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Peace Is A Gift
Andrea Lende • June 24, 2020
John 14:27
Peace Is A Gift
You may also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Peace-Is-A-Gift-efsakr
Daily Word:
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]”
The whole chapter of John 14 is packed full of advice for Godly living.
I have underlined almost every verse.
Jesus is talking to His disciples in this chapter.
He is giving them every last drop of advice, help, and ways to live before He is taken to the cross.
Our verse today is so full of how to live.
Each word could be dissected and meditated upon.
First, He says, “Peace I leave with you;”.
He told them that He was leaving His peace with us.
He was gifting it to us.
He said, “My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you.”
He said it isn’t given to us like the world gives gifts.
What does that mean?
His next sentence helps us answer the question.
He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
We cannot have peace and be troubled or afraid at the same time.
These emotions cannot be experienced simultaneously.
So, if we are to receive the Jesus’ own peace then we have to let go of other emotions.
The translation of the last sentence is, “Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.”
We simply cannot allow ourselves to get into a troubled state.
We cannot permit fear, intimidation, unsettledness, agitation, and cowardice to live inside our minds.
He said, “Stop allowing” it.
We must stop it.
Fear won’t just go away on its own when it has run its course like a cold or flu.
The only way I know to stop these negative emotions is to press in and spend time with God.
Allow Him to flood our souls with His Holy Spirit.
Think on His wonderful works.
Read His Word.
Speak His promises out loud.
Allow Him to minister to us.
Comfort us.
And receive His peace.
Today I choose peace over trouble and agitation and fear.
May you find that the Lord is waiting to quiet your soul and grant you peace.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your covering of peace. Thank You for giving us Your peace. Thank You for showing me that I need to set aside other emotions like fear and agitation to be able to receive Your peace. Help me set my mind on You so that I do not let other emotions flood my soul. Keep me Yours, Lord. While chaos ensues around me, help me to press in and seek You. May Your Holy Spirit fill my soul and flood my mind. Help me remember all the wonderful things You have done for me to keep me safe and bring me closer to You, Father. I praise Your Name! You are greatly to be praised! You have come to my aid in every situation, Lord. You have rescued me time and time again. And You will continue to be My Rescuer. Lead and guide me this day. Help me bless someone today. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: My peace I grant to you, My child, and you will remain in it.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and merciful Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.