The Gospel of Peace and Joy

Luke 2:10-14, ESV

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. … And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Peace and joy. Those are the two words which have been pounding in my spirit for the last couple of months. If you really stop and think about it, those are the things the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The purpose of so many of the weapons the enemy forms against us is to steal, kill, and destroy our peace and joy—the very things the Son of God came to bring. 

The weapons formed against us are the attempt of the enemy to cause: 

• Anxiety

• Fear

• Despair

• Offense

• Unforgiveness

• Anger (at God and people)

• Self-centeredness and self-pity

• Envy and jealousy

• Self-hating shame

• Boredom

And on and on and on. The weapon itself is not the agenda of the enemy. These things are his agenda—and each of these things directly steals, kills, and destroys our peace and joy.

Jesus came to bring peace and joy—and peace is actually what begets joy. It’s impossible to feel the joy of the Lord when we’re lacking the peace He came to give. 

Peace with God.

Peace with people.

Peace within ourselves.

These things are the catalyst for internal revival. We cannot be internally “revived”—filled with life, renewed by the breath of the Spirit—when we are in internal chaos.

So that’s where we’re going to start. In January, we’re going to sit with God to assess our peace with God, our peace with others, and our peace within ourselves.

The gospel is the good news of great joy. It is the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). And, as Paul says, it is this gospel of peace which symbolizes the shoes in the armor of God—the shoes which create within us the “readiness” to run.

Without the peace of God—the wholeness of God (which is the meaning of both the Hebrew and Greek words translated peace)—we won’t be ready to run.

And, fellow runner, harvester, and warrior for the kingdom, it’s time to run.