12/13/2024

Read: John 14:27 - “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Reflect: All of us want to live our lives in peace. Few people enjoy conflict or trouble. In peaceful times, we tend to make our plans thinking the peace will never end. But life doesn’t quite work that way. One diagnosis, one scandal, one conflict, one expensive accident, are all it takes to shatter this fragile peace. And the world offers many remedies to this. The peace of distraction, the peace of lies, the peace of ignorance... So when Jesus says He gives us His peace, and not as the world gives, He’s not saying He will stop all of the peace-ending events of our lives. With His peace, you can have an untroubled heart even in the midst of a troubled life. And unlike the peace of the world, which is usually just avoidance, His peace stares directly at the source of our pain or conflict, and rises above it by proclaiming the truth: Jesus came to this world to save sinners, paid the price for us all, and has brought us into the family of God eternally. His peace is based on Himself and what He has done. And this is not a peace that will fade; it will always be freely accessible to the children of God.

Respond: Give thanks to Jesus for leaving His peace with us, and giving us a peace much greater than the false peace of the world. Think of the things in your life that have or are currently disrupting your peace. Then bring those things to the Lord and ask for the peace of Jesus to rise above them.