Accept Your Gift from the Prince of Peace

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

─ John 14:26-27 ESV

Neva realized she was holding her breath. Her heart raced as she tried to compose herself and hide her shock to what her boss Brad had just asked. “You do have a passport, right?” He inquired deeper. A knife of fear penetrated her heart. Breathe, breathe, she told herself.

“Uh, yes. I have a passport. Sure … yes, I am available for the trip to Africa,” she stammered.

“Are you okay?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

Neva forced herself to relax. “Yes, just a bit surprised by the opportunity during my first week of employment,” she admitted. After all, she reasoned, God had opened the door to this job.

“Great!” Brad said encouragingly as he walked away.

Unlike the world’s definition of peace, which usually includes the absence of conflict, the peace Jesus gave you is a confident assurance in the face of any circumstance, there is no reason to fear the present or the future. God’s peace is at work in our lives to bring comfort in the midst of conflict.

No matter what you’re facing – a unexpected trip, like to Africa, or a challenge in another area of your life, you have a promise of peace from the Prince of Peace, Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s work in your life brings a deep and lasting peace, if you’re willing to allow Him to help you embrace it every day.

Today’s One Thing

If you need God’s peace today, look to scripture for your assurance of His peace. Here are a few verses to get your started:

• John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
• Colossians 3:15 – And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
• 1 Peter 5:6-7 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

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