Read John 14:27-31 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. What gift did Jesus leave?
2. How is it different from the world’s peace?
3. What command does He repeat from John 14:1?
Reflect
Jesus promised to give His followers something the world could never give them: peace. Even though the disciples were likely fearful or troubled about Jesus’s coming betrayal, He told them not to be. They could accept His peace instead. It’s human nature to feel afraid at times – even Jesus feared His coming crucifixion – but He offers comfort amidst fear.
The peace He gives is still available to us. Like the love we read about yesterday, His peace is much more than just a feeling. In fact, we can have this peace during our worries about the future and concern for our circumstances, because it’s built on the foundation of what Jesus has done for us. He gives us the peace that comes when we know our souls are in His mighty hands. It’s the confidence that He’s bigger than all our trials and that He's defeated sin and death.
This peace allows the church to be the non-anxious presence that shines Jesus’s light to the anxiety-filled world around you. It’s the guarantee that no matter what troubles you, God is always with you.
Respond
How is your definition of peace similar or different to Jesus’s offered peace? Have you experienced this peace from Him before? If you have, who can you encourage this week with your testimony, or story, of how He comforted you? If you haven’t, spend some time in prayer this week asking God to show you His peace.