These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV
A few quick lessons:
1. What I do now is a function of my understanding of who God is and what he is doing at the moment.
2. There is a fixed time to every purpose under heaven; I am yet to find a single thing that belongs to the earth and has existed in the same form as when it was created and will continue into eternity.
3. Time is such a leveller that there is nothing on earth that it cannot either solve or resolve one way or another.
4. Nowhere does God say that because I know him, there won't be bumps on the way.
5. My demand on God is also a function of my understanding of who God is, and what I know he can do.
It is the same God who gave Solomon wisdom because he asked, along with riches and honour, and it is the same God who kept Jabez from pain. Both knew who God was then and what he could do, and they both made demands on this God, but we see the very different ends for both men. They both accessed the person and resources of God, but their ends were different, based on what they did with the resources they got from their knowledge of God. These premises above form the basis on which today's extract is based.
In the light of the above, what would God have me know and do? Firstly, my knowledge of God can't be based solely on another person's encounters. Is all I know of God what someone once said? Do I seek out on a daily basis that which God would have me know? Read again the words of today: these things have I spoken unto you. What have I heard God say? What has he told me about his purpsie and plan for the now and the future? It is the knowledge of that which must drive my own pursuits and priorities, otherwise, what I get is a life that is quite busy but now at peace, because its focus is not on the things God is blessing in the moment.
Secondly, when I have and follow God's Word, I have peace. Note: it is not just the hearing, but the doing also. Men are content to just hear or read, but have no desire to obey. We want the blessings but we do not care about the demands of God for access to the blessings. God is not a magician, or someone who can be bribed by physical acts of devotion. He knows the heart, and understands the motives. He cannot be deceived by mere tokens.
Thirdly, the world cannot give you or secure for you that which it does not have. Pray, how can I look to the world for peace when everywhere you turn, there is war, famine, peril, hunger and rage all around? All who have, hear and heed God's Word are the ones who are guaranteed the pesce that God offers. The only thing the world understands is conflict, and that is why no amount of peace talks can sort out the arms race, or reduce conflicts around the world. Men speak of nuclear disarmament, yet keep building more weapons as a defence in the event that peace talks fail. The world rejected the Prince of Peace, and then wants to have peace. It cannot have God's version of peace as long as it rejects the peace from God.
Fourthly, each gives what it has. The world only has trouble and tribulation; the Word has peace and victory. I am asked to be of good cheer, because the one who is on my side is the one who already conquered the world and all it offers. If God already has victory over the world, how can the world then offer me victory of any sort? That victory by the Word of God is not a temporary thing, where God and the devil remain at war over the state of affairs, but it is a done deal. It is only in doubt if I do not believe what I have received of God. I am not asked to fight new battles, but to stand firm in the one already won for me by Christ.
Note: in Christ alone is the hope of eternal life sealed. He is the One who through his death on the cross conquered death for all who will come to put their trust in Him. He speaks into the lives of men, seeking to control and influence their hearts to seek him, so he can do what he alone can do: give peace, no matter what is happening all around. All the human experiences of sorrow, pain and discomfort are all based on time, and they have expiry dates. One day soon, the victory of Jesus will be permanent and undeniable, and all men will bow the knee, either by freewill or compulsion, to the Lordship of Jesus. It is best I do it now while the offer of life is available. It is best I do it now while I still have time. It is best I take hold of God now, so I can walk in his victory over the world. The best of the world is but a breath, and a fire is coming that will not spare anything that the world has. Seek for and lay hold of that which cannot be destroyed: eternal life with God. God's time of favour is here.
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