14 day plan

Peace with God

Day 11 of 14

CSB

John 16:33

33I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

There are things in this world that rightly concern us.  We have legitimate fears about the future – for ourselves and for those we love.  Having faith is not a recipe for a trouble-free life – not now and not ever. God didn’t ever promise this – in fact he said the opposite (as much as we may hate to hear it!)

Outwardly the world didn’t dramatically change after Jesus was born.  Tragedies continued to occur, one even formed part of the story of Jesus’ birth itself when King Herod, insanely jealous at the thought of another king in his land, ordered the brutal murder of all the baby boys throughout Bethlehem and its vicinity.  The Bible tells about the human toll of that tragedy:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, for they are no more.”  (Matthew 2:18)

And what about Jesus’ own death?  He was subject to false accusations and an unjust trial, he was publicly humiliated, beaten and then executed in the most heinous and cruel of ways for daring to share an audacious message that he was providing a way for you and me to live at peace with God.

No, we will have trouble in this world.  But God’s promise to us is that even in our times of trouble and strife we can have peace.  His peace. A peace that passes all understanding.

Question: Does it feel like Jesus has overcome the troubles of this world? How can we know more of his peace in our most difficult moments (that sometimes go on for months or even years!)?

Prayer: Lord, it sounds good.  I know in my head that you have overcome the world but sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.  Help me to have peace in all my circumstances. May peace start with me but not stop there, I pray.  Amen.

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

Days

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

John 16:1-33

1“I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3They will do these things because they haven’t known the Father or me. 4But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. 5But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

12“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

Sorrow Turned to Joy

16“In a little while, you will no longer see me; again in a little while, you will see me.”

17Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this he’s telling us: ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me,’ and, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18They said, “What is this he is saying, ‘In a little while’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”

19Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’? 20Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. 22So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.

23“In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 24Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

Jesus the Victor

25“I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

29His disciples said, “Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. 30Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

31Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? 32Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers