I have spoken all these things while I am still with you. But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.
I leave my peace with you. I give my peace to you. I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do not be afraid. (taken from John 14)
There is a peace to be found in this world. It is a counterfeit peace. One that does not deliver as promised. One that cannot be trusted. But it can be defined as “peace”. I suppose our reliance on pharmacology is a good example of that type of peace. Our voracious appetite for pleasure and entertainment is another example of what we seek peace in. Money is certainly offered as “peace”. These things offer us a “peace”. A temporary diversion from the pain in our lives. I suppose what strikes me this morning is the fact that there IS a peace that the world offers, a peace with enough substance to it that we might confuse it as a permanent answer to our problems. No wonder we’re so often confused about our lives pain. No wonder it’s so hard to give up the “peace” that we’ve placed our hope in.
Having spent time embracing the peace that the world offers I have found that the world’s peace doesn’t last long enough, isn’t deep enough and doesn’t really address the real issue. But it still floors me that I pulled to chase after it. To underestimate the attraction of what the world offers is foolish at best. I have made the mistake of thinking that the peace that this world offers is something that is so inferior to what God offers that there would be no other choice but to embrace God’s peace. The truth is that what the world offers scratches the itch enough to keep me coming back. There is an unspoken exchange that happens when we seek peace. When we seek peace as the world defines it there is an understanding that if we embrace this peace, if we take it to heart and let it into our soul, it’s understood that we will then serve the thing that brings our peace. We will serve what we give ourselves too. What we seek to rest in will become what drives us. Our driver becomes a hard task master. We must give more and more of ourselves until there is nothing left to give. We exchange temporary peace for death.
Jesus is different. His peace isn’t transactional. He said first of all that he leaves His peace with us. It’s an open opportunity to enter into His peace, no strings attached. Not only is it possible to experience Jesus’ peace because He’s left it here for us. Jesus is proactive in our struggle with peace. Jesus gives us His peace. We don’t have to chase it. Amazing. The peace offered by the world must be sought out, pursued, hunted down. Jesus, in His eternal love, provides for our peace by leaving it here and then freely offers to pour out His peace on us. It’s a gift to be received. To be embraced with a simple and humble “yes”.
Are we seeking peace? Are we finding it?
I leave my peace with you. I give my peace to you. I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled. And do not be afraid. (taken from John 14)
There is a peace to be found in this world. It is a counterfeit peace. One that does not deliver as promised. One that cannot be trusted. But it can be defined as “peace”. I suppose our reliance on pharmacology is a good example of that type of peace. Our voracious appetite for pleasure and entertainment is another example of what we seek peace in. Money is certainly offered as “peace”. These things offer us a “peace”. A temporary diversion from the pain in our lives. I suppose what strikes me this morning is the fact that there IS a peace that the world offers, a peace with enough substance to it that we might confuse it as a permanent answer to our problems. No wonder we’re so often confused about our lives pain. No wonder it’s so hard to give up the “peace” that we’ve placed our hope in.
Having spent time embracing the peace that the world offers I have found that the world’s peace doesn’t last long enough, isn’t deep enough and doesn’t really address the real issue. But it still floors me that I pulled to chase after it. To underestimate the attraction of what the world offers is foolish at best. I have made the mistake of thinking that the peace that this world offers is something that is so inferior to what God offers that there would be no other choice but to embrace God’s peace. The truth is that what the world offers scratches the itch enough to keep me coming back. There is an unspoken exchange that happens when we seek peace. When we seek peace as the world defines it there is an understanding that if we embrace this peace, if we take it to heart and let it into our soul, it’s understood that we will then serve the thing that brings our peace. We will serve what we give ourselves too. What we seek to rest in will become what drives us. Our driver becomes a hard task master. We must give more and more of ourselves until there is nothing left to give. We exchange temporary peace for death.
Jesus is different. His peace isn’t transactional. He said first of all that he leaves His peace with us. It’s an open opportunity to enter into His peace, no strings attached. Not only is it possible to experience Jesus’ peace because He’s left it here for us. Jesus is proactive in our struggle with peace. Jesus gives us His peace. We don’t have to chase it. Amazing. The peace offered by the world must be sought out, pursued, hunted down. Jesus, in His eternal love, provides for our peace by leaving it here and then freely offers to pour out His peace on us. It’s a gift to be received. To be embraced with a simple and humble “yes”.
Are we seeking peace? Are we finding it?
