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“The Gift of Peace”
By Susanne Scheppmann
Key Verse:
“Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do
not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV)
Devotion:
I
fidgeted as I waited for the receptionist to acknowledge me. She hung up the
phone and smiled. “Are you here to see Kurt for a radio interview?”
I
nodded and shuffled my feet a bit more.
“Just
have a seat on the couch. He’ll be with you in a minute.”
I
sat on the couch. The tension in my body made me straight and prim. I thumbed through my notes and glanced around
the radio studio. Then, out of the corner of my eye, a rapid movement drew my
attention. A spider—a huge spider—pranced along the arm of the sofa. I caught
my breath and scooted away. A different type of tenseness surged through me.
The
startled receptionist looked up, questioning. I pointed to the object of my
fear. Her eyes widened, and then with the bravery of a heroine she lunged
toward it with a rolled newspaper in her hand. She stopped and said, “I can’t
do it. It’s too big.”
Just
then Kurt, the radio host, appeared. He spotted our crisis. However, unlike the
two of us, he strode to the sofa, grabbed the cushion, carried it to the door
and flicked the spider to a new outdoor home. “Man, that was a big one!
Welcome! Let’s do the interview.”
Later,
I pondered my morning’s fear. I considered my nervousness about the interview.
I relived my terror of the spider. In reality, neither was worthy of my
anxiety. Neither could have caused me bodily harm. (That is, unless I had
passed out and cracked my head open.) Fear is a God-given emotion, yet often my
fears are unwarranted or irrational. I allow ordinary circumstances rob me of
my peace. I forget the promise of Jesus, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV).
Christ
came to earth to redeem us and grant us peace. “Fear not, for I have redeemed
you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1NIV). My tendency
is to fear scary bugs, failure and the unknown future. But, I shouldn’t. Jesus
offers me the gift of peace—I just need to remember to claim it for my own each
day. His peace has my name on the gift
tag.
His
gift of peace has your name on it,
too.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, teach me to remember each day that Your
peace is my peace. I thank you that You came to earth to redeem me and that I
have no need to fear. Help me claim Your peace each morning before I begin the
day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Read the Power Verses below. Commit to memory one or more of the verses
that speak peace to your heart.
Reflections:
What
do I fear?
Why
do I fear?
How
can I replace my fear with the gift of Jesus’ peace?
Power
verses:
Isaiah
9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will
be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (NIV)
Numbers
6:26, “The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (NIV)
2
Corinthians 1:2, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.” (NIV)
© 2007 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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