Galatians 6:16 (NKJV)

‘And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.’

The key to peace and mercy from God is in living the crucified life. For the man who does not live for himself because he has died with Christ, such a man has nothing to boast about and therefore cannot be offended by men. He has no agenda of his own and only lives by faith in the life of Christ. Christ is all and is seen in all. Even when he is looked down upon and neglected by men, he doesn’t struggle because nothing is at stake for him. Some may consider him docile or laid back but he is not; he has simply acknowledged that he has died and so refuses to reinforce the flesh. He doesn’t give opportunity for the flesh to slay him with negative emotions.

We all need this peace and mercy from God but we must live by the rule. And that rule is the cross. The man who lives by the cross will live in the peace and mercy of God. He will find rest for his soul. But if we choose to live the normal Christian life, we will be plagued by a hundred internal pressures; all manifestations of the fleshlife and all seeking to be recognized and celebrated and magnified.  And when we are not recognized and celebrated, we immediately lose our peace and begin to experience those internal struggles that wage war even against the very mercy of God. God’s key to human rest is death and only those who die are truly at rest. The crucified life is the only key to rest. Do you want rest? Then you must die.

‘Lord, I know this from experience that I can never find peace once I depart from death. It is only in dying that I live the life of rest. The struggles to live in the flesh are so draining that they are not worth it. So please Lord, may my crucifixion with you be so permanent that I will never desire any resurrection except that resurrection that is with you. Amen’