Some time ago, I  noticed something I’d never before seen. In all of the apostle Paul’s salutations as he opened his letters, PEACE ALWAYS follows GRACE!

“May God give you more and more GRACE and PEACE.“ 1 Peter 1:2

GRACE is a Gift. Gifts have to be accepted.  PEACE (in our lives) is not a gift, but is a result – of receiving and learning to walk in, to participate in, to cherish, to desire and to give away, that (free) gift.

D’ya want an interesting exercise? (no, not THAT kind of exercise…) Do a google (or yahoo or Firefox or ???) search for Grace and Peace. Then do one for Peace and Grace. Watch what happens. (Google knows what Paul knew… Most of the search results put Grace before Peace!)

Related post: 50 Shades of Grace

So… (U ask) “What does that mean for me and U?” I love it when I have PEACE in my life. My home. My marriage. My mind. My driving. In times of turmoil, I find myself praying for PEACE, seeking PEACE, striving to get things back in order and under control so PEACE returns. In all honesty, though, I must admit that praying is not always my first action!

Perhaps, rather than laboring in the pursuit of PEACE, I need to ask HIM for a greater understanding of GRACE. 

I awoke this morning with the thought: “God WILL give you more than you can handle.” God knows that if turmoil in my life will drive me to seek more of Him, He will allow that to happen. I understand the God is not the author of confusion and pain. But I know from personal experience that He can use ALL THINGS to make me more like Him.

Related post: HIS TAPESTRY

“May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you GRACE and PEACE.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:3 NLT