Monday, August 26, 2019

Peace, I Give



Things which eye has not seen
And ear has not heard,
            And which have not entered the heart of man,
             ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;
for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?
Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God

Now we (Christians) have received,
not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may know the things freely given to us by God
which things we also speak,
not in words taught by human wisdom,
but in those taught by the Spirit,
combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him;
and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 

But he who is spiritual appraises all things,
yet he himself is appraised by no one. 

For who has known the mind of the LORD, that he will instruct Him?
But we have the mind of Christ.
                                                            1 Corinthians 2:9-16 [NASB]

Why do Christians have the mind of Christ?
When we became followers of Jesus, His Holy Spirit came to live in us. In John 14:18-30, Jesus said He did not leave His disciples as orphans. Even though they (and we) will not see Him on earth again until His return, He will live in us through His Spirit and we will live eternally with Him. We have the mind of Christ because Jesus loves us and we love Him, just as He and the Father love and abide with each other. For this reason, followers of Jesus can always have peace, His peace, not the worlds, since the Spirit lives in them. Christians do not have to fear. Jesus is always with us through His Spirit and so we can have His perfect peace, a heart peace which nothing can alter or destroy.

How does this mind of Christ, which Jesus gave, help us?
In Matthew 10:24-25, Jesus reminded His disciples a student is not above his teacher nor a servant above his master. If a person would deign to malign a leader, that person would have no problem maligning the student or servant either. We are no greater and should expect nothing less than what our Master and Teacher experienced. Yet, we need not fear what may happen. Why? We don’t need to fear because we have the mind of Christ, the Holy Spirit, within us and can live with true peace recognizing that though our bodies and spirits may be tormented in one or many ways, nothing can take our salvation and hope from us. We each are more valuable than sparrows. So, be brave and courageous, and continue to confess, teach, and preach about Jesus to the world. (Matthew 10:26-32)

Peace Jesus gives to each of us who believe in Him as Lord and Savior.
Peace we can have as we live each day of our lives whether in joy or trial.
Peace we must choose to hold on to when storms batter and fray.
Peace is what Jesus gives.
His love gives peace.

When the din of the world assaults our ears, we can go to our quiet place within ourselves and hear Jesus’ voice anew,
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:27 [NASB])
We have the mind of Christ because Jesus loves us, and we love Him.