Elder M. Russell Ballard
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Often during his time in mortality, Jesus offered peace to those who followed him, but they — and those who follow today — did not always understand the meaning of the promise.
"We sometimes fail to understand that the everlasting peace Jesus promises is an inner peace, born in faith, anchored in testimony, nurtured with love and expressed through continual obedience and repentance.
"It is a peace of spirit that echoes through the heart and the soul. If one truly knows and experiences this inner peace, then there is no fear from worldly disharmony and discord.
"There is no peace in sin. There may be ease, popularity, fame and even prosperity, but there is no peace."
Peace cannot be found in being mean-spirited or contentious, in vulgarity, promiscuity or permissiveness or in damaging addiction to drugs, alcohol or pornography.
"There is no peace in being abusive to others in any way, whether it be emotionally, physically or sexually, for those who are abusive will remain in mental and spiritual turmoil until they come to Christ in all humility and seek forgiveness through complete repentance."
Christ's promise of peace did not mean the kind the world recognizes — safety and security with an absence of contention or tribulation. But it gives the strength to overcome challenges.
". . . God's peace is not to be hoarded. Rather, it is to be shared liberally with our families, our friends and our communities. It is to be shared with the church as well as with those who are not members of our church."
