“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
I thought it only fitting to wrap up our series today with this verse. Jesus had been teaching and spending time with His disciples on His last earthly night before He would be crucified. He did and taught lots of significant things on this night, but as He was trying to tell them He would be leaving them (and they didn’t want to listen) this was a very significant piece of the puzzle.
In those times it would be customary for parting words to be peace or shalom. It would have been commonly used much like we use goodbye or just bye. And just as other things as it became more and more common to use it may have lost it’s meaning until it was just words and not necessarily heartfelt among men. But Jesus repeating it and specifying MY PEACE puts more emphasis on it. You see we can extend peace to each other and we should. I want to live at peace with others. But I want the peace that Jesus gives living inside of me. When Jesus gives us peace it is the deep down in my soul kind of peace. It’s not what you can give me. It’s the peace that keeps me going in the midst of circumstances. It’s the peace that let’s me know that things will work out and it only comes with relationship with Him and knowing that He has got in the palm of His hands, whatever is on my heart and mind.
It’s good to extend peace to each other but it is easier to extend that peace when you are living in the peace of God. And the benefit of His peace is the ability to not let my heart be troubled and to not be afraid. Sure sometimes I have to remind myself and I have to reach out and claim that peace that He so freely gives but it is mine for the taking!
We have learned a lot over these past couple of months. We have been doing these word studies on fear, truth, faith, trust, joy, praise and peace. We started with fear and we are ending with peace. But I truly hope that the peace doesn’t end here for you and for me. And it won’t if we keep putting our trust and our faith in Him and let it do the work in our hearts that it should. Jesus left His peace with the disciples and He is leaving it with us every day as well!
Restore 