Text: “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.
Good morning, peace-filled Christian! When the world all around you observes your state, they are presented with your peaceful standing in Christ Jesus, and are often smitten with a desire to possess such peace for themselves. A redeemed sinner at peace with his/her God, is a real and powerful witness for Christ Jesus. May you and I manifest such deep inner peace.
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds though Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:6-7)
Everyone recognizes and places a high value on individual peace. This is what my friend and fellow Pastor Miles McKee says on the subject:
“True and unimagined peace comes only as we understand God’s character. If we erroneously envision that God is always angry and frowning then we will never know perfect peace. If we falsely picture that we have to perform to gain His approval, then we will be in a continual uproar. If we mistakenly imagine that God, having purchased us by blood, will someday wither in His faithfulness and desert us, then we will be tossed to and fro by every circumstance. However, to enjoy true peace reigning in our hearts we need to be fastened firmly to the rock of the gospel and the revelation it gives us of God.” (Miles McKee, The Wednesday Word 12/5/10)
Our Bible reading today has been selected from the prophet Isaiah in order to allow Old Testament Scripture to dovetail with New Testament Scripture - to further encourage faith in each of us as we seek to serve the Prince of true peace - King Jesus. Glory to His Name!
The world and all its alluring activities cannot product or provide us with the ‘…peace which passeth all understanding…’, spoken about by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian believers.
Christ Jesus, the Son of God, alone can provide such perfect peace. And He does!
“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)
Possession of such Supernatural peace is granted only when we subject our human, and carnal, will to the Lord God Almighty; repent from our sins; receive Christ Jesus as our personal Saviour; and seek to serve Him consistently.
However, in order to retain the peace that Christ alone can give consistently - there is something we can actually DO, and do again, for ourselves. We can seek to stay, or focus, or re-fix our thoughts on Christ, by reading the Bible and praying earnestly to God in sincere and genuine fellowship with Him.
“Thou (God) will keep him/her in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed (fixed) upon Thee; because he/she trusteth (trusts and continues to trust) in Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
Only in continually focusing on the Lord God Jehovah, through Jesus Christ, can we mere sin-prone mortals, do anything to retain our God-given inner peace. Learning about Christ Jesus, and seeking to continually fellowship with God in Him, encourages us to keep putting our full trust in Him. By continually trusting Him more fully, we are assured of His perfect peace.
“Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength…” (Isaiah 26:4)
The more we learn of Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation, the more we can fully rely on Him to bring us through whatever circumstances, no matter how humanly grave, we have to face from day to day in our lives.
Trusting in our own puny strength, fortitude, capabilities - is like putting our faith in sinking sands. ‘The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust (it)..’
Trusting in the Rock of our Salvation, God the Son, Christ Jesus, we have a sure foundation of solid Rock in which to stand, and to regain our footing when we falter or fall into sin.
“The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)
Thought: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you…” Stand fast in Christ Jesus, Blood-bought Christian! We shall not be moved!
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