Grace, then Peace.

 In grace, peace, The Word

1 Corinthians 1:3

 

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

This week in my daily reading from Bob Gass’ “The Word For You Today,” devotional, I came across something that impacted me profoundly. How many times have I sought peace only to be confused and confounded when it supposedly alluded me. Could the answer to that be in this tiny, simple verse that I’ve skimmed over so quickly and frequently in the past?

Notice the order of the two gifts: grace, then peace. Could it be that we sometimes need to accept God’s grace in order to receive His peace? We resist the grace He’s offering because we don’t want help in our situation, we often want Him to get us out of situations. But the thing about peace is that it’s far less circumstantial than we think it is. Peace doesn’t come simply as a result of everything in my life lining up in perfection. God can bring you peace in the midst of a storm, but first you have to accept His grace.

So how do we do that? For starters, we need to surrender our ideals of how things have to happen. Stop insisting on only being at peace when x, y, or z happens. Recognize that God’s power and ability to extend peace reach so much further than the limitations of our finite minds. Accept His grace, and then watch as peace flows as a result of you surrendering your own will and accepting God’s grace for your present situation.

Do you need peace? Try a little grace first.

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