"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;"
Ephesians 2:12-19
There is a lot going on here, and I think perhaps more than one kind of peace. At the beginning and the end I think Paul is talking about peace between Jew and Gentile, and peace between people in the unity of the faith, but in the middle it seems like he is talking about peace within our bodies themselves, and the overcoming of that enmity between the flesh and the spirit... and maybe those things are part of each other in a way as well. As we learn to overcome ourselves, making in ourselves of twain one new person, that also unites us with other people who are dedicated to the same goals, and working with God who gives us the ability to do that, so becoming whole internally *and* externally, united in ourselves and dedicated to God, and united with others with that same dedication, all born of Christ.
Today, let's take a step back and examine some of our internal conflicts, and pray for God's help in allowing our spirits to triumph over the flesh, so that we can learn that inner peace and not be at war within ourselves. And let's also work on uniting ourselves with others who are striving for the same thing... working to place God before earthly desires, and to turn to God. As we do, we'll be moving towards the triple peace of internal calm, a community of faith, and being united with the will of God and basking in his love, which is the ultimate peace, and confidence, and protection.
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