Where the Spirit of God is, there will be peace. Peace that transcends all understanding, for it causes men to love the unloving, to be kind in spite of hurts; peace embraces and extends the hand to connect the hearts of men as one. What I mean is, peace is God in us, acting through us in ways that we could not do ourselves. Peace is the extension of love. Paul, in the letter to the Romans said, “Bless those who persecuteyou; bless and do not curse them; live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but readily adjust yourself to and give yourselves to humble tasks, never overestimate yourself or be wise in your one conceits; repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble in the sight of everyone; if possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone; beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, say the Lord; but if your enemy is hungry feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:14-21).
St. Francis of Assisi once wrote this beautiful prayer. It summarizes the true meaning of peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Since we all are sinners and prone to act accordingly to the flesh in the sense of self-pity, selfishness in vengeance, and in need of forgiveness, we must be slow to judge, slow to speak against others, and quick to be understanding and compassionate toward others, aiming to walk in agreement with peace, depending always on the Holy Spirit to purify us from all that does not bring peace to our soul. That is, “be angry and sin not; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry; leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil…Let all bitterness ad indignation and wrath and resentment and quarreling and slander be banished from you, with all malice and become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Messiah forgave you” (Eph. 4:26-27,31-32), “for we are one body in YAHSHUA Messiah; one Spirit- just it is also one hope to the calling we received- There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all pervading all and living in [us] all.” (Eph. 4:4-5).
In the covenant with peace, peace is the light that connects us with each other in the same purpose that of love and serve our Lord YAHSHUA, walking the path of righteousness together in good and in bad times lifting up and upholding one another in the strength of faith and love and peace. The Prophet Amos askes the question, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed?” (Amos 3:3a). Unity by the bond of peace is necessary for a perfect harmony, as in an orchestra, where different instruments unite in the same song, harmonizing notes with each other to bring out the perfect and beautiful harmony for the ears to enjoy and the soul to rejoice. That’s what peace is about. When one wrong note is played, it affects the harmony the orchestra is trying to convey. So, it is in the agreement with peace. It takes only one disagreement in misunderstanding for the agreement with peace to be disturbed; only one.
The Word of God says, “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Messiah” (Eph. 4:21). Subjection is accepting each other’s strength without pride. It has no place in the agreement of two walking together. It is all for the sake of our Lord, YAHSHUA. It is all for God’s purpose to be accomplished on earth- His church as one body, serving one Lord and loving each other in the bond of peace.
Light from the Word 