Do you lack peace in your heart? Maybe you have tried many things and explored different paths to find peace with God and still, peace eludes you. Well, I have good news! Christmas is all about peace. Peace on earth. That means peace is available to you and me today. Right now. But we can’t buy it in a store. We can’t manufacture it. Can’t work it up.

Peace with God is a gift given by the Prince of Peace, Jesus. But to receive it, we need to start at the beginning.

Who is God?

God is King over all. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands…” (Acts 17:27)

He created you and longs for a relationship with you. He created you and longs for a relationship with you.  Click To Tweet

“For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb . . . My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be . . .” (Psalm 139:13-16)

The God who created you is holy. That means He is absolutely perfect and pure in every way, at all times. “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty . . .” (Isaiah 6:3) “There is no one holy like the LORD. . .” (I Samuel 2:2) What a marvelous God to get to know!

But there’s a problem — a big one. It’s called sin.

What is Sin?

Sin is rebellion against God. It means ignoring God’s laws, insisting on our way, deciding for ourselves what’s right and wrong. You get the idea. God says that every one of us has sinned against Him by breaking His laws. “. . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory [perfect standard] of God . . .” (Romans 3:23)

And there’s nothing we can do to bridge the chasm sin causes between God and us.

To complicate matters, when laws (of any kind) are broken there is guilt involved and penalties to pay, thus sin brings consequences, often dire ones. In Scripture God says, “For the wages of sin is death . . .” 

What did God do for me?

Just when our case seemed hopeless, God stepped in:

“. . . but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” because GOD is LOVE. (Romans 6:23) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) And then, “God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance . . .” because GOD is MERCIFUL and has a huge heart. (II Peter 3:9)

God is so merciful that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins! Jesus lived as a perfect man and died as a sacrifice to take our sins and guilt upon Himself. “He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (I Peter 2:23-24) Jesus endured God’s holy judgment for our sin in His death on the cross because GOD is JUST.

And that wasn’t the end of it. Three days later God raised Jesus from the dead affirming His acceptance of Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf. Having completed His mission to redeem us and conquer death, Jesus ascended back to heaven where He lives interceding for us because GOD is POWERFUL.

God did this before we “cleaned up our act,” before we even sought Him out because GOD is GRACIOUS.  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

And God did it because He loves us. He desires that we know Him, enjoy Him, and rest in His love because GOD is OUR PEACE. Perhaps you need the gift of peace with God today.

What do I need to do to find peace with God?

Salvation is a free gift, so all God asks is that you trust Him by receiving His gift of peace through faith in His Son, Jesus.

Here’s how:

• Confess your sins to God by acknowledging how you have sinned against Him.

• Trust Jesus’s sacrifice for your sins. Believe that when Jesus died on the cross He paid for your sins and that God has forgiven you and removed your guilt. Believe Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death, and ascended back to heaven where He reigns as Lord and intercedes on behalf of all who trust Him for salvation.

• Turn from your sins and surrender your life to God.

God holds out the gift of peace and He means for us to open it.God holds out the gift of peace and He means for us to open it. Click To Tweet

Would you like to receive God’s free gift this Christmas? Here’s a brief prayer to help get you started:

God, I know I have sinned against You in my heart, attitudes, and actions. I have lived my life my way, without regard to You. I don’t deserve Your mercy or grace. Thank You for loving me so much You sent Your Son to die in my place for the penalty for my sins. Thank You for forgiving me and for giving me the opportunity for a new life of hope and peace. I receive Your free gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus. Help me to turn from my sins and turn to You . . .

If you prayed that prayer (or your own like it), that’s it. That’s all God asks because peace with God is a gift — one you and I cannot earn.

Peace is a gift only God can give. Peace is a gift only God can give.  Click To Tweet

So be at peace because God has heard your prayer and He will cherish it, for you are now His beloved child!

What questions do you have about finding peace with God?

Extra Resources to help you share your faith in Christ:

What is the Gospel – Greg Laurie

How Can I Tell if I’m Really Saved? –  desiringgod.org

Sharing Your Faith 101 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Overcoming Fears and Excuses – cru.org 

“How to Share the Gospel with Children” – Women Living Well

 

 

 

Feature photo by Diette Henderson