-May 3, 2022-
Good morning, happy Tuesday,
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33).
Jesus spent three years with disciples, teaching them, encouraging them, and setting an example before them. Today’s text is part of His Upper Room Discourse in John 13-17. John 13:1 says, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
The world at this time is under the control of Satan, the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air. The world is one of our three great enemies, along with the flesh, and the devil. We are in a spiritual battle against them until the Lord takes us home to heaven. Satan is relentless in his attacks against all believers in Christ, especially those who are living for Christ and serving Him.
Our Savior offers us His peace in the world, and oh do we need it so much! He said, “In Me you may have peace.” It is interesting that He does not say, you have peace or will have peace, but that “ you may have peace.” We must appropriate His peace. Everyone who is saved has peace with God. Paul tells us that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding comes through prayer and thanksgiving. When we walk with Jesus we have His peace in the midst of a world of chaos, confusion, and catastrophe.
In John 14:27 our Lord said, “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.” There is no peace in this world apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Someone said, “No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.” What great words to live by. Jesus made peace through the blood of His cross. His peace gives us assurance, confidence, and tranquility under all circumstances. We can face anyone or anything with the Lord who is with us.
The second part of our verse says, “In the world we will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” This world’s system hates us so much and is against us all the way. In John 15:18-19 Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of this world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of this world, but I chose you out of this world, therefore the world hates you.” We as believers are in this world but we are not of this world. That is why we will have tribulation. There is opposition, persecution, and resistance from this world. This world is not our home, nor is it our friend. We are just passing through on our way to heaven. We can never be comfortable in a world that hates our Savior and is against His truth, holiness, and righteousness. We are like fish out of water in this world.
James put in the strongest terms, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself a enemy of God” (James 4:4). We must not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Let us choose Christ over this world. In so doing we will have His peace and be pleasing to Him. Abraham was called the friend of God, and Jesus calls us His friends. In Him we have peace – in the world we have tribulation. We can be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world.
Have a blessed day of peace walking with Jesus and fighting the good fight of faith against this world, the flesh, and the devil. Stay safe and healthy.
In His eternal peace,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 