Peace Treaty

Peace Treaty
by Cheri Cowell, from 365 Devotions for Peace

It was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in [Jesus], and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross. — Colossians 1:19-20

We sign peace treaties and make peace accords. We call a truce and then shake hands to confirm our intent. We declare, decree, and proclaim peace. We strive to avoid war, and we work for peace. When we experience peace, we seek to maintain that too-fragile and very precious state.

Peace is hard to craft and even harder to sustain.

Yet Jesus came to bring peace — peace between sinful human beings and a holy God; peace with others; and peace within ourselves. When Jesus died on the cross, He signed the peace treaty with His blood and ended for eternity the war between humanity’s sin and God’s holiness.

Sin has been defeated! Now we can be at peace with God, with others, and within ourselves.

Notice that last sentence: “We can be.”

Peace is not automatic.

We need to confess our sin, acknowledge Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for that sin, and then in gratitude surrender our life to Him as our Savior and Lord. Have you done so? Have you accepted Christ’s peace?

Thank You, Jesus, for defeating sin. As skirmishes with sin continue, strengthen me to stand strong in You. Amen.

Excerpted with permission 365 Devotions for Peace, copyright Zondervan.

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Your Turn

It’s been a terrible, violent few weeks in the U.S., and for many, it seems that injustice, chaos, violence, strife, racism, fear, anger, retaliation, and community unrest are winning. The mass shooting in a gay night club in Orlando, FL, the shooting of a black man outside of St. Paul, MN, the shooting of a black man in Baton Rouge, LA, the shooting of police officers in Dallas, TX, brings calls of “Come now, Lord Jesus!” There’s so much to grieve, and so many people and communities with whom we believers need to sit shiva (the Jewish tradition of mourning together). Peace is not automatic. Peace is active and it is holy. Jesus signed the peace treaty and we are the ones who must walk in it if we are to show the world His love. How can you come alongside and offer comfort, compassion, and love to those in your community who are without peace today