Christmas Family Devotional Guide

Jesus is… the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14 KJV)
Not a day of our lifetimes has passed that war has not been waged in some part of the world. The nightly news is filled with battle stories, threats of war and terrorism. Even during this Christmas season, our prayers go out to American soldiers who are deployed in harm’s way around the world. Since war and strife is an ongoing fact of life, how can Jesus rightly claim the title, Prince of Peace? How could the angels proclaim at His birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”?

Jesus can rightly claim the title, Prince of Peace, because He has provided the way of peace between God and us. While we often like to think of God only as a loving God, He is a righteous, holy and just God as well. And a holy being like God cannot have a relationship with anything unholy. That means that we, as unholy sinful people, are incapable of having a relationship with God. The worst part is, that doesn’t just mean we’re separated or isolated from God. Because, as a holy God, sin offends Him and draws His wrath. As sinners, we are by nature under the wrath of God—He is at war with us. But God sent His Son Jesus to take His wrath in our place. When Jesus suffered and bled and died on the cross of Calvary, He took the full force of God’s wrath on our behalf. Colossians 1:19-20 says, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Jesus was born to die in our place. He was born to take the full wrath of God in our place. He was born to reconcile the sinfulness of man with the holiness of God. Because of that, Jesus is our Prince of Peace.

Jesus can also rightly claim the title, Prince of Peace, because He has provided the way of peace between us and other people. Throughout history, few groups of people hated each other more than Jews and Samaritans. They were racially different, socially different and religiously different. They even had different styles of worship! There was no way they should have ever been able to get along. But Jesus came to even bring peace between them. Just as He came to provide a way of peace between all people. Ephesians 2:13-16 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” Jesus was born to die in our place. He was born to break down the barriers of sin between people. He was born to destroy hostility and divisions between people. He was born to reconcile all different kinds of people to God and build a church out of them. Because of that, Jesus is our Prince of Peace.

The problem is, many of us don’t accept the provision of peace Jesus has made for us. The reason we see reports of war on the news every night is because people around the world refuse to accept Jesus’ provision of peace. But even closer to home, the reason we see strife and fighting at home, at work, at school, and sometimes even at church is because we fail to let Jesus be our Prince of Peace. Jesus can rightly claim the title—have you accepted His provision?

Jesus, You have taken the punishment for my sin and given me peace with God.
This day, may I show others your love by the way I let your peace live through me.
May I extend grace to them in the same way you extend grace to me.
Be my Prince of Peace today.