Peace: June 5, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JUNE 5, 2014.

PEACE

DEFINITION:

A state of harmony between people or groups; freedom from dissension; a state of tranquility; serenity; freedom from anxiety and stress.

SCRIPTURE:

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the verse we have written above, Jesus has promised to give us peace. The peace that Jesus gives is not like worldly peace which is usually thought of as the absence of conflict. The peace that Jesus gives is confident assurance no matter what the circumstances or what storm we might have swirling around us.

It is the kind that enabled Jesus to sleep through a fierce storm. Without this assurance of peace we would be like the disciples who were in the same storm as Jesus was, feeling helpless, scared and afraid.

God wants all of His children to access and experience this inner peace that only He can give. To access this we must meet certain requirements that God has given us.

First, we must receive Jesus as our personal Savior. Before we accept Jesus as our Savior we are opposed to God because of our sin. Our redemption changes that and we become a child (adopted) of God. The Bible says that we now (when we are children of God) have peace with God (Romans 5:10) and are members of His family. We are no longer enemies of God. Fear of death, for example, evaporates as we comprehend the glorious truth that we will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

A second condition is to believe in God’s sovereignty. In this troubled world, personal safety is a major concern. To combat the fears in our life, the greatest being death, we must trust that God controls all things. Knowing that He is in charge will relieve our anxiety and give us peace.

The third condition we must understand is that God knows our needs and has promised to meet each one (Philippians 4:19). He is a loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. We may not receive all we want, but He will give us whatever is necessary to fulfill His purpose for us.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 1:12.

To all that received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.

PRAYER:

Thank You for bringing me to the right relationship with You so that I might enjoy the peace that only You can give to me each day. May the peace that passes all understanding be my assurance as I share my faith with those who do not know You as their Father and Jesus, Your Son, as their Savior.