ephesians 2 lately? It thrills my soul and brings me to tears.

"For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one,
and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
having abolished in His flesh the enmity... thus making peace,
and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross,
thereby putting to death the enmity.
He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."
From Ephesians 2

"Therefore, He had to become like His brothers and sisters so that He could be merciful.
He became like them so that He could serve as a faithful chief priest in God's presence
and make peace with God for their sins."
Heb 2:17

He became like us that He might know our weaknesses, which He has mercy on.

"Peace I leave to you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives I give to you.
Stop letting your heart be troubled, and stop letting it be afraid."
John 14:27

The peace the world gives is always strained. It is enemies held at bay by mutually assured destruction, or by threats of exposure, or by the conventions of society. The peace Jesus gives us with the Father makes us friends of God. I don't fear hostility from friends who love me. They love me. God loves me. He's at peace with me.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
Rom 15:13

Speaking With Authority

Talia, who cannot read, is very fond of her small Bible, which has no pictures. She opened it up, and said authoritatively, "Let the wicked forsake my way."
She shut the Bible.
Amen.