And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
When we do anything in the name of the Lord Jesus, we should think about who Jesus is, as his identity should shape what we do. Throughout April, we are looking at peace, and my mind keeps shifting toward understanding Jesus as the Prince of Peace. This shapes how I have been thinking about how we do all things in the name of our Prince of Peace. At the heart, it means that every action I engage in and every word that I speak should be measured by a desire to reflect the peace of Christ Jesus to the world.
I’m more than willing to admit that I don’t get it right all the time (or even as much of the time as I would like to), but my goal is to reflect Christ’s peace. What becomes difficult about this goal is that the Lord’s definition of peace doesn’t mean what I thought it did when I was a child. Peace is not an absence of warfare and violence; it is a state of mind and of heart where we work not to simply avoid these things but to actively remove them from ourselves and the world around us.
What helps me to understand this idea best is in the roots of the Hebrew word for peace, shalom. In Hebrew, most words find their base in three consonants with the vowels changing the meaning of the word in small and largeways. For shalom, the three consonant sounds without any vowels provide the connotation not simply of peace but of wholeness and harmony. The peace of Christ, the peace that God desires to pour down upon the world, is a wholeness and harmony of all things that will reflect in the presence of the Lord to us all.
For Reflection
- How do you define peace?
- How does the idea of wholeness and harmony change your understanding of peace?
Prayer
Lord God, you seek wholeness for your creation. Help us to be instruments of peace, being the voices that look not towards divisions, but towards the unity that you seek. May the peace of Christ dwell within our hearts and minds and that all that we do would reflect the love of the Prince of Peace, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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Devotionals