Take Heart

November 16, 2016

Take Heart

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace

at all times and in every situation.

2 Thessalonians 3:16a

Paul’s closing benediction to this letter reminds me of Jesus’ final discourse with his disciples in the Gospel of John. There, Jesus offered his peace to his friends:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27).

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

In hearing Paul’s benediction, remember that when Paul uses the word, ‘may’ it is not a fleeting or tenuous hope that maybe God might do something. In this context, ‘may’ is an affirmation of that which God has done, God is doing, and that which God will most certainly do. Now, contemplate what it can mean in your life to rest in the absolute assurance that God is granting you His peace, at all times and in every situation.

For the Apostle Paul, Jesus was the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Peace. Peace is an integral characteristic of the very divine nature of Jesus. He is peace! Because of the miracle of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27 NRSV), you may have peace in Jesus. However, note that the context of this word ‘may’ is different from Paul’s use of the word in the benediction above. As Jesus used the word, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me,” he is giving us permission to live in his peace. Yes, God is granting us His peace, at all times and in every situation. His peace is present; we need only to choose His peace, over and above anything we think we can do on our own.

As you go into this day, may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. And, take heart because Jesus, the Lord of peace, has overcome the world.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.