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 It is apparent that one of the things most missing from our lives is peace. That is a shame, as peace is readily
available to anyone that seeks it. It is one of the things bequeathed to us by Jesus. He said, just before His ascension back into heaven, "My peace I leave with you. My peace I give
unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) There are some things we need to get clear in our minds to
avail ourselves of this promise. First of all, peace does not mean the absence of contrary circumstances or lack of trouble in our lives. Jesus, so aptly called the Prince of Peace,
lived under adverse circumstances all of His life. The moment He was born He became the enemy of the king and before He was two years old He was a fugitive fleeing for His life into
Egypt. His religion, led by the Scribes and Pharisees, cast Him out and was trying to kill Him during His entire ministry on earth. His family judged Him as being just a little insane.
His message while He was here on earth was hardly received as He intended. While the crowds flocked to Him, they came seeking material things, such as healing and food, rather than
embracing the true meaning of the Gospel. So we can readily see that the absence of adverse circumstances in no ways insures us of peace. Let us notice something in the verse we quoted.
Jesus said, "Let not…" which indicates that the onus of achieving peace is on us. By using the word "let" indicates we are to do something. The something we must do is to give the
burden to Him and relax in the knowledge that He also promised to take that burden upon Himself. In the Gospel according to John, in chapter 16:33, Jesus exhorted us, "These things have
I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In this world ye shall have tribulation…" Now if Jesus had closed with those words, they would not fit into the gospel (Which
means good news) any where, for that is certainly not good news, nor does tribulation engender peace in any way. But He did not stop there. He finished with the message of hope,
"…but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." |
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