Peace of Mind Part IV

My, Devotion to Him #285

Verse Passage: John 14:27-31 “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. “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.” – NIV.

After reading this passage you can see that Jesus has spoken some troubling words to His closest friends. Their world has been shaken to the foundation and it is not over yet. The warning shots have barely been fired, even as the Lord struggles with His own emotions and fears in His humanity, He continues to comfort these eleven scared and confused men.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you ….” 

We are not just talking about any peace here. Jesus states that He is giving them His peace. But there is another peace out there that has seized so many people, secular peace.  

Secular peace is the peace this world attempts to give us. As they continue to form and expand the different world governing bodies try to offer us freedom. There are plans to redistribute wealth to eliminate poverty and hunger; Which we should all want. I would not like to see it at the enforced expense of my own family. Whom do we decide to take from, and who do we choose to support? At which point is too much and thus any former work or further work is done without gaining anything. 

This Robin Hood kind of deal can only lead us down a path of unforeseen consequences. More dangerous is the philosophers of this age tell us that we are all becoming gods. There is no right or wrong; we are evolving and emerging. We decide what is moral and immoral. So everything is just a learning process. If it feels good, do it. Ignore what others are saying; because they have their objections, and you have yours. What is this freedom that is being gift wrapped even now? It is the same lie used in the Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel so long ago; “We don’t need God. We can do it ourselves.” Only the gift wrap is new. It’s still a temporary hoax that ends in death. This gift has nothing but dire results. 

Peace on earth between all things will only come after the Prince of Peace sets foot again on the Mount of Olives. The peace Jesus offers is a sweet foretaste of that time. It is a mind and heart settled and secure in that Jesus has paid our ransom with His blood. That He is indeed preparing the place for us, this flows from the total acceptance of our redeemed selves, in Christ, right where we are—knowing that we can do nothing to improve our fallen self, but that all of this is done by His work.

This peace is powered by the unspeakable joy that erupts from a soul knowing that no one can take us out of His mighty hand. That we never have to fear death again, we do not rush towards it. Instead of a pathway to destruction that it once was. It is now a doorway to eternity and paradise. In this, as Jesus said, whose heart could be troubled or fearful?

Jesus states once again that He is going away. If the disciples could see the necessity, if they could grab hold of the idea of the resurrection with faith, they may have indeed celebrated. Their inability to see this is why Jesus’ words have been troubling. Jesus had shown His power over death at least three times. They could not make the leap from raising someone else from the dead to Jesus raising Himself. They had acknowledged His deity, but this kind of power was beyond comprehension. Once they would see the risen Christ, they would know the joy that the world had not yet known and the joy the earthly world can never provide. 

Many times the disciples listened and watched with earthly eyes.

In many cases, this is a warning and a lesson to today’s Christians. We must start listening and watching with spiritual eyes. 

The Father sent the Son to redeem fallen humankind. The Son, in the realm of salvation, obediently follows the Father. One day soon, the Father will send the Son. As the cup of wrath of the Father nears the rim, Jesus will return to retrieve His Bride, the church. In Jesus’ obedience to the Father, the plans of the enemy will be crushed. The enemies’ gates, strongholds, and positions around this world crumble to the ground.

The choice is clear. A decision that counts for all eternity. Will you settle for the peace this fallen world offers? It looks good now, but it is a distraction from the true and permanent peace. We can have a personal, intimate, and deep relationship with God. That choice is for everyone to decide and that choice is yours alone.

God bless.

Copyright © 2021 by Jacob Olinger