Peace, God's Way!

Peace, God's Way!

“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

All through the teachings of Jesus, there is a thread that is common: we all have a choice as to how we respond to his Word. Both in Jesus' time and in this present generation, the story remains the same: we all hear God's Word, and we are all called to respond: how we respond and what we respond to go a long way in determining our eternal destination. First, God's Word will keep going out; we hear it regularly, his Spirit in us keeps confirming in our hearts if we are doing the right things. We do have the power over the effect of these words in us. If I allow God's Word do His Work in and through me, I get the peace that only God can guarantee. That's why when it comes to God's peace, it is a choice, a decision.

This world offers nothing else but trouble. Sin came and changed the landscape and all men, born of women, must experience this trouble at some point in time in their lives. It then means that God's peace is a decision, a response to the trouble that is certain to come your way whilst you walk through this world. Nowhere does God promise that being in Him keeps you away from trouble, but He promises that though you are in the world, as long as you are also inside of Him, you are kept safe by His power.

What this tells me is that I function from two different places, but what I enjoy depends on my inner content. If I am in the world but do not have God living in me, I will get into trouble sooner or later and that trouble may overwhelm me. But if I am in the world, but I have made a decision for God, and His Word lives in me, I am certain that I will end well. The physical realm may not look like it now; but the eternal reality gives me joy and hope because I know who I have believed. God has overcome, and that reality is the same for all who are located in Him. Where are you located? His time of favour is here.