Peace Of God Or The God of Peace

The king was about to join his ancestors and he wanted to bequeath his wealth to his son. But he needed to be sure that the son had enough wisdom to manage it properly. He did not want a prodigal son scenario.  That was when he essentially asked the boy to choose. And what were his options? The peace of God or the God of peace.

Of course, that is an allegory of the test he set for his son. As the account goes, he told the boy he could pick out just one thing among the vast possessions. After that, the slave will get everything else. It started out as a tough choice for the young man.

The palace? Should he choose the bank account? Perhaps he will take the fleet of cars. And then, he remembered that you could either have the peace of God or the God of peace. If he chose peace, he would be fine. But not as fine as if he had the God of peace with him.

He realized that in God, he would not only have peace, but he would also have love, light, truth and so many other great benefits. With instant clarity, the young man knew what he would choose. He picked the slave. As a result, his father – the King – died a peaceful death, secure in the knowledge that his son was wise.

The Peace Of God Is Great

Peace is a great thing to have, don’t get me wrong. Particularly when it is peace from God. You may recall that this peace surpasses all understanding. All understanding mind you, not just human, but demonic as well. That means that no matter what the challenges are, you live above them, once you have the peace of God. So, don’t hear me knocking it. Why; if the world could have even a fraction of the peace of God, imagine how enjoyable it would be.

You could end those endless meetings in which world bodies revel but which bring no peace, lasting or otherwise. And those include meetings of the global organization set up primarily to bring peace, notably the United Nations. Wars would cease as we convert swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall no longer lift up sword against nation and none of us shall anymore learn how to kill one another. With the peace of God reigning on earth, our dynamite and bombs will sink to the bottom of the oceans. Yes indeed, this version of peace is a very special and desirable commodity. Allow me to congratulate you if you have it.

The Difference Between The Peace Of God Or The God Of Peace

We now come to the difference between the two. From the earlier story, it should be clear but we dwell on it for a little longer. Great as that peace is, it represents only one of the numerous benefits contained in the creator and Savior of mankind. Remember that God is light. And when you have God, you have light. That way, you no longer walk in darkness. And you may not appreciate that unless you realize that all the bitterness you experience results from the darkness.

When you walk in the light of God, you do not stumble. Stumbling here, like most analogies in the bible, is not physical. Stumbling is to regularly take wrong decisions. A classic example of stumbling is when people lose thousand on the stock market overnight. Or you may end up studying for a career about which you have no aptitude. Yes, you have a job but you hate it. You need God to bring his light to shine on your mind.

Additionally, God is love. This means that each time you struggle to love the unlovable, you need God. He alone possesses the power to help you love me. You see, we were all created with self-love. And unless we have the God whose name is love, we remain in that state. It should not come as a surprise to you to hear family members murdering one another.

Sadly, we even hear of pastors killing their family members. But you may not understand why unless you know the desperate wickedness of our hearts. The bible assures that no one can understand it and the only antidote for such wickedness is to have God.

Choosing Between The Two

We can go on and on about the benefits to be had in God. However, by now, it should be quite clear that it is better to have the giver of all good gifts. Hopefully, you will today make a choice between the tranquility of God and God Himself.

In order to have the former, there are several steps you need to take.

• First, you have to learn how to constantly rejoice in God. Not in your predicaments, but in God.
• Secondly, you need to be obviously gentle. Each time someone thinks about you, gentleness comes to their mind.
• Next, you must not be anxious about anything.
• Pray about all circumstances, big or small
• And don’t forget to be thankful to God.

If however, you decide to take it up a notch and go for God Himself, there is a strategy for that too. You have to ensure that you constantly fill your mind with:

• Things that are true
• Those that are noble
• Things that are just
• Pure stuff
• Lovely thoughts
• Any virtue and anything that is praiseworthy

You do that and you have the God who will give you all things with you. Now that you know the respective strategies, the final decision is yours. You get to choose between peace and God.

Maranatha!