W@W WRAP – Week 364

The Gift of God’s Perfect Peace

Read:

Act:

This week, let’s focus on “God’s Gift of Perfect Peace” and explore its significance:

Firstly, let’s examine the idea of THE RECEIVER. Receiving a gift shows thoughtfulness, gratitude and generosity. It demonstrates care and appreciation from the giver towards the receiver. This emphasises the value of the receiver’s relationship, role and contribution to the giver’s life. As God’s favoured, beloved, blessed sons and daughters, we freely receive the precious gift of GRACE, PERFECT PEACE and ETERNAL HOPE. This gift comes with an understanding that God knows our past, present and future, and He can be trusted. He creates the impossible when we often get stuck in the possible. May we obediently surrender our lives to God again today and declare, “Thank you for the gift of salvation and life. May it be done to me according to Your Word (Luke 1:38). Write my story, Lord, the most beautiful story ever written – all for Your eternal glory!”

Secondly, let’s take a closer look at THE GIVER. God exemplifies what true generosity means by graciously sending us His only Son, who sacrificed His life for the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life and hope. Even though sacrifice and joy may seem like opposite concepts in worldly terms, the very nature of our loving Father in Heaven is demonstrated through His endless provision, blessings, love, grace, forgiveness, faithfulness, goodness and mercy. These qualities bring wholeness, completeness, welfare and safety, resulting in joy and peace that surpass our understanding.

Thirdly, let’s think about OPENING THE GIFT. When we receive a gift, we don’t just leave it untouched and wrapped. Instead, we actively engage with it by eagerly unwrapping it to see what’s inside. Similarly, to receive God’s Gift of Perfect Peace, we need to actively seek and be aware of His presence in our lives. This means growing our faith and trust in God, pursuing a life of prayer, being still before the Lord, surrendering everything into His capable hands, and letting go of our desire to be in control.

Fourthly, let’s now look at the EXPERIENCE. After unwrapping the gift, we get to enjoy all the benefits it brings to our lives. Similarly, experiencing God’s Perfect Peace involves the following: 1) Accept and acknowledge God’s forgiveness, which is freely available to all of us. 2) Trust in God’s faithfulness, even when we face challenges or struggle with our faith. 3) Actively participate in God’s work by sharing His message of love and salvation and becoming ‘Fishers of men.’ 4) Find comfort in the promise of eternal life and the hope of being with God forever. 5) Recognise that our salvation is a free gift that can only be received through faith, and there is nothing more to be done for it.

Lastly, let’s focus on LIVING OUR HIGHER CALLING. The Gift of Perfect Peace is always available to us. It has already been poured out, fully paid for, wrapped, and ready for us to use and experience. This gift enables us to live out our highest calling: To ACT JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY and WALK HUMBLY with our God (Micah 6:8). It entails PURSUING and PLEASING God… Being in His PRESENCE, living a life of PRAYER and PRAISE and standing firm on His PRECEPTS! If we learn how to WALK WITH GOD, it will decompress the stress and doubts that come with life’s journeys, as we no longer have to figure out where or when to go… We would know where we are and where we are going, because Jesus is right beside us.

THE GIFT OF PERFECT PEACE, ultimately, is a HEALTHY HEART, a WELL SOUL and an INTENTIONAL MIND which leads us to a GOD-FIRST, CHRIST-LEAD, HOLY SPIRIT-INSPIRED LIFE that glorifies our Father in Heaven and advances His Kingdom here on earth! It is about receiving the blessing of eternal life through a covenant with Jesus. Jesus is peace! Have you accepted Him as Lord over your life, and do you walk in His joy and strength every day?

May our Lord Himself, our Prince of Peace, be with us now and forever.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for reminding us today that You are Lord over our lives. Thank You for reminding us that we are Your highly favoured ones and that You are in control of our lives. We don’t always understand why things happen the way they do or why other things don’t happen. But Lord, we trust in You. Today, we declare that You are in control of our lives. We submit ourselves to You, Lord. We surrender ourselves to You, declaring that Your plans and ways are much higher than our own.

Father, thank You. Thank You that You sent Yeshua. And, Yeshua, today I want to thank You that You came as the Prince of Peace and that You want to bless every one of us every day with Your peace. I want to thank You also for not leaving us alone but for sending Your Holy Spirit. And that Your Holy Spirit wants to lead and guide us every step of the way. We need a fresh touch of Your Spirit. We thank You for wanting to give it to us and that we will walk in Your peace – the peace that surpasses all understanding. In the Name of Yeshua, our Messiah.

Lord, thank You that Your peace is not some prize at the end of a very long road or journey. Thank You that Your peace is not inaccessible to us. Thank You that it’s something that You’ve gifted to us. Lord, for all of us who stand in a relationship with You, Your peace is available, and Your peace can become a reality in each of our lives. So, Lord, we ask You today to help us to be active participants, to actually receive Your peace open-handedly. Thank You, Lord, for inviting us into an active relationship with You. Thank You, Lord, that these promises are not empty, but that they’re true. And so, as we draw near to You, Lord, may Your peace become our part more and more over time. Lord, thank You for that.

Oh Father, we thank You and praise You that Your peace is available to each and every one of us. As we accept Christ’s work on the cross to pay for our mistakes, we trade the uncertainty of this world for the peace that passes all understanding. We thank You that Your Holy Spirit takes residence in our lives as we trust in You personally. May we experience Your peace that comes so freely in Your forgiveness and faithfulness. May we truly be ‘fishers of men’ who stand ready to share the Gospel, as You lead us. May we absolutely know that our future in heaven is secure because You, O Lord, have finished the work on our behalf. We love You, Lord.

Father, guide our feet onto Your path of Perfect Peace.
Jesus, open our hands to serve You and love others.
Holy Spirit, do a mighty work in and through us.
We glorify and worship You!
Amen.