peace.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. [Ephesians 6:13-20]

There it is, swimming amidst of all Paul's encouraging words, an simple straight forward answer. An answer to all the struggles and hardships the body of Christ is facing every single hour of every single day. Finding our peace. Peace with our own struggles, peace with the struggles we are confronted with daily, and peace with the worldly struggles that flash before us in the world.

The answer is found in almost every single hotel room in the nation, it's on the shelves under layers of dust and stuffed with important family papers that need a secret hiding spot. It is the Gospel of peace. Imagine if all television stations were centered in the Gospel of Peace, how much more encouraging would it be to see news casters wearing the breast plate of righteousness and the belt of truth. How much peace would be restored if all politicians used the sword of the Spirit and the helmet of salvation.

Peace comes from proactive people fighting for something they believe in.

Peace is not meant to be all butterflies and bunnies, but more of like bees and ants who work hard with others to store up their treasures for something bigger then they can comprehend.

Paul uses an important phrase "in Christ" which appears about thirty-five times to describe believers' true fellowship with Him. Believers are "in Christ" - Ephesians 1:1, "in the heavenly places in Christ" - Ephesians 1:3, chosen in Christ - Ephesians 1:4, adopted in Christ - Ephesians 1:5, and made acceptable in Christ - Ephesians 1:6. In Christ we've been given hope - Ephesians 1:12 and made alive - Ephesians 2:5 in order to grow in Him - Ephesians 2:22 and make a difference in the world.

And there is our answer. Powerful people by the world's standards are not always called to bring the Peace of the gospel to others. Nope. It's the ordinary people who are called to do this extraordinary thing.

It's you.

Thanks Paul. Your letter from Tychicus was received, it is circling around the churches and stirring the heart of someone who has been given the hope, has been made alive, and has been made acceptable in Christ. May the peace and grace of Christ be with you as well.