“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Continual peace of heart and mind is God’s intention for His children. There has never been a day that He has desired turmoil, harassment or confusion for us. Sure, we know there’s plenty of that in this world, and we’ve all had to deal with it from time to time, yet God’s provision of peace has always been there for the taking. In John 14:27 we read that Jesus gave us his peace, a promise of tranquility in spite of any storm we may encounter in this world.

Last week we began to think about God’s promise of peace to us. We noted that in Psalm 34 and again in I Peter 3, we are encouraged to pursue the peace of God. Friends, you may be in no condition to run after much in life right now, but no matter the current condition of your physique, I encourage you to take the Word’s advice and run after the peace of God! It’s worth the effort, and once you lay hold of it, you’ll realize its value is far beyond anything money could buy.

How valuable is peace? A mind at peace rests well at night and doesn’t fear what the day may bring in the morning. A heart at peace doesn’t mind so much the temporal adversity it may face as it walks through this earthly life. God’s kind of peace is a part of Himself that He implants into our human spirit when we commit our lives to Him, and it is purposed to be a glue that holds us all together as we serve Him. The value of peace is all this and more. How much would you pay to have these things? Some, who only know of fear and war, would give all they have.

Here’s the thing though: Jesus died and rose again so that we could have peace. He paid the price for lasting peace so we could enjoy its benefits. Sadly, many Christians today don’t exhibit the peace Jesus has provided for them. They’ve allowed the world and their life’s circumstances to rob them of this grace from God. They’ve allowed their minds to be filled with peace-thieves—thoughts that give birth to fear and torment them day and night. It’s unfortunate because it doesn’t have to be this way.

Brothers and sisters, we can have peace in our lives on a continual basis. If it wasn’t so, Jesus could not have said what he did in John 14:27. We can have the Lord’s peace, but if we are going to have it, we are going to have to do what Psalm 34 commands. We are going to have to pursue it intentionally.

So, how can we pursue and capture the peace of God? The pursuit of peace begins by filling our hearts and minds with true peace, the Word of God! In Psalm 119:165 we read, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” In Proverbs 3:2 we are told that the commandments of God add length of days and peace. In Isaiah 48:18 it is proclaimed that if we listen to God’s Word our peace would flow like a river. What wonderful imagery of a full and powerful peace! Getting and keeping God’s Word in our minds and hearts is the chase that captures peace.

Conversely, if we don’t fill our minds with Scripture, the enemy will fill that void with his message of turmoil. Romans 8:6 tells us, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” In reality, there are only two types of mindsets at any given moment in our lives—a spiritual one or one that thinks like a man without trust in God.

Friends, we can have the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), but to have it we must choose to think on God’s truth. That truth will show us the reality of God’s love, provision, health and protection, and when we understand those things, we can settle into the resting arms of His peace no matter what is going on in the world around us.

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.