‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’ ” (John 14:27, NKJV).
As a champion of peace, Paul wrote, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3, NKJV). The Greek word translated “endeavoring” is an imperative, exclud¬ing any passivity, any “wait and see” attitude. We must be proactive. If we fight and bicker in our homes, if we fall into factions at church, if we refuse to love and honour others, then we are denying the peace of God in Jesus Christ, which He established on the cross.
How ironic that you have to fight for peace. Eleanor Roosevelt, in a Voice of America radio broadcast, said, “It isn’t enough to talk about peace; one must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it; one must work at it.” The peace that Christ won for us also requires effort, hard work, and constant self-examination.
We must learn to maintain peace in three important relationships: with God, with our fellow man, and with ourselves. We maintain peace with God by believing and trusting Him. We maintain peace with our fellow man by not allowing strife to be a part of our relationships with other people. We maintain peace with ourselves by refusing to live in guilt or condemnation thus recognizing that God is greater than all of our sins.
Strange as it may seem, the most difficult place to be a Christian is at home. How tragic, when home should be the one place in all the world where we all should have peace.
Two young men were in a battle during the days of the Vietnam War. The bullets were flying, and the bombs were exploding. All of this didn’t seem to faze one of the soldiers. When his friend asked how he could be so calm, he replied that it reminded him of home!
This kind of peace doesn't come through drugs, alcohol, sex, wealth, or entertainment. It is a supernatural (not worldly) peace that is a gift of God (John 14:27). The spiritual fruit of peace results from being justified by faith (Romans 5:1). and loving God's law.
(Psalm 119:165)
This is a peace that surpasses all human understanding, and it keeps your heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)
Peace is the result of resting in a relationship with God (Naked Fruit' by Elisa Morgan). Peace is a tranquility, a state of rest, that comes from seeking after God, or, the opposite of chaos.
The word "peace" comes from the Greek word eirene, the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word shalom, which expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by the outward circumstances or pressures. The word eirene strongly suggests the rule of order in place of chaos. When a person is dominated by peace, he has a calm, inner stability that results in the ability to conduct himself peacefully, even in the midst of circumstances that would normally be very nerve-wracking, traumatic, or upsetting...Rather than allowing the difficulties and pressures of life to break him, a person who is possessed by peace is whole, complete, orderly, stable, and poised for blessing. (Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Rick Renner)
Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace, who brings peace to the hearts of those who desire it. He says in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." NKJV
"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict." -Anonymous
Peace can be maintained for a time out of ignorance or denial, but when the realities of life come upon us, peace can be impossible unless we let His peace rein in us! When we do not let go we will blame God and lose our unity and serenity in Him. Peace is learning to let go of our will, desires and plans. Peace is not the peace of the hippie movement or even between nations, although those things can be applied from it. Peace is serenity from the realization that God is in charge and we can relax because He is in control. Peace is the recognition that our biggest problem has been solved! It is the stillness we have when our trust is upon Christ as Lord (Psalm 46:10). Peace will also enable us to yield our will over to Him. Peace enables us to be moved from the stronghold of fear and trembling into a life of harmony (Isa. 26:3; II Tim. 1:7). When we are on the verge of giving up, or losing our hope, peace can be the anchor to keep us on His path, to see His hope, to let it give you the confidence to keep moving on His path.
John tells us that He must increase and we must decrease (John 3:29-30). If we refuse this vital call, God just may allow those hardships to come our way, breaking us down so we will yield and grow as His child.
Remember the Fruit of the Spirit are co-dependent entities, neither one can stand or work by itself as they are designed to work all together synergistically to build us up for His service.
Reference: Discipleship Tools, Wikipedia, Adult Bible Study Lesson 2010 1st Quarter – Fruits of the Spirit