Acts 2:42-7; 1 Pet. 1:3-9; Jn. 20:19-31
"It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus wished the disciples, “peace”. Probably this is the best gift anyone can give. Even today it is the most desired thing in the world. People do many things to find peace. Some visit holy places. Some attend retreats and spiritual revisal sessions. Some travel. Some organize charitable activities.
The Personnel Journal reported this incredible statistic: since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than eight percent of the time! In its study, the periodical discovered that of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace, and over 8000 peace treaties were made and broken.
One cold morning, a poor shepherd was grazing his cattle in a pasture. He neither had enough clothes to wear nor even a pair of shoes.
Suddenly, a man came there on a horse, a famous dacoit. He dismounted, went to the shepherd and said, "Come and work with me. I will give you clothes and shoes. You will not have to worry even for your food."
At this the shepherd replied, "I am content being a shepherd. At least I have peace of mind which you don't have."
Having ‘Peace of Mind’ is not a strenuous job, it is an effortless process so keep your mind cool and have a great life ahead.
The Bible describes many peacemakers in the Bible.
When Joseph’s brothers were angry and jealous, he sought peace with them, not just for his sake but for their sakes as well. Jonathan — The son of King Saul and friend of David, sought to make peace between his jealous and angry father and the rising and talented David. Jesus — Let’s start with the big and obvious one. Jesus is our ultimate example of what it means to be a peacemaker. The whole Bible is centered around this fact. Humans rebelled against God, and with His blood, Jesus paid the price to restore peace between a rebellious creation and their loving creator.
A woman whose husband died unexpectedly faced dire circumstances. Creditors hounded her, taking everything away from her and her young son. Fearing she might lose the most valuable possession of the family, she hid the priceless jewel that had been handed down for generations by sowing it into the sleeve of an old coat that the creditors would never want. The troubles weighed on her grief and eventually broke her spirit and she died without ever telling her son about the jewel.
The boy found himself without family or home, his only inheritance the old threadbare coat that the creditors left him. He found work wherever he could, staying in barns or out in the forest, exposed to the elements and grave hardship. Filled with sorrow at his fate, he endured the passing years with an abiding belief in the unfairness of life.
One day, as he was chopping wood, his sleeve caught on a branch and tore open. Out spilled the priceless jewel onto the ground before him!
The source of happiness -- real wealth -- is our birthright, something we carry with us from childhood whether we remember it or not. We are rich, the story says, even when we feel deprived. This is because, of course, the jewel represents the perfect nature of the true, original self with which we are born. Upon finding the jewel, the young man realized he had been rich all along -- and his life changed irreversibly in just that single moment of recognizing the jewel.
Becoming more aware of the hidden jewel we carry at all times brings us in touch with the source of inner peace and happiness. The more we identify with our hidden treasure, the more we become a well of peace and happiness overflowing into the lives of others.
Peace is important because it brings unity, optimism, and collaboration among society. Peace increases our concentration of mind. When our mind is in peace position then we are not affected by other people what they think about us. Peace keeps us mentally and physically fit. Peace brings brotherhood, happiness, and integrity to society. No society can exist without peace.
Jesus has promised to us in John 14; that the peace He gives, cannot be given by anything nor person in this world. He reminds us that His Peace does not keep us from trouble and fear, but it protects us from allowing these forces to overwhelm us. The Peace He gives does not mean peace in the absence of trouble, but peace in the midst of trouble. Peace not from the absence of fear, but peace in the midst of fear.
The Peace Jesus gives is not as the world gives. His Peace cannot be guaranteed by a thriving economy, or by the promises of any world leader. Because the Peace He gives, is Himself. The Peace of His Fellowship. The Peace of His Friendship. The Peace of His Forgiveness. The Peace of His Salvation. The Peace of His Grace and Mercy. The Peace of His Protection.
“The most unhappy person in the world is not someone who didn’t get what he or she wanted. The most unhappy person is the one who got what he or she wanted and then found out that it wasn’t as wonderful as expected. The secret of a happy life is not to get what you want but to live with what you’ve got. Most of us spend our lives concentrating on what we don’t have instead of thanking God for what we do have. Then we wake up, our life is over, and we missed the beauty of the present.”
There is an old proverb that says, “When there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty of character. When there is beauty of character, there is honor in the home. When there is honor in the home, there is order in society. And when there is order in society, there is peace in the world.”
Satish