"Whose Peace?"

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27 

"My (Jesus) peace I give you, not the peace the world gives you." Evidently there is a "peace" that the world can give us, or Jesus wouldn't have said it. So, what is the world's peace?

The world's peace is the kind that comes from perfect conditions. It comes when there are no problems or hardships. It comes when all is going well-- when there is plenty of money in the bank to pay the bills, when the boss is favorable to you, when your children are not rebelling, when the neighbors aren't disturbing you, when the doctors give you a good report, when you still have a roof over your head, when there is food on your table, etc. All of these are what we consider having peace in the world. 

 

But this isn't real peace at all. It is temporary peace. You can see how temporary it is when you lose your job, when you are diagnosed with an illness, when your children start being rebellious and so on. It will quickly flee away.

 

The peace that Jesus gives us is the kind that comes not from perfect conditions, but in spite of the conditions. It comes in disturbing times. It is there in the bad times, the hard times, the difficult times, the painful times, the times of lack as well as plenty, the times of sickness as well as health, and the times when your world is falling apart. His peace thrives in times of trouble. It doesn't leave when the problems come. It is not temporary, it is permanent. 

 

The world's peace is a "feeling", but His peace is a "Person". It is a person who will never leave you. Who will make a way in every situation. Who will supply all you need. Who you can completely and totally trust in. This person is Jesus Himself. "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6b)

 

Are you walking in the world's peace? It won't last. It will be gone when the next trial comes. Are you walking in the peace that only Jesus can give you? It will last and carry you through even your greatest difficulty. 

 

Have a great day. There is a peace that the world gives and a peace that God gives. Which one are you walking in?

 

For further reading:

Colossians 3:15

Philippians 4:6,7