"And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth."
Mosiah 27:37
I love this idea of publishing peace and "good tidings of good" and the connection of good and peace with the Lord. ... I think sometimes that we get the idea of what peace and goodness are supposed to be confused though. We often think that peace is the same thing as relaxation or idleness. And there is certainly some crossover. In Alma 40 it is talking about the state between death and resurrection and it says "the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow" (Alma 40:12). Rest *and* peace there. However, I think that the most remarkable thing that God does for us is to grant us peace in this life, even in the midst of afflictions.
One of my favorite scriptures says this: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; / Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). In the midst of their troubles, they were okay, because they had that peace of God. Later in the same chapter it says "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. / For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). And that's the idea that I am talking about... the peace of the inward man, and the weight of glory that outweighs any trouble or burden that we could be presented with.
Thus, the honor and blessings bestowed upon those who publish peace, I believe--because it isn't in ignorance or innocence or naivety. It is in the midst of hardship and failure and pain... and yet, they proclaim God's message of peace and hope and love, and "good tidings of good" upon the housetops anyway, telling people there is a way to peace and happiness even in the midst of the darkness and sorrow of the world, and that Christ can show us all how to transcend the world and find the peace and the goodness that flows from God.
Today, let's work with God to find that internal peace, no matter what is going on externally... and when we find it, let's help publish peace to the world. :)
Mosiah 27:37
I love this idea of publishing peace and "good tidings of good" and the connection of good and peace with the Lord. ... I think sometimes that we get the idea of what peace and goodness are supposed to be confused though. We often think that peace is the same thing as relaxation or idleness. And there is certainly some crossover. In Alma 40 it is talking about the state between death and resurrection and it says "the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow" (Alma 40:12). Rest *and* peace there. However, I think that the most remarkable thing that God does for us is to grant us peace in this life, even in the midst of afflictions.
One of my favorite scriptures says this: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; / Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). In the midst of their troubles, they were okay, because they had that peace of God. Later in the same chapter it says "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. / For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). And that's the idea that I am talking about... the peace of the inward man, and the weight of glory that outweighs any trouble or burden that we could be presented with.
Thus, the honor and blessings bestowed upon those who publish peace, I believe--because it isn't in ignorance or innocence or naivety. It is in the midst of hardship and failure and pain... and yet, they proclaim God's message of peace and hope and love, and "good tidings of good" upon the housetops anyway, telling people there is a way to peace and happiness even in the midst of the darkness and sorrow of the world, and that Christ can show us all how to transcend the world and find the peace and the goodness that flows from God.
Today, let's work with God to find that internal peace, no matter what is going on externally... and when we find it, let's help publish peace to the world. :)
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