Know The Difference
Poweraid Blueberry and Glass Plus are both liquid and blue. However, one will help hydrate you, while the other is dangerous to drink.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Jesus offers a very interesting promise here: peace. However, it is not ordinary peace that He promises.
We should consider the moment Jesus was brought before the governor of Rome in Jerusalem.
John 19:10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Even when falsely accused, wrongfully treated, and then brought before Pilate to be judged, Jesus had peace. He was about to take the most difficult part of His journey to date, and He had peace about it because He knew God’s will in it.
Often, peace is equated with the path of least resistance in life. If the way is easy, the conditions ideal, and the process convenient, it is often determined that it must be the peace of God that passes all understanding. We are told in,
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Why do I need peace to guard my heart and mind? Because when I have, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, been with God and learned of His desire for me, the enemy will no doubt wish to challenge what I have heard promised and the direction I was given.
Our enemy is most threatened when he sees that we are most committed to the Lord’s will for our lives. The path of peace for each of us is not the path of least resistance. It is the path of knowing Him intimately enough to know the destiny He has given to us in this life.
The Apostle Paul knew the will of the Lord for him. Jesus spoke it to him clearly. Thus, when the Prophet Agibas told him that if he went up to Jerusalem, he would be bound and made to suffer, Paul could say Jesus has already shown me how I am to suffer at the hands of those who oppose Him, and I am both willing and ready to go to Jerusalem. Paul was at peace with his decision based on knowing the will of the Lord for his life. Just as Jesus could peacefully face His false accusers, Paul likewise could take the path of greatest resistance as well and be at peace.
There is a false and very temporary peace that doesn’t yield the fruit of righteousness. It may feel good to us at the moment, but it is a fleeting feeling. His peace that He gives clings to us and carries us. Know the difference.
