Peace

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” I know of no other promise like this. All religions promise that if you do such and so you earn favor with the power that is, but Jesus alone makes this exceptional promise, “I will give you peace.” He doesn’t base this on what we do but on Who He is. He alone claims the power to calm our fears in a way the world cannot. In all the turmoil that surrounds us, Jesus promises peace.

We indeed live in a time of turmoil, the likes of which few of us have ever seen. World events seem to be crashing down upon us with increasing occurrences. Natural catastrophes, economic uncertainty, and political unrest are increasing every day. While such things have always been with us throughout history, it appears that so many things are coming together at one time. The recent events in Japan, the weakening of the U.S. dollar and the political unrest in the Middle East give us a strong sense of uncertainty. Many, and not just the crackpots, are predicting impending doom if things don’t change in a hurry.

In the middle of all this, we must live our daily lives. What are we to do, and where ought we to live, and what jobs ought we to take, to best insulate us from coming current disasters? Even when we follow the best of advice from the best of advisors, we are left with a feeling of uneasiness. Nothing is certain in our uncertain world. This is where Jesus’ words loom so large. “Peace, I give.”

We can follow the best advice experts can give, but we can’t predict what will happen next. However in the middle of it all, Jesus makes this promise to untrouble our troubled hearts. This does not mean that believers in Christ will not have difficulties. Just look around us. The troubling times we live in are indiscriminant. Believers in Christ go through the same difficulties as those who do not accept
His name. However, we have this promise and more. He promises to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and He promises us to make our burden light (Matthew 11:30). In this world of uncertainty, Jesus promises us peace.

This writer has seen enough to be able to testify to the truth of Jesus’ promise. I’ve observed His people in times of trouble. Yet for many, to face their problems without the One Who promises to keep us in His hand, seems so unthinkable. I’ve seen mistakes and wrong decisions, yet Jesus has been there to help pick up the pieces and restore the broken lives of those who turn to Him.

In this world of uncertainty, there is no certainty but this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (john 3:16).” We can wait until science proves or disproves the existence of God, we can argue which
God is the one to follow , or we can simply put the God of the Bible to the test by receiving Him into our lives, calling on His name and seeing His promise come to pass. Peace.

For God So Loved

In my opinion, this phrase taken from John 3:16 is the key to understanding what the Bible is all about. Here we have the statement that God is, i.e. He exists and is a real person that loves us. Not only does He love us, He desires to have fellowship with us. His desire for fellowship is so much that He sent His only begotten Son to make reconciliation with us and He invites us to have a personal relationship with Him.
In these blogs, I have discussed that there is a difference between having religion by which one attempts to gain favor with God and between having a relationship with God. The Bible states that there is nothing we can do to earn favor with God. “All have sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23)”. “There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:20).” All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).” But God has reached down to us by sending His Son to settle the debt between us and Him. All we have to do is receive.
A religion is a set of manmade rules. A relationship is experiencing the presence of another person. When that other person is God this means I can count on Him no matter what the circumstances. I can bring to Him my every concern and every sorrow. I can ask for wisdom and direction in everything I do. In short, I am never alone. I know of no religion that offers this.
There are those that want scientific proof of all this, but the Bible does not go about to prove God, merely stating His existence as in Genesis 1:1. The proof that God does offer is found in the receiving of Him. John 1:12 states that “As many as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on His name.” In other words, God calls on us to accept His offer of relationship and has promised not to disappoint.
Science fails us in this area. Hebrews 11:1 and following verses tell us why. Science cannot explain to us things that cannot be seen. However, just because things cannot be seen does not mean they do not exist. Jesus mentioned to Nicodemus in John 3 we don’t deny there is a wind because we cannot see it. Even so we don’t deny God because we don’t see Him, because we can see what He does. Most significantly we see God in the changes He makes in people’s lives as they give themselves over to Him in relationship.
I will not say Science cannot give us any evidences for God’s existence. I don’t believe that in order to receive Christ one has to first commit intellectual suicide. However, even if I could definitively prove scientifically to you that the God of the Bible exists there is still a hurdle you have to overcome before you can enter into a relationship with Him. You have to receive Him; i.e. you have to be willing to admit His existence and His right as Creator to everything you are. You need to be willing to have Him involved in your life. It is not enough to accept His existence. We need to receive Him.
Why should we receive Him? This brings us back to John 3:16. We receive Him because He loves us. It is His love that makes the relationship possible. Romans 10:13 states “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. Call on Him, He will not disappoint.