Grace and peace

Grace (favor and blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

— Philippians 1:2 (AMPC)

As I started my prayer time this morning, I asked the Lord to speak something to my heart that would be important for my life. The thought that roared into my heart was,

Be at peace—always be at peace!

Very often, Paul’s letters to the church start with, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The words may vary, but the message is the same: Grace always comes before peace. God’s grace is what gives us peace!

Grace can be defined in many ways; one is God’s undeserved favor and blessing. I often define it as this: God’s power—given to us as a free gift—which enables us to do with ease what we could never do alone with any amount of struggle and effort. Grace manifests as forgiveness, mercy, strength for our weaknesses, and probably thousands of other ways.

Because of His grace, God forgives our sins, which leads us to peace with Him and freedom from guilt. Because of grace, we can face our weaknesses and know that God still loves us, and that those weaknesses don’t disqualify us from His kingdom.

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It might be a good idea to ask yourself, “Am I lacking peace somewhere in my life?” For example, if you lack peace about your spiritual maturity, you can put yourself in God’s hands, because He loves you, has grace for you, and has the ability to change what needs to be changed in you. Or if you’re longing to see change in your loved ones or circumstances, His grace is enough to do all that needs to be done, and enough to meet every need. Believe that He’s always working—because He is—and His timing is always right.

Thankfully, we don’t have to be perfect in order to receive God’s help! Another definition of grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense, and that is exactly what we have available to us daily through our faith.

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for Your grace that leads to peace. Help me to receive Your grace every day, instead of struggling in my own strength. In Jesus’ Name, amen.