The Gifts Beneath God’s Tree
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.” Romans 15:13 NIV84
The fifth Christmas gift Paul mentions is PEACE. I once saw the front page of a newspaper published on the day World War II ended. The headline seemed to cover half the page, declaring in big, bold, capital letters: THE WAR IS OVER.
Beneath the headline was a large photograph of Americans dancing in the street–hugging, kissing, celebrating. And why not? Peace meant no more fighting, no more bombs and bullets, no more bleeding and dying, no more losing loved ones in a distant land.
Thinking about that newspaper… it was the headline that declared the objective reality of peace. But it was the photograph that revealed the inner peace, showing how that peace had gone from the headline to the heart.
So it is with us. Scripture tells us that when Jesus died for our sins, He established an everlasting peace between the holy God and sinful mankind. In Ephesians Jesus is called “our peace.” (2:14) At His birth angels proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 2:14 NIV84)
It is this peace with God through Jesus Christ that fills our hearts with lasting peace and empowers us to be at peace, even when the world around us is in chaos. THE WAR IS OVER. The Bible proclaims this headline too, the end of a far greater war, the accomplishment of a far greater peace.
Do you want a life of peace? It’s yours for the asking, gift wrapped and waiting beneath God’s tree—the cross.
Lord Jesus, fill each of us with the peace of God that surpasses all understanding–the peace that comes from knowing You as our Lord and Savior. Amen.