At Peace

DEVOTION
2 THESSALONIANS
AT PEACE
2 Thess 3:16-18
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
NIV
The last of this letter and it is leaving me with this incredible benediction. To have peace at all times is by far one of the greatest gifts God has ever bestowed on those who accept his provision for eternal life through is son Jesus Christ. This peace is the opposite of war but rather something far greater and exceeding better. Having this peace is knowing, of course, the tranquil state I have in my spirit because I am assured of my salvation through Christ, and so I fear nothing from God and I am completely content with my earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is or will ever be. What more could I really ever desire in this life? Why would I ever consider filling my life with stress and strife over an attempt to acquire material goods far beyond what I could ever hope to use. Although I think I have enough and even more than I could ever use, at least in the material possessions department. I surely lack an abundance of store up funds, if fact, I lack any store up funds. Actually I owe more funds than I have. But what of that, should I get all tired up in knots? I think that would be opposed to this peace. Should I be aware of my situation? Of course so, I am firmly aware and do seek God for direction and provision. He has always been faithful in the past, and is being faithful now and I believe he will continue to be faithful because he is God. My trust is in him and that trust is a main ingredient of this peace. Knowing that Lord is with me even promotes this peace within my being all the more. How could I ever live my life alone? I could not even imagine how bad off I would be if I were to be living without the presence of my Lord in my life. Life would be a bitter pill to swallow if I had to live it all by myself. I am sure many people try to fill their lives with all sorts of things and even with other people, but that would still be empty if they did not include the Lord. I know that all the things I have and people who I love and who love me would be rather meaningless if the Lord was not with me. Oh sure, it would be enjoyable, for the moment, for my lifespan, but then it would be over, finished, complete, and perish with everything else. But because of the Lord being with me and with those I love and who love me, we all are going to continue to be together in the everlasting presence of our Lord and Savior. True maybe is a different environment and relationship, but nevertheless this peace, this presence, this having the Lord with us is for eternity. Yes, there are a few I love who have not yet decided to allow the Lord into their lives, but I still have this peace, knowing God is at work, he is in command, he is doing his part and having done my part, the rest is up to him. So I am at peace.