Peace

"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, nether let it be afraid."    John 14:27.  NKJV

The two kinds of peace that we look at today are, Worldly Peace and the Peace of Jesus:
WORLDLY PEACE
The world give us peace and then takes it back again. It involves unrest and demands, the kind that leads to anxiety and fear. People may come along and show us two fingers as they declare, 'Peace Brother or Sister', to us. They may be genuine but the whole practise has a feeling of uncertainty about it. People may say to each other, 'I'm going to get some fresh air and a little peace and quiet'. They may do, but it is still uncertain, worldly peace. William Barclay comments on worldly peace by stating, 'The world's peace is a peace of escape, the avoidance of trouble and a refusal to face up to things.' In other words, it can be a kind of denial.
We may say at the end of some worldly conflict that we now have a time of peace. That may be so, but there is still a feeling of uncertainty about it all. Worldly peace is very shallow. This can be seen on annual events such as New Years celebrations. People are happy as the clock strikes twelve, indicating another New Year. However, shortly afterwards, they may be seen fighting, possibly because they have consumed too much alcohol to be in control of themselves. It is just world peace - temporary.

In the Amplified version, part of our text reads:

"Stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.' 

In the NLT, the text reads:

'I AM leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give'

Note the words, 'the world cannot give.' The world cannot give the peace that we all yearn for. Only Jesus can offer us the free gift of this peace.

THE PEACE OF JESUS
The peace that Jesus speaks about here is, Shalom peace - everything that is for our highest good. 
It was a common thing and still is in many places, for Jews to say to each other Shalom when they met with people and when they left. What they were saying was, 'Peace be with you - Peace (Shalom) be with you.' It became a regular thing for Jews to greet and say goodbye with these words, rather like we may say, 'God Bless,' to some people. At times, it can feel like a casual and empty phrase to say. Jesus, however, was saying, 'My Peace.' He was letting them know that His Peace is untroubled and never fearful, in fact genuine. Jesus could say this although the road ahead for Him led to a lot of suffering.

We can have a life that is untroubled and free from worry and fear if we allow Jesus to sow this peace within our hearts. It is free and we just need to receive it without cost. Jesus is saying to each one of us, 'Stop being afraid; stop being fearful and anxious, worried and agitated by the things of life. It serves no purpose except to upset you and others as they hear you. Acting in such a way can also injure your health. Worry is a killer and also a sin, Because Jesus told us not to do it. (Matthew 6:25)

Don't you think that it is time that you received the Peace of God and stopped worrying and being anxious about everything? You know it is, and so does God. That's why He is telling you now.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

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