Cultivating a Heart of PeaceSample

Love, Joy, and Peace Cannot Be Separated

Where does peace come from? Is peace just a feeling, something that comes and goes depending on the circumstances of our lives? And is it possible to become more peaceful in a culture where so many struggle deeply with worry, fear, and doubt? In an attempt to shed some light on these questions and others like them, so far in this reading plan, we have explored the following foundational truths:

• Jesus alone is the sole source of peace in our lives.
• Peace is found as we posture our lives in complete surrender to Jesus and His Kingdom.

Today, we will consider a third foundational truth: Love, joy, and peace, rooted in faith and hope, are the assurance of life with God both now and in the life to come.

In his letter to the church at Galatia, the Apostle Paul writes, "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things." (See Galatians‬ ‭5‬:22‬-‭23‬ ‭NRSV‬‬) Looking closer at these verses, we see that the word "fruit" is singular, not plural, indicating that these virtues are deeply interwoven and are not to be pursued as individual attributes. From the inside out, the Holy Spirit is actively working to transform your heart and mine so that our lives might display the character of Christ to the watching world around us.

Even if we consider only the first three virtues from the Apostle Paul's list – love, joy, and peace – we can quickly see how foolish it would be to attempt to separate them in practice.

Culture (who has removed God from the equation) would have us believe that love, joy, and peace are rooted in the continuous pursuit of self. Self-love, self-preservation, and self-promotion. For those living according to the world, love, joy, and peace are cultivated through the power of being YOU. "YOU are the greatest gift," as the saying goes.

However, for the apprentice of Jesus, love, joy, and peace are rooted in faith and hope in God. The author of Hebrews writes, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (See Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NRSV‬‬) And Romans 15:13 NRSV says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Pursuing love, joy, and peace is a natural human desire. For you and me, the question becomes, where is our pursuit of love, joy, and peace rooted: faith and hope in God or the pursuit of self?