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John 14:27 - Peace Like No Other.John 14:27 (NIV) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.INTRODUCTION Peace is resting in God's sovereignty. The end result of the Holy Spirit's work in our life is deep and lasting peace. Unlike worldly peace, which is usually defined as the absence of conflict, this peace is confident assurance in any circumstance. With Christ's peace, we have no need to fear the present or the future. If your life is full of stress, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with Christ's peace (see Philippians 4:6-7 for more on experiencing God's peace). [Life Application SB] Peace is the calming of internal conflict. Sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and numerous other forces are at war within us. The peace of God moves into our heart and life to restrain these hostile forces and offer comfort in place of conflict. Jesus says he will give us that peace if we are willing to accept it from him. [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL One morning, I watched an avalanche of clouds crawl over the mountains. A few minutes later, I was in the midst of an outrageous storm. The clouds consumed the blue sky, and a dense, dark fog settled in. The wind whipped up to 91 miles per hour. Sheets of rain, blowing sideways, pounded our house. Friends texted messages asking if we saw the clouds coming and commented on how ominous it looked. It might have looked ominous, but while the storm raged, I sat in my warm home reading a book and sipping tea. It reminded me of a contest I had heard about for artists who were asked to create an image of peace. One painted a green field with a brook flowing through. Another painted a still lake at the foot of a majestic mountain. My favorite was a painting of a raging waterfall, with a tree limb protruding out. On the branch sat a nest that held a calm mother bird and three chicks. This painting won. Jesus's parting words were His promise of the peace He gives. He never guaranteed a life without storms, but thanks to Jesus, we can experience an unexplainable peace (Philippians 4:7). The storm outside eventually passed but left me with a sweet memory of feeling His peace in the midst of it. My own perfect picture of peace from the Master Artist. Jeannie Blackmer Faith Step: Are you facing a storm? Look through some magazines and find an image that most reminds you of Jesus's peace and place it somewhere in your home. [Mornings With Jesus 2024 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] COMMENTARY Unparalleled Gifts Before his death in 2015, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia gave extraordinary gifts to President Obama and his family. First Lady Michelle received two diamond jewelry sets valued at over a million dollars. Jewelry sets for both daughters and watches for the president added another 0,000. But the extravagant gifts weren't really theirs. According to U.S. policy, presidential gifts are kept at the National Archives - unless the recipient pays market value to retain them! Before His death, Jesus offered His disciples an unparalleled gift: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you." Note His emphasis in the second phrase: He offered the disciples His own peace! This is the same peace that allowed Jesus to sleep in the back of a storm-tossed boat and walk on the waves. Jesus also emphasized the uniqueness of His gift: "Not as the world gives do I give to you." The world feels at peace when everything is going well, but Jesus offered peace to His disciples the same night He predicted His betrayal. Troubled times cannot dim Christ's peace, and nothing can take His gifts away. Along with the promised peace, Jesus instructed His disciples to refuse fear, the natural human response to trouble. Jesus knew the disciples would be tempted to fear that very evening - and He knows what trials tempt you to fear. You can allow the fear response, or you can cut it off by God's power. Don't let your heart be afraid, Jesus instructs you. Instead, remember His own peace can be yours. By faith, reach out and take hold of it! Prince of Peace, I choose Your peace over fear today. Thank You for sustaining me through troubled times. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] Shortly before His crucifixion Christ had bequeathed to His disciples a legacy of peace. "Peace I leave with you," He said, "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. This peace is not the peace that comes through conformity to the world. Christ never purchased peace by compromise with evil. The peace that Christ left His disciples is internal rather than external and was ever to remain with His witnesses through strife and contention. Christ said of Himself, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34. The Prince of Peace, He was yet the cause of division. He who came to proclaim glad tidings and to create hope and joy in the hearts of the children of men, opened a controversy that burns deep and arouses intense passion in the human heart. And He warns His followers, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." "They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake." "Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death." John 16:33; Luke 21:12, 16. This prophecy has been fulfilled in a marked manner. Every indignity, reproach, and cruelty that Satan could instigate human hearts to devise, has been visited upon the followers of Jesus. And it will be again fulfilled in a marked manner; for the carnal heart is still at enmity with the law of God, and will not be subject to its commands. The world is no more in harmony with the principles of Christ today than it was in the days of the apostles. The same hatred that prompted the cry, "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" the same hatred that led to the persecution of the disciples, still works in the children of disobedience. The same spirit which in the Dark Ages consigned men and women to prison, to exile, and to death, which conceived the exquisite torture of the Inquisition, which planned and executed the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and which kindled the fires of Smithfield, is still at work with malignant energy in unregenerate hearts. The history of truth has ever been the record of a struggle between right and wrong. The proclamation of the gospel has ever been carried forward in this world in the face of opposition, peril, loss, and suffering. What was the strength of those who in the past have suffered persecution for Christ's sake? It was union with God, union with the Holy Spirit, union with Christ. Reproach and persecution have separated many from earthly friends, but never from the love of Christ. Never is the tempest-tried soul more dearly loved by His Saviour than when he is suffering reproach for the truth's sake. "I will love him," Christ said, "and will manifest Myself to him." John 14:21. When for the truth's sake the believer stands at the bar of earthly tribunals, Christ stands by his side. When he is confined within prison walls, Christ manifests Himself to him and cheers his heart with His love. When he suffers death for Christ's sake, the Saviour says to him, They may kill the body, but they cannot hurt the soul. "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." John 16:33; Isaiah 41:10. "They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even forever." "He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight." Psalms 125:1-3; 72:14. AA84-6 CLOSING THOUGHT Purposeful Peace Peace brokered by powers in the world is not lasting; it is fragile. It is subject to the whims of nations, the greed of power-hungry leaders, and economic trade-offs. This is not cynical. It is true! Jesus said he does not give peace the way the world does. This is incredibly good news. His peace is lasting, and it is not dependent on the circumstances surrounding us. The Holy Spirit has been given to us, he sets us free, and he permeates us with the peace of Christ. What Jesus offered, he also offers. What the Father is full of, the Spirit gives us. There is no better relief than the peace of Christ which dwells within us. Let's not take this for granted, for it is an abundantly generous gift! Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the peace of Christ that passes understanding today. [365 Days of Courage by Sara Perry of Broadstreet Pub] POWERFUL TESTIMONY Peace is a Gift by Brittni De La Mora https://youtube.com/shorts/XDXanpWvvq0?si=vMeFAH4N-t0T6b7X Note: I believe this testimony is Biblically sound and reveals the Spirit of God. I believe the author is a legitimate born again Christian and truly converted. The author's past is not good at all, but I believe the first two statements overrule not sharing her God given testimony. Fred Gibbs (fggibbs@aBible.com.) LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY John 14:27 - Peace Like No Other. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240731-1257.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220723-0834.html http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200911-0915.html John 14:27 - Pursuing Peace. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200404-0943.html John 14:27 - Jesus: A Peace Like No Other! http://www.abible.com/devotions/2014/20140213-2059.html John 16:33 - Genuine Peace is Found in a Relationship with Jesus Christ! https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240715-1221.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |