Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to another month of this year, the month of August 2024. My prayer is that God will grant you peace in every way, at all times and over everything that is yours in the month. Amen.
Why is it important for us to have peace within us and all around us? One main reason is that peace promotes prosperity and enjoyment of life. When people are at peace in their hearts, they can settle down to think and dream of great things. And when people have peace all around them, they can focus their energy on realizing their dreams.
But when we are troubled and are not at peace within, even if there are opportunities to do great things around us, fear will not let us utilize those opportunities. For example, Paul says this about his brief stay in Troas: “Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.” (2Cor 2:12-13NIV)
Did you see that? Even though there was a great opportunity for this apostle to preach the gospel in that place, he could not take advantage of it. Why? He had no peace of mind. Something was troubling him. What was it? It was the fact that he did not find Titus, his companion, there. And we too would most likely act the same way under similar circumstances. We would allow a wonderful opportunity to do something big or enjoyable for ourselves to pass, if a loved one was sick or was in trouble.
Also, if there is chaos all around us, even if we have great dreams and abilities, we may not be able to convert those dreams and abilities into anything meaningful. And many have died with their great dreams because the places they lived in were not peaceful enough to accommodate progress. Then even if we are able to realise our dreams in an atmosphere of chaos and trouble, we may not be able to enjoy the labour of our hands the way we should enjoy it in the place.
So, having great abilities and great dreams where there is no peace is as good as having nothing at all. In fact, it may not be wise at all to think or dream of doing great things where there is no peace. For instance, here is what God once said to a man named Baruch, who happened to be Jeremiah’s secretary: “Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.” (Jer 45:5NIV)
Did you see that? God told Baruch not to think of doing anything great for himself in the land of Judah at that time. He was not to think of building a house, starting a business or getting a wife for himself. Why? Disaster was coming on the land. And the disaster coming would destroy the whole country and drive everyone away. However, God promised to keep him safe wherever he went.
You can see, then, peace is very important for progress and enjoyment of life. And that is why we must continually pray, as we are instructed in Scriptures, for the peace of God to reign in our lives and all around us. So, I pray for you again, as we begin this new month, that God will cause His peace that surpasses all human understanding to reign in your life, all around you and over everything that is yours, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have a great August 2024.
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