Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27
The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you.
Have you ever been in a stressful situation or a season of uncertainty that left the taste of fear lingering in your mouth? I know I have. Many times I cannot sleep just because I have a difficult conversation of conflict the next day or because I have a test that I have to take. Other times the stakes are higher. During these times, it feels almost impossible to give away peace. Why? Because we can’t give away what we do not have.
Making my stressors look small, in John 14, Jesus is staring down the path of His life, and He sees death. His brutal death on the cross is imminent, and He somehow gives away peace. How did Jesus have peace at such a time, and how did He give it away?
First, it’s possible because it’s not a peace that we can get from this world. This is for two reasons: 1) the world does not have it;* 2) whatever the world does have is counterfeit (perceived lack of enemies or a temporary comfort).* The peace that Jesus carried prior to the cross came as a characteristic of the dawning Kingdom of Heaven.* Jesus, the King of the Kingdom of Heaven carried a peace that came from God, not circumstances.*
Second, this peace is the product of the person of the Holy Spirit.* The Holy Spirit is the promise that God will always be intimately present with you, and nothing can separate you from Him.*
These are two truths that we must take in slowly and intentionally: our peace should come from the truth that we as believers are members of the kingdom of peace, and the God of all is intimately close to us at all times forever.
If we stand in the Kingdom here and now with the King beside us, what worry may we have? How will we allow our hearts to be troubled? What can stand before us that could make us afraid? The most powerful person stands beside us closely as our feet rest in His territory of peace.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember who He is and where you stand. Perhaps today God wants you to rest in the peace that does not come from circumstances. Maybe today God wants you to give that peace away just as Jesus passed along the Holy Spirit to each and every one of us.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Whitacre, R. A. (1999). John (Vol. 4, pp. 364–365). IVP Academic.
Klink, E. W., III. (2016). John (C. E. Arnold, Ed.; pp. 634–635). Zondervan.Burge, G. M. (2000). John (pp. 399–400). Zondervan Publishing House.
Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 506). Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.