Today begins the second week of Advent. The theme for this week and today's word is peace.
"For unto us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on
his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government
and peace,
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this."
Isaiah 9:6-7
"He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the
LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then
his greatness
will reach the ends of the earth.
And he will be their peace."
Micah 5;4-5
These two passages speak of the characteristics of the Messiah and what life will be like in His reign. I think these prophecies were meant to give the people who were looking for and longing for the coming Messiah a sense of peace and hope. The peace that the Bible speaks of is more than what we tend to think of as peace; the absence of war or
conflict, or calm and quiet. It is a deep restoration of
what is broken and painful in the world - separation with God as a result of sin. In Hebrew the word for peace is Shalom. Shalom is a sense of well-being
and fulfillment that comes from God and is dependent on His presence. Shalom is
wholeness, prosperity, security and fullness of life that only comes as a
result of a restored relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. Ephesians tells us that the prophecy spoken of in Micah 4:5 has come to pass in the person of Jesus Christ ..."He himself is our peace." (Ephesians 2:14) Jesus Christ took on the sin that kept us far from God on the cross and made it possible for us to have peace with God. Acts 10:36; Romans 5:1-2, 9-11; Ephesians 2:14-18, Colossians 1:19-22 are all passages that explain how peace with God is made through Jesus Christ by His blood shed on the cross.
Jesus is our peace. He is the instrument through which God brings us back – reconciles – us to Him.
If you do not feel you have peace with God, then please read the passages I spoke of above that show the way to peace with God through Christ. Pray over them. Then ask Jesus for His forgiveness of your sin. Read Acts 10:43 and Romans 10:9-10 for more. Do this and know that you have peace with God and let this Advent season be a time of celebration for His goodness, mercy and grace in your life.
My journal pages for today:
The Advent Words 2017 prompts and Scripture reading calendar can be found in this post or in the Facebook group.
My journal pages for today:
Beautiful and timely word, Mary.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as always, art that speaks peace.
Shalom, my dear sister in Christ.
Thank you Pamm!
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