Hosanna Restoration Church

Once again we want to look at the kind of peace that Jesus has provided for us. One of the Amplified Bible definitions of peace was a freedom from agitating passions and moral conflicts. Let’s look at what peace can do for agitating passions. We of course know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with passion. Jesus passion for us led Him to the cross, cleared the temple, and raised the dead. No doubt Jesus was often agitated when He looked around Him, but He allowed the peace of God work its wonders so that he always channeled that agitation into compassion to do God’s will.

On the other hand, the disciples did not always do so well at mastering their agitating passions. They wanted to call down fire on others who were not in their group. They wanted to be exalted above their fellow disciples and argued about who was greatest. Peter was so full of Himself that he would get agitated with the things Jesus said and did!

If you think about it, we all have many opportunities each and every day to be agitated! What do we do with them? Is being agitated our problem or someone else’s? In other words, whose fault is it if we are agitated? Can we really blame someone else if we are agitated? Of course we all want to say that it is not our fault if we are agitated, but the truth is, if we are agitated it is our responsibility to handle it with the gifts that God has given us. After all, the peace that Jesus left with us gives us freedom from agitating passions. We can overcome, and in the process overwhelm others when we display the peace of God that is beyond natural understanding.

In order for us to do this, we must deeply desire to please God more than ourselves. After all, it is only because we want everything to be the way we want it to be that we become agitated. You see, passion under God’s authority ultimately produces peace. When the agitation is properly directed God uses it to bring Himself glory.

Someone might say that they are so agitated about all the sin around them. When we allow God to direct this, our agitation is turned to compassion. We realize that we were sinners too. We may be most bothered because we still sin and we know we should not. That of course is another bunch of agitating passions. They are the ones that convict us of our own need to grow in the knowledge of God.

Scripture challenges us to seek peace and pursue it. It is something we must do. The table is spread before us so that we can transform agitating passions into wonders that glorify God. We can have this peace. If we could not, Jesus would not have said we could.