A Resource for Grace and Peace

by Terry Wane Benton

"Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:4-5).

The threat experienced in Asia may have come from Jerusalem or Rome, but grace and peace come from the throne of Jesus Christ who even has power over death and He even rules over the kings of the earth. Our source of grace and peace is far greater than the opposition who try to specialize in dealing out fear and anxiety. Jesus “was” from eternity. As deity, He has no beginning and no end. Therefore, he cannot be defeated. “Kings of the earth” do not hold power over death.

They are also fickle and changing. The kings of the earth can feel like appeasing certain people one day and feel like turning on them and crushing them the next. There is nothing “faithful” about them. Our “faithful witness” has loved us faithfully to the death and is also faithful to show His power over death itself. So, who will we fear and respect the most? The fickle rulers of the earth? Or will we be more impressed with the “ruler over the kings of the earth?”

I like “grace and peace” and I know a dependable and faithful source who is far greater than governments on the earth. Politics on Earth is usually a source of worry, fear, and anxiety. Let’s learn the “faithful” and dependable resources we can have for grace and peace within, the One far more powerful than all the kings, presidents, and rulers of the earth combined, and He even rules what happens to us beyond death. Yoke to Him and find rest for your soul!