Prince of Peace: a devotion by Ann Elaine Broughton
“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).
Jesus came on earth to give us peace. His whole ministry was offering peace to those around him. He healed the sick, preached that people needed to love their neighbors and enemies, told the people not to worry, but to trust God, and calmed a storm by just speaking, “Be still”.
These are just a few examples of how he displayed peace. If you read the account of his sentence and crucifixion, you will notice that he displayed peace in front of his accusers also.
This peace that Christ displayed is also available to you. Jesus told his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27 NIV). In the Beatitudes Jesus spoke: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9 NIV). Jesus wants us to have peace and display it for others to see.
Since this peace is always there for us all the time. Do you feel it and portray it? Is there something in your life right now that is making peace difficult to find? Is your peace being thwarted by your own personal problems? Sickness, death of a loved one, financial problems, and chronic pain are just a few things that can take away your peace. But you must realize that the peace Christ has to offer you is still there.
Whenever I start fretting and worrying and complaining about my problems, I know that I can start spiraling downward into despair. I have learned to say to my self, “Stop it!” and then I pray in earnest for Christ to fill me with His peace. The most important thing for you to do when you are in a downward spiral of despair is to call upon the Lord to fill you with His peace, because it will happen. Trust me, because I have been in the miry pit of despair before, and He has filled me with a peace that I cannot even describe to you. He is definitely my Prince of Peace.
So the next time you feel as if the world is falling in all around you, remember that your Prince of Peace is only a prayer away and will give you the peace that you so desperately need.
Dear Lord,
There are many things in life that can threaten our peace. Help us to know that you will never abandon us in our time of need, and that your peace is available if we take time to calm down and pray.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
One Response
Peace?
“Aren’t humans amazing? They kill wildlife – birds, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice and foxes by the million in order to protect their domestic animals and their feed.
Then they kill domestic animals by the billion and eat them. This in turn kills people by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative – and fatal – health conditions like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer.
So then humans spend billions of dollars torturing and killing millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases.
Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals.
Meanwhile, few people recognize the absurdity of humans, who kill so easily and violently, and then plead for ‘Peace on Earth.'” C. David Coates
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The good news is that anyone can break this cycle of violence. I did and you can too. Each of us has the power to choose compassion. Peace really does begin in the kitchen. Please visit these websites to align your core values with life affirming choices: http://veganvideo.org & http://tryveg.com