Grace + Peace
“Grace to you and peace.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:1
If there are two nutrients our souls need, they are grace and peace. Paul begins his letter to the church in Thessalonica with these small but powerful words that pack a punch and shake things up. Let’s look at them more closely.
GRACE. It’s a gift from God. Where we feel clumsy in our following after Jesus, there’s grace. Where we respond tactlessly to the people around us, grace. Where we are thoughtless, neglectful, and imbalanced, God’s grace meets us there. His grace is what gives us spiritual agility and it is the fertilizer that matures us. To pour out His grace into our hearts is to fill us with Himself. Grace is the gentle influence of God that strengthens us, increases our faith, expands our ability to love, and enables us to walk in Christ-like virtues.
PEACE. Our frazzled, conflicted, agitated hearts are hungry for it. Real and imagined threats wind up our chests into balls of anxiety. We’re flooded with too much information, burdened by too many demands, and confronted with more opportunities than we could possibly seize. Pulled in a thousand different directions, our hearts are divided, and we can’t seem to find a minute of rest from it all. But the peace we have in Jesus is totally different than we expect. His peace doesn’t pull us away from the chaos, it provides us with an overarching sense of tranquility, safety and blessedness right in the middle of it all. After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to his disciples and greeted them for the first time as their risen Savior. Let his words reverberate to every corner of your heart today: “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)
For Your Journal
Who He Is:
Take a minute to think deeply about God’s character. Write out this verse in your journal and jot down some thoughts about how this verse speaks to you about who God is. Think: Where do grace and peace originate from? If they come from God, what does that say about who He is?
“Grace to you and peace.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:1
Who We Are:
Next, ask the Lord to show you what this passage says about who we are as His children. How is His definition of us different than how we see ourselves? Write down a character trait that you want to grow in as a result of today’s scripture reading. Here are ideas to get you started:
As a woman who trusts Jesus, I am…
peaceful
gracious
steady
trusting
What we do:
In this portion of your journal, write out a prayer. The goal is to absorb the meaning of this scripture passage and let it take root in our hearts. Ask the Lord to let His word define who you are and what you do today. Surrender any areas of your life that you are worrying over or trying to control. Write down what God’s Spirit is calling you to act on as a result of today’s scripture.
Lord, help me to let go of the things I’m worried about. I want to be at peace, trusting that you are in control. Help me to feel a sense of calm right in the middle of the chaos of my life. Give me grace to be spiritually and emotionally agile today, able to handle whatever comes my way. Strengthen me to love others well and to reflect your character in my little corner of the world. Amen.