The Lord Jesus once said that we are destined to bear fruit. Our goal in life should, therefore, be to bear lasting fruit that is so valuable to God.
Ultimately, fruit means reflecting the characteristics of the Lord Jesus. When He is seen in us, God is glorified.
In this series, we want to reflect on the individual fruits that the Holy Spirit wants to work in our lives. And since our Lord is always the perfect role model (cf. Mt 11:29; Jn 13:15; 1 Pet 2:21), we will look directly at incidents from His life where these characteristics become visible.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is … peace …”
Peace in the heart – the calmness and serenity that is based on the fact that everything is in God’s hands. The peace that is independent of circumstances. According to Philippians 4:7, it keeps our hearts and minds – it protects us from restless brooding.
This peace encourages Peter to sleep in prison, Stephen to pray for his murderers, Paul to comfort his fellow travelers in the midst of a shipwreck, Gideon to attack despite a sobering minority, Elijah to stand before wicked King Ahab without fear, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to remain faithful to their God; Abraham to sacrifice his son.
We need peace of mind precisely when the ship of our life is caught in a storm. Then, when unbelievers become restless, anxiously consult their doctor, take out insurance, toss and turn restlessly – then the believer can be at peace. He knows: My Lord has everything under control.
Examples of peace from the life of the Lord that we can learn from:
- While the storm is raging and everyone is already expecting death, the Lord is sleeping peacefully on the ship (Mark 4:37, 38).
- Shortly after the Lord Jesus is badly offended, he cries out in the knowledge that everything is in the hands of His Father: “I praise you, Father … Yes, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight” (Mt 11:25, 26).
- With peaceful dignity, he confronts the traitor Judas and his mob as well as the terrible suffering before him: “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that were coming upon him, went out and said to them: Whom seek ye?” (Jn 18:4).
- Throughout His life, He had this peace of mind: “My peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27).
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