Our Peace

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." ~ John 14:27

When we look around the world today, there are so many things that can cause us to be afraid. There is so much sickness. The unemployment rates keep rising. People don't have the resources to take care of their families. All kinds of disasters and tragedies are taking place everywhere we look. We used to hear about bad things happening far away in other states or other countries, but now they are happening right next door. How are we supposed to process everything that is taking place?

While we may never understand why things happen the way they do, we have a promise that Jesus has given us. He has given us His peace and He has encouraged us to not let our hearts be troubled or afraid. You may say that this is easier said than done. That is true if we're not walking closely with Him and we're trying to handle life all by ourselves. We have to surrender to Him and depend on Him daily. We have to seek after Him with all of our heart and trust Him when things don't make sense.

Peace doesn't come by just knowing there is a God out there. Anyone can believe in God, but we must have a relationship with Him to truly enjoy all the benefits that come with salvation. Just going to church doesn't mean we have a relationship with Him. He wants us to serve Him out of love and to rely on Him for every decision we make. He wants us to study His Word which will gives us direction for our lives.

Many of us have a GPS that we use when we travel. What good does it do if we don't turn it on or put in the address of the destination we're trying to reach? It just sits there and serves no purpose and won't help us at all. The same goes for the Word. It is packed full of promises and instructions to help us in our daily walk. But if we never open up the Word or apply it to our lives, we're not going to benefit from having a Bible. It's all right there for us but until we make it a part of our lives, we will live in ignorance of what is actually ours. As children of God, there is so much that God has already provided for us. It's up to us to seek Him and find out what belongs to us. Don't walk around in fear and dread of each day. Jesus has given you His peace and your heart doesn't have to be afraid!