“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV
We live in a world that thrives on stress, pressure, and fast-paced living. Anxiety is a state that most people live in all the time and this can take our focus away from God. So, I want to talk about this peace that we can experience when we are living in Christ.
We can have peace in every situation.
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13
Paul in Philippians is telling us he experienced a lot of hard things in life, but that he learned the secret to being content. In verse 13 we learn that we can do anything through Christ. No matter what we face in our life we can experience peace if we are living in Christ.
Christ is our strength.
“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:7
We see again here that Paul isn’t worried about hard things, because with Christ, even when we feel weak, we can be strong. We can experience such incredible peace because nothing is impossible with Christ. Nothing in our lives is too hard or too much for him to handle. And if it feels like it’s too much for us, we can give it to Him. Because Christ is our strength.
He has overcome the world.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and[a] we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8
We see that with food and clothing, we must be content. We are reminded that we brought nothing into this world and that this earth is not our home. One way that we can have peace is by being careful not to focus on worldly things. Worldly, fleshly things come and go and they are constantly changing. But Jesus is eternal and always remains the same. And every single temptation and tribulation he has experienced, and we don’t have to worry about any earthly thing because Jesus has overcome the world.
John 16:33 is one of my favorite verses because it reminds me that good has already won. When we fight with Jesus we are fighting a winning battle, and that is so cool. We can serve the strongest, most loving, and world-conquering Savior. And that gives me peace.
In Christian Love,
Julianna
