The Fruit and The Vine = SHALOM

“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)

This may sound a little like my fellow Freedom Fighter writer Makala Doulos but here goes… Oh Beloved how sweet the peace of Jesus!! It is not enough that His peace brings comfort into our downtrodden lives but this SHALOM is no less than the salvation of the kingdom of YHVH. (okay, back to Chris)And just so you understand this, when your life is saturated with Scripture, you will experience the peace of Christ. It is worth noting, however, that the world’s notion of “peace” seems to be an absence of war while the religious (one world religion?) notion of “peace” is blessing and unity. And as for me there was a saying back in the 80’s that went like this “Peace sells…but who’s buying?!” So whatever those notion’s be to you, Oh Beloved how sweet the peace of Jesus!! Amen?

I wonder that if before Jesus was about to leave the world He took time to prayerfully make his will. We all know that His soul he committed to his Father; maybe His body He bequeathed to Joseph; whether we like it or not His clothes fell to the Roman soldiers; His mother He left to the care of John: but what should He leave to His poor disciples that had left all for Him? We also all know that as far as silver and gold goes He had none; but He left them that which was infinitely better, His peace. “Peace I leave with you”, as a dying father leaves portions to his children; and this is a worthy portion. Not only did he give them a title to it, but put them in possession of it.

Jesus exclaims, “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, neither let it be afraid.” In a very Deuteronomical way (31:8?) Jesus promises His disciples peace, but not just any peace. Jesus offers His very own peace. The phrase, “Do not let your heart be troubled” takes us back to John 14:1a. But Jesus now adds the phrase: “neither let it be afraid,” because He is about to depart and His disciples are becoming increasingly anxious. As a result, they desperately need the peace He offers. But they aren’t alone in this equation are they? I believe that ALL of us, who call ourselves disciples are just as much in need, aren’t we?

I am so blown away when I think about how much at peace Jesus was during so many different situations that He was in. When He turned the money changers tables over in the Temple He may have been angry but still kept the main thing the main thing. When they brought the woman caught in adultery He was so even keeled. So many times the Pharisees challenged His authority as the Master Teacher and yet never strayed away once into fits of uncertainty with what He was teaching. When I think of the SHALOM of Jesus and what it brings me in my everyday dealings with people it gives me strength. I feel as if something has been placed in my arsenal that goes along with my Godly armor.

So Christ’s peace adds something to life rather than subtracts something. We are all so use to thinking of peace as the absence of conflict, or maybe the absence of stress, or even the absence of worry. However, the SHALOM of Jesus really is the absence of distress but it also includes the presence of blessing. In fact, maybe we could go so far as to say that the absence of distress is the result of God’s blessing? Hmm.  Jesus is still offering a peace that gives us a sense of well-being, security and right living in our everyday lives. What is your situation today? Whatever it is, if you have the Holy Spirit and the fruits of it’s presence you can have peace in the midst of it because He lives within you. So don’t allow any anxiety, worry, or fear to rob you of Christ’s peace. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 12-13

Think About This: “When all you desire is God’s glory and His will, you will know peace deep as an ocean. Nothing can disturb that peace except holding back a part of your heart in fear.”—Fenelon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57