Joy and Peace
- 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. John 14:27 NKJV (Emphasis added).
- “These things I have spoken to you, that MY JOY may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 NKJV (Emphasis added).
Like me I am sure there are times when you worry about all the stuff that’s going on in the world. The covid pandemic, unrest, uncertainty, rebellion, protests, mandates, world powers stretching their muscles, division, isolation, shortages, rebellion against authority, complete disregard for the Godly foundations nations were built upon, hopelessness, and despair. I am concerned. Where is all this going? When will we have a normal again? What are we to do when faced with impossible decisions?
The church is not immune to issues as well. I am concerned about how some are becoming isolated, and are drifting away from the Church but also from the Lord.
It’s clear we are living in interesting days. Perhaps Timothy saw these days when he wrote these words.
But know this, that in the last days (times of stress) perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, (irreconcilable) unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV.
That pretty much describes today’s world as it is.
When you look at the TV news and see what is happening all around the world it can be frightening. We can become over-connected to what is going on. As I have said many times, we can become consumed by the media reports. This becomes a breeding ground for fear. Let’s not go there and be overexposed to the news. Let’s be informed, concerned and prayerful. Not concerned, consumed, and fearful.
There is good news though. Very good news. The most important connection we need to make is with Jesus and His Word. That’s the connection which will breed faith and not fear, peace and not perplexity (must be a word). That’s the connection we should make on a regular basis.
Whatever we put in to our mind will have an effect. If we feed it with the drama of the world, the mind will go there the most. The results of that input are likely to be fear and worry and stress. But if we feed our mind with the living words of Jesus, then something amazing will happen.
In my readings recently of the Gospel of John, these words have…, yes consumed me! MY PEACE I give to you. MY JOY may remain in you. (Emphasis added).
Wow! The peace and joy we can receive are from Jesus. It is His peace and His joy we receive. If we remain connected to Jesus then He promises to give us His peace and His Joy.
Whatever you connect to you will receive. Zig Ziglar says it this way.
“What you put into your mind determines your outlook on life. Your outlook determines your output, and your output determines your outcome”. [1]
So, this means that whatever we put into our mind, will affect how we see the world, and therefore the outcome of our life. Which is what the Bible says.
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 NKJV.
But here’s something really interesting.
- These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 NKJV (Emphasis added).
- These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. John 16:1 NKJV (Emphasis added).
- 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 NKJV (Emphasis added).
When Jesus speaks to us a Rhema or through His Logos, it brings joy and peace. (And, He protects us from stumbling, losing our way, wobble or flounder in our Christian walk). We need to know this. And it is His joy, it is His peace. It is not like the world’s; temporary, fickle, dependent upon shifting fads and fashions, but it is full, it remains in spite of circumstances. It overflows, it is abundant, it is more than enough. In this present age we need His joy and peace. It transcends what is going on, it is above it, it is not influenced by it, it is not of this world. Why? Because it is from Jesus. Remember it is His joy, His peace. It is a part of Him in us. When He speaks to us and His Word comes to us what also comes is a bit of Him – His joy and His peace.
Oh how people today need to hear His voice. Then His joy and peace can flood their heart. There is no joy, there is no peace apart from Christ. His Word in us also brings a measure of Who He is, joy and peace.
The thing about Christ’s joy is that it is permanent and it is packed. It lasts forever and it is packed in, there is so much of it.
The thing about Christ’s peace is that it is not of this world, it is peculiar. It is other-worldly, it is of Christ’s world, it is of His Kingdom. It is not dependent upon the fickle nature of this changing world, when it is good one day and not the next. It is not dependent or related in any way to the events on earth, it is not the absence of strife or conflict, it is the presence of Him who is the Prince of Peace.
People need to know that with a relationship with Christ comes these things – joy, permanent and packed – and peace, peculiar, not of this world but of His world. It’s a package deal. When we have Christ in us we have His peace and joy.
My friend, fill your mind with truth, with thoughts of Christ, His Word, with good things, with life things. Monitor your input from all sources but stay connected to the source of life! Let Christ speak to you.
That input will change the outcomes of your life
[1] Zig Ziglar, Success For Dummies.
