Friday, December 17, 2021

Where’s the Peace?

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” (Luke 2:13-14 NKJV).

The message of the angels to the shepherds was, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14 NKJV). Peace on earth. When we look at all the wars and conflicts in the world today, we wonder where the peace is.

But a better translation of the angels’ statement would be, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among men with whom God is well pleased.” When our lives are well-pleasing to God, we’ll have peace. But before we can have the peace of God, we must have peace with God.

If we don’t believe in Jesus, then we are, effectively, enemies of God. We’re at war with God. That comes as a shock to some people. They might say, “I believe in the man upstairs, in the good Lord.” But they’re still at war with God because their sin separates them from Him.

I remember when I first heard Jesus’s words, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30 NKJV). As a nonbeliever, I looked around at the Christians in the meeting I was attending on my high school campus and thought, “Well, I’m not one of them. Does that mean I’m against Him?”

I didn’t want to be at war with God.

That was the day I believed in Jesus. I remember feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. And for the first time in my life, I found the peace that God promises for each of us.

Jesus came to give us life in all its fullness. He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). He has the meaning of life. You can live life to its fullest in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Copyright © 2021 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

is god real lee strobel greg laurie devo offerIn thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of Is God Real? by Lee Strobel.

In a world that insists God is just a myth, there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary that demands our attention. Renowned author Lee Strobel takes the question of God’s existence head-on in an engaging new book titled Is God Real? Tackling the big questions of life, this fantastic resource is both easy to read and useful to share. We will mail you a copy in thanks for your support of Harvest Ministries this month. 

Click here to find out more!