This and That

Grace unto you, and peace, from

God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

II Thessalonians 1:2

“Love and marriage, love and marriage...go together like a horse and carriage.”

I was much younger when I first heard that song. It had a wonderful sing/song rhythm to it. Love and marriage...two words closely associated not just by a song but because the two words do go together.

There are lots of words in our vocabularies that seem to be linked with the word “and.” In some cases, those words may just be everyday words or there may be proper names that are associated in the same way. I've been thinking about what some of those associated words are that I've heard through the years, such as: Sears and Roebuck, odds and ends, come and go, black and blue (bruising), up and down, Barnes and Noble, David and Bathsheba, Mary and Martha, soup and sandwich, Psalms and Proverbs, rain and shine, hide and seek, sharps and flats, steak and potatoes, wash and wear, bacon and eggs, bread and jelly, young and old, love and hate...you can probably add some such things to this list but at this point for me, it is an exercise in futility.

However, it was a pattern in words in Scripture that has caught my attention over the last several weeks. I think I've seen them off and on but never really observing how many and their locations. On top of that, the order of the words proved to be interesting as well. These words are found in the New Testament, written consistently by Paul in each of the letters he wrote either to people or churches. They are found near the beginning in each epistle, at least within the first verses of Chapter 1 and often in the first two or three verses.

The two words I'm referring to are: GRACE and PEACE

Paul used those words as a kind of opening blessing in his letters. I thumbed through Paul’s letters, all thirteen of them and found in most cases, this phrase: “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” This sentence can be found in I Corinthians 1:3. Notice in this verse (and will be in some of the others) Who the source is of that grace and peace. It is from God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Glory be!!!!

There has been so many opinions through the years as to who wrote the book of Hebrews. As I checked that book for the very same phrase, it is not to be found. Why would Paul use that blessing in every book we know he wrote and leave it out of an important book like Hebrews IF he actually wrote it? It's just something to think about.

Looking up various sources on the two words “grace and peace,” I found the following thoughts that by far could not be exhausted or a book would be required to expound on them, thus some definitions that follow might be food for thought:

GRACE:

It is God's divine favor exhibited toward us when we accept Jesus as Savior. Grace can come in the form of hope, the call of God, faith and even forgiveness. God continues to pour that undeserved favor into our lives continually.

PEACE:

Although the world has a form of counterfeit peace, true peace comes from God alone. He is the fountain of peace. When at true peace, a person is free of care or disturbance. Peace is God's gift when we walk in His ways. It is soundness of spirit and well being.

Here is my thought...

Paul never says “Peace and grace.” He consistently puts those two words in the order he did. Here's what I think for what it's worth. There can be NO peace until there is the wonderful experience of God's grace being poured into our lives. God is the source of peace but the real thing isn't available to us until we have the grace of salvation that has been poured into our lives.

When we think of peace, we think of two people, two groups or even two countries being at odds with one another. We may struggle beyond endurance to make peace with another person(s) but unless both people have accepted Jesus as personal Savior, true peace will be an impossibility. Oh, they may be able to come to some agreement and get along with each other for awhile but eventually, things will fall apart again. Real peace only comes through Jesus Christ. This is also why there will never be peace in the Middle East at any time. When unsaved people try to make a permanent peace between their peoples, it'll never work.

Both sides must have God's favor for there to be a lasting peace.

How many times have I been frustrated in a relationship with another where I've done everything I know to do to make amends and nothing seems to work. Even if there is a “cease fire” in the relationship, I often feel that I'm walking on egg shells. I'm not saying the other person isn't saved but remember in one of our definitions for peace is that peace is God's gift when we are walking in His ways. Consistently, Paul also puts those two words in the same order... Grace and Peace. You see, Grace must come first as it has to do with our relationship with God THEN comes Peace. Paul always puts those two words in that order.

When reading Paul's letters to whoever, sometime notice those words of blessing he pronounces at the beginning. Guess what? All those people he wrote to are now dead and hopefully in Heaven. His letters now are for our instruction and blessing. I read most of his letters putting my name where I find “you, ye, thou”. The Word of God is for me right now. I pray I will be able to live up to the GRACE and PEACE God has made available to me and may it be so for you as well.

Thank You Father for all You have invested in my life through Jesus. Help me to live in peace no matter what the behavior of another person might be. Grant me Your spirit of peace and help me to seek and walk in Your ways. I love you. In Jesus precious name...Amen