Peace-Day 11
Verse//
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)
Devotional//
There are things in this world that rightly concern us. We have legitimate fears about the future – for ourselves and for those we love. Having faith is not a recipe for a trouble-free life – not now and not ever. God didn’t ever promise this – in fact he said the opposite (as much as we may hate to hear it!)
Outwardly the world didn’t dramatically change after Jesus was born. Tragedies continued to occur, one even formed part of the story of Jesus’ birth itself when King Herod, insanely jealous at the thought of another king in his land, ordered the brutal murder of all the baby boys throughout Bethlehem and its vicinity. The Bible tells about the human toll of that tragedy:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted for they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18)
And what about Jesus’ own death? He was subject to false accusations and an unjust trail, he was publicly humiliated, beaten and then executed in the most heinous and cruel of ways for daring to share an audacious message that he was providing a way for you and me to live at peace with God.
No, we will have trouble in this world. But God’s promise to us is that even in our times of trouble and strife we can have peace. His peace. A peace that passes all understanding.
Question//
Does it feel like Jesus has overcome the troubles of this world? How can we know more of his peace in our most difficult moments (that sometimes go on for months or even years!)?
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)
Devotional//
There are things in this world that rightly concern us. We have legitimate fears about the future – for ourselves and for those we love. Having faith is not a recipe for a trouble-free life – not now and not ever. God didn’t ever promise this – in fact he said the opposite (as much as we may hate to hear it!)
Outwardly the world didn’t dramatically change after Jesus was born. Tragedies continued to occur, one even formed part of the story of Jesus’ birth itself when King Herod, insanely jealous at the thought of another king in his land, ordered the brutal murder of all the baby boys throughout Bethlehem and its vicinity. The Bible tells about the human toll of that tragedy:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted for they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18)
And what about Jesus’ own death? He was subject to false accusations and an unjust trail, he was publicly humiliated, beaten and then executed in the most heinous and cruel of ways for daring to share an audacious message that he was providing a way for you and me to live at peace with God.
No, we will have trouble in this world. But God’s promise to us is that even in our times of trouble and strife we can have peace. His peace. A peace that passes all understanding.
Question//
Does it feel like Jesus has overcome the troubles of this world? How can we know more of his peace in our most difficult moments (that sometimes go on for months or even years!)?
We would like to thank Melissa Lipsett in conjunction with the Bible Society of Australia for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://biblesociety.org.au
Posted in Peace Devotional
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