A Facebook friend recently posted a saying ,”No Jesus, No Peace. Know Jesus, Know Peace.” John 14:27.
As often happens on FB, there was the usual detractors saying things like, “Knowing how Christians are, I’d rather have no peace.”
Two things dawned on me as I looked at the saying. The first is a challenge to those who reject Christ, because they don’t care for his followers. I say, if you go to a highly educated trainer at a gym and he/she is a bit chubby because of an uncontrollable sweet tooth, does that make the trainer’s knowledge of physical training any less true? They may get less clients because of their appearance, but they still know their stuff. Christ promises his followers peace. “I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn’t like the peace this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid…” (John 14:27) Just because the spriritual fitness of some Christians is sorely lacking doesn’t mean the truth they are pointing you to isn’t valid. Check it out. Who wouldn’t want to feel free from worry and fear in their life?
The second challenge I have is for Christians. As a believer, I know we often fall short of representing Christ to the world. My pastor recently said that most Christians don’t get beyond the level of accepting Christ, to the total surrender part of the Christian walk. This is where we surrender control of every part of our life to Christ: our pride, our anger, our time, etc… It is hard to do because it means giving up control, which we desperately want to feel we have. Surrendering everything to Christ will make Christ followers stand out as lights to the world, and though the world will never love us (as the bible says) it may change the image some nonbelievers have of us.
– Lydia Cooper
