(A Biblical Perspective by Al Thomas)

THINK OF JESUS, THE PRINCE OF PEACE, WALKING ON THIS EARTH…
saying, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you.“ Then think of His life while on this earth. He had no rest! He was constantly on the go!   Nowhere to lay His head! All His friends deserted Him! He tried to explain the upcoming cross to His disciples, but they didn't get it(LUKE9:45). His life was one of constant conflict(LUKE20: 19-20),yet He preached peace(ACTS10:38). His inner circle was fighting and bickering among themselves even as He was going to a painful death(LUKE22:24). Yet, he had peace. Peace should not elude us because of conflict or being on the go! Or even death(PSALM 48:14; 116:15). Why is it that so many lose the peace of Jesus?  His peace is always available, but it is not automatic because: 
 
• WE MUST PURSUE HIS PEACE (People miss this)
            There are conditions to God’s peace. One of them is the principle of pursuing. Romans 14:19 clearly tells us “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace…”(NKJV). The KJV puts it this way: “Let therefore follow after the things which make for peace.” That NT word ‘follow’ (and its root word) means ‘to pursue or to run after, like running an errand’. It also means ‘to be like a waiter at a table with an attitude of alertness,’(STRONGS # 1377 and 1249). We are talking about effort here. It’s ironic that God’s peace is not obtained (or retained) by being peaceful or being passive. His peace is obtained by pursuing it and pursuing it aggressively. Listen to David, “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it,”(PSALM 34:14). That OT word ‘seek’ literally means “to search for, strive after, ask and inquire’. The OT word ‘pursue’  literally means ‘to run after or to hunt.’ (See Strong’s #1245 and 7291). We must take the peace that Christ offers and not let it go. This is another principle: It’s ours, but we need to go get it!    The devil will try to rob it from you. You need to take your authority and tell him to leave,(LUKE10:19).  God’s peace is there for you and as you draw near to God, He (and his peace) will draw nigh to you (James 4:8). 

• WE PURSUE THIS PEACE BY PURSUING HIM
            Just as world peace will never be possible without Christ (MATTHEW 24: 6-8), so individual peace is impossible without Christ(JOHN 15:4). Jesus predicted no peace on this earth(MARK 13: 6-8)until He came back, yet amazingly, in this world of turmoil we can have peace individually(1 COR. 1:3). We receive this peace by being with the Prince of Peace. It is only Jesus who can give it. If you do not have this peace, He is saying to you “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” How? By taking His yoke and learning about Him(MATT.11:28-30). Jesus has never once refused my coming to Him. He has always welcomed me with open arms. These arms are long and wide. They can reach to the highest heaven and deepest hell. Deu. 33:27 says it well: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; ...” As we seek Him, He destroys our enemies. Inner turmoil and depression is an enemy.  Remember, don't always think Jesus is going to change the circumstances you are in. Usually the circumstances play themselves out, yet we can have His peace in the midst of the storm. The waves may crash and the wind blow but His peace will keep you calm.

• SOME SET JESUS ASIDE WONDERING WHY HIS PEACE ENDS
            This is important. Often, we don't reject God’s peace, we simply set it aside. Mr. Fount Shultz (a gifted teacher and writer) points out that  “when Jesus was born, He was wrapped up and laid in a manger(LUKE 2:7). And when babies are born mothers occasionally have to lay them aside. It is an awesome thing that the creator of this world(COL. 1:16),Jesus,would allow Himself to be found in a condition in which His creatures could hold Him when convenient and lay Him aside when they have other things to do. But He did. When you think about it, God has always allowed Himself to be set aside by men. Adam set Him aside when he chose the forbidden fruit. David set Him aside when he went into Bethsheba. IsraelandJudahset Him aside when they ignored the cries of His prophets.  They were too busy with there own agenda. It’s interesting that the last human act toward Jesus was also an act of wrapping and putting aside, this time in a tomb(LUKE23:53). Neatly wrapped and put away. Securely laid aside. “    Have you laid Him aside? If you have you have lost His peace. Yet, His peace is still available to you. He didn't stay in that tomb.  He was resurrected.  You can resurrect His peace. Maybe you have some unwrapping to do?  His peace awaits you, no matter what your circumstances may be(ISAIAH 26:3).   I'd get moving on that if I were you …