John 14
Read John Chapter 14 :: Here
Devotional ::
“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 ESV
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“Let not your hearts be troubled…”. Jesus says it twice in this conversation with His disciples. The Greek word translated into English as “troubled” here, means to be ‘stirred up’ or ‘tossed about’, ‘irritated’ like roiled water; it’s meant to convey the mental image of a boiling pot, or a storm tossed lake… ‘troubled waters’. Our hearts are often like that.
The disciples had plenty to be troubled about. Jesus has been foreshadowing His death {and Resurrection, though they didn’t yet understand that part}. He’s been painting dark storm clouds on the horizon; “it’s about to get rough boys”.
We have plenty to be troubled about as well these days. If there’s one thing that can already be said for the 2020’s, it’s that life ain’t easy for most of us who are living out this part of human history. Jesus predicted a time before His return, that would be so distressing and calamitous that people’s hearts would fail them because they were so afraid. Could it be that things here on earth will get worse before they get better? We can’t know for certain, but we do know that Jesus has given a beautiful gift to His followers, both past and present: He has given us His Peace.
In his excellent commentary on John’s Gospel, Warren Wiersbe draws our attention to another important statement from Jesus in this passage: “Not as the world gives do I give to you…”. The world views peace through the lens of resources; if we have enough and things are going well, then we have peace.
God, on the other hand, views peace through the lens of relationship; if we are in right relationship with Him, then all will be well.* THIS is the gift, the promise Jesus is leaving with His disciples {and by extension, all of us}: He is declaring Peace between us and Him.
“My Peace I give to you…”. Not just peace, HIS Peace.
Jesus is confirming the proclamation made by the angels on the night of His birth: “Peace on earth, and goodwill toward mankind…”. “I LEAVE MY PEACE WITH YOU…”. “I am declaring Peace between us…before I go away I want you to know, things between you and I are good, and because of that fact you can trust that everything else will be ok.”
What a gift we’ve been given! The world only experiences peace when there is an absence of trouble. As followers of Jesus, we have Peace in spite of our problems*, even in the midst of them…because there is Peace between us and God.
There is no reason for our hearts to be troubled; nothing for us to fear. Like He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus wants to calm the storm tossed waters in our hearts. He has overcome the world and all its troubles — He loves us, and gives us His Peace.
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Reflect ::
•Is there a part of your heart that is “troubled”? Is there an area of your life where you are battling fear or anxiety?
•Consider that the King of all Creation cares for you, and makes everything work toward good for you, even the things you’re anxious about.
•Jesus has given us His Peace, but it’s up to us to “let our hearts not be troubled”. How could you focus on God’s Goodness rather than the problem{s} at hand?
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Prayer ::
Jesus, we thank You for giving us the priceless gift of Your Peace. We offer our hearts to You, and ask you to help us trust Your love for us. Empower us by Your Spirit to close our hearts to worry and fear, and walk in the Peace You have given us.
{In your own words, invite the Holy Spirit into any areas of fear or trouble in your life today, and ask Him to have His way.}
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Action ::
Pay attention to your emotions today. You will likely notice that you feel less anxious/worried. Be sure to thank Him for answering your prayer!
*Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, John 14:25-31