From: May 27, 2023
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT).
True peace is not found in a trouble-free place, but in a Person. This peace is not about the absence of trouble, but the abiding presence of Jesus Christ. For trials and sorrows are inevitable in this world, but Christ has overcome them all. So, true peace is found only in Christ Jesus.
The word, “shalom,” is the Hebrew word for “peace.” This is important because it has a greater depth of meaning than our word “peace.” Shalom is more than a cessation of hostilities, or an absence of trouble. Shalom speaks to an inward sense of fullness and wholeness. It describes an inner tranquility and sense of well-being that cannot be disturbed by external storms.
Speaking of storms, can you picture Jesus asleep in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee as a terrible storm threatens to swamp and sink it? Can you see the disciples trembling in fear and calling out to Jesus? Do you hear the quiet and commanding voice of Jesus speak to the storm, saying, “Peace, be still.”? This is the same Jesus that offers to live in us.
The question is not whether storms will come. They certainly will. The question is, “Do you have Jesus in your boat?” Do you have Jesus in your life? For only those who abide in Christ know this shalom, this “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). The peace of Christ overcomes worldly sorrow.
PRAYER: Dear Father, give us this peace of Christ today. For we face many troubles in this world. Give us this peace that sorrow cannot disturb and trouble cannot break. As we give our sufferings and sorrows to You, give us more of the peace of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: May 27, 2016
Jesus taught his disciples about the threefold ministry of the Spirit towards the world. The promised Helper that would come at Pentecost would be Comforter to his saints, but “Convicter” to sinners. Yet, even this ministry is grace, for he moves to bring the sinner into realization of the depth of their sin, the truth of Christ’s righteousness, and the inevitability of God’s judgment. The Spirit acts in conjunction with the preaching and hearing of God’s Word to bring those far from God, near. This clarifies the role of Christ followers. We are to share the Good News and leave the convicting of sin to the Spirit. Yet, pity the one who would harden their heart to the Spirit’s conviction, for they remain in their sin with full knowledge of their condition.
From: May 27, 2015
Peace is not a place, but a Person. It is not an absence of external “tribulation,” which is inevitable in this world. But it is a quiet confidence in the Christ who has overcome the world and now invites us to live in Him. It is an awareness that worldly wars are temporary, while His peace is eternal. The peace of Christ is not a pause between storms, but a permanent state of mind even in the midst of storms. True peace is found only in the Person of Christ Jesus. Only those who abide in Christ know this peace “that passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).
From: May 27, 2014
David was a sinner. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and then conspired to have her husband murdered. Yet, God forgave him. How was David different than Saul? On one hand there is the mystery of God’s mercy. As the apostle Paul said, “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy” (Romans 9:18). Then, on the other hand there is the different response to sin that David had. Saul made excuses, but David “confessed” and repented. Perhaps this is what made David a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). Not that he was without sin (he wasn’t). But that he was quick to confess and repent, asking God for forgiveness and mercy.