Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
Greek (Western) |
In Western thought, peace is a state of mind.
If all is going well, there is peace. If there is no war, there is peace. If the kids aren't fighting, there is peace in the home. If there is no crime, the neighbourhood is at peace. And so on.
Peace and quietness go together. A monk goes into a monastery to find peace. Mum sends the kids away to have peace and quiet for a time. Yoga is seen as a way to find peace. Nirvana is peace.
Peace therefore, is related to a lack of friction, often found in a state of quietness.
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Eastern (Hebrew) |
In Hebrew thought, 'shalom' or peace, is wholeness or completeness.
In Hebrew thought, peace is not quietness or an absence of trouble, but rather, a oneness with God. Peace is found in the submission of body, soul and spirit to the Creator, the Lord of the universe.
Jesus did not come to bring peace in a worldly sense.....
Matthew 10:34-6
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When Jesus sent out the 72 He told them to look for houses where there was peace. He did not mean quietness but rather, a house where there was a oneness with the Lord, knowing that these people would put them up for the time they were in that place.....
Luke 10:5-7
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Paul was able to find peace in the torment of prison and encouraged us to do the same.
Ephesians 4:1-6
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We can therefore experience the true peace of Jesus at all times, when we fully submit our lives to Him.....
Acts 10:36
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SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY |
1. True peace is obtained through a submissive relationship to God, not as an emotional experience or state.
2. True peace can be found in the midst of tumult and torment.
3. True peace is a lifestyle, not a feeling.
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<i>NEXT WEEK:</i> THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW continues..... |
..... looking at DOCTRINE v EXPERIENTIAL TRUTH
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A NOTE FROM DAVID |
In life we see some Christians who always seem to lack peace in their lives, whether it is caused by striving, or by bad things happening to them.
However there are others who have an aura of peace about them, both in good times and bad.
Oneness with God is the key. As we let Him control our life, as we give everything over to Him, so His peace reigns in us.
IMAGES AND ART: Jerusalem
Gates of the Old City
Jaffa Gate at Night
So named because the road leading from it goes to the port city of Jaffa (Joppa), this gate is the only one on the western side of the Old City.
A low part of the city wall was torn down and the Crusader moat of the Citadel filled in 1898 for the visit of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. This gate was also the famous scene of the English General Allenby's entrance in 1917.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
A DAVID'S DOODLING
674. Peace is not a feeling, but a place.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Marriage and Family Facts: http://www.wwj.org.nz/maffacts.php Just jokes: http://www.wwj.org.nz/jokes.php Waxing Lyrical: http://www.wwj.org.nz/waxing.php If Only I'd Thought of it: http://www.wwj.org.nz/thought.php
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