“Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”-I Peter 5:14
As we begin this new day let us be blessed with the knowledge that God delights in blessing us. God delights in blessing His people because He delights in us! Isaiah 62:3-5 is one of many places in the Bible that reminds us of this fact, “You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. He has so named us “My Delight is in Her, because it is.
Our text this morning from I Peter is yet another example of a benediction/blessing given on behalf of God to His people from an Apostle. “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” Peter signs off with this not to be polite. This is God’s blessing for His people who have, are and will be going through hardship and struggle (“fiery trials”) so that we would rememberthat the Prince of peace gives US His peace. Peter places this benediction upon God’s people to remind them and us that God knows all that we go through and wishes for us to remember that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ who told us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Paul reminds us as well in Rom. 5:1-“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is our justification…the declaration of acquittal from God through Christ’s death and resurrection… that guarantees us this peace. We must constantly be focusing and leaning into the Scriptures to remember his delight of us, his love for us and the peace that is given us.
This blessing of God reinforces what I just said. For by this knowledge God declares peace upon “…all who are in Christ…” It is only through being in Christ alone that the true peace given to us can be experienced no matter our circumstances. This declaration clearly reminds us that God has all of His own eternally safe and secure, which equals peace as we who are His have been united to God in Christ by grace alone through faith alone.
Alexander Maclaren once said when commenting on this passage, “Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.” King David confirms this as well in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”
So with this in mind…live in this benediction/blessing from God today… “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
