Prayer – Lord Jesus, twice after Your resurrection You visited Your disciples, Your friends, in the upper room, just entering without even opening a door—amazing—and Your greeting was “Peace be with you.” I feel that You offer us that same “Peace” greeting each time we turn to You in prayer—continually. Do we offer that same greeting to our friends, family, work associates and even strangers on the street? Maybe the actual word isn’t “peace” but it could just be a smile. Yes—that gesture, like the word indicates acceptance and a warm welcoming.
That
Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were
afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them!
"Peace be with you," he said. ... Eight days later the disciples were
together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but
suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. "Peace be with
you," he said. John
20:19, 26 NLT
Peace to you.
Czech plaque from my in-laws many years ago.
Meditate.
Consider Jesus’ words.
Peace.
Tranquility, harmony, rest, and safety. Peace can even indicate a way to
salvation. Imagine how the disciples must have felt. Their Lord, their teacher
and rabbi, was crucified. They saw Him, dead on a cross. Now they’ve heard that
He is alive. But will the Jewish leaders come after them next? Will they try to
crucify them, too? Fear was evident—they were locked into that upper room. Now
Jesus just appeared—without opening the door. That in itself could have caused
some trepidation, more fear, or anxiety. Then He greeted them, “Peace be
with you.” Love. Acceptance. Joy. Feelings of calm assurance that their Lord
was truly risen from the dead. The power of the grave could not overcome death.
Jesus was their Savior. All His promises were true.
Peace
be with you. Do we
only greet our family and friends with kind words and possibly hugs? Peace—welcome.
A smile and kind words can convey love and acceptance. The things we all long
for…live for…in life. We can’t live without love. Oh, some people do exist
without love—but are their lives of any value? Sad. Deprived. Evil filled existence.
With Jesus Christ, life may still be filled with trials and tribulations, but
we don’t have to go through those times alone. Jesus has promised that He is
with us always…even to the ends of the earth.
Teach these new disciples to obey
all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always,
even to the end of the age." Matthew
28:20 NLT
Spread
the love of Jesus with peace and with joy, love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. A hug to those you know…and a smile to strangers
can go a long way.
Blessings.
Peace be with you.
Verse
of Salvation ~ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for
we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of
character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this
hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us,
because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5 NLT
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
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