That We May Have Peace in Our Lives

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.

Jesus prepared his disciples for what was to come.  He forewarned them to expect tribulation in their lives.  He then inspired them by letting them know that in the face of every adversity that He had already secured the victory for them.  So it is with us.

In every element of our lives, we are certain to experience resistance.  Whether our activity is on the physical, emotional or spiritual level, we cannot avoid being challenged.  This is simply a fact of life.  How we handle the resistance that comes against us is dependent upon our level of proficiency in each key area.  Our ability to cope will be determined by our strength, our emotional stability and our holiness.  The good news is that we become more capable in each area every time that we respond successfully to the challenges we face.  Constant successful response to what the world throws at us builds up our proficiency in each area.  The more times that exercise is chosen over idleness, the stronger we will be.  The more times patience is chosen over anger, the more peaceful we will be.  The more times righteousness is chosen over sin, the closer we come to reaching the holiness that Jesus has set aside for us.  The more times we make good choices in any of our activities, the more proficient we become in producing positive results in all areas of our lives. 

But we must be aware of the trap that pride brings upon us.  If our success leads us to lean solely on our own strength and capability, we will be in for some very hard times.  Let us learn to rely on Our Lord.  If we do not lean regularly on the One who promises to overcome the world for us, at some point the world will overcome us.  May all of our choices be made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and under submission to Our Savior who won victory for us on the Cross.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You that we may have peace in our lives no matter what is coming against us.  We bless the name of Jesus who died on the Cross so that we may have victory over all evil.  We rejoice in knowing that we can have comfort when the world is trying to steal it from us.  We pray that our pride will not lead us to believe in our own ability to overcome the world.  We ask, Father, for the wisdom to lean on Our Savior in our times of tribulation.  May we be built up in every area of our lives through our submission to Your Son.  We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.