Jesus, the Prince of Peace
Scripture Reading — John 14:15-27
“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
The world is marked by sorrow, drenched in blood, wounded by war, and sickened by hatred.
Wars become increasingly bloody and people increasingly violent. There are wars between nations and wars within families. There are tribal wars and religious wars. We are in constant conflict.
Our hearts are often battlefields. We raise monuments to peace and build more and more weapons of destruction. We speak of peace, but we spend more on war. We say that love is the oxygen of life, but we breathe hatred.
In a world marked by violence and conflict in the clutches of sin, Jesus presents himself as the Prince of Peace.
He came not just to talk about peace; he is peace. He came to make peace with his blood on the cross. He gives us peace with God, because he forgives our sins. He gives us the peace of God, because he relieves the anxiety in our hearts.
He gives us inner peace because wherever Jesus reigns, joy triumphs over sorrow, love prevails over heartache, and hope raises its flag where despair once reigned.
Is your heart filled with the Prince of Peace?
Father, there are many feelings in my heart that have taken away my joy and brought me nothing but loss. I ask that Christ’s peace may fill me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Hernandes Lopes
Rev. Hernandes Dias Lopes grew up in a Christian home in Brazil. Following his 1981 graduation from Seminário Presbiteriano do Sul in Campinas, Brazil, he served two congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Brazil. In 2000, he earned a doctor of ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Rev. Lopes has been the voice of the television program Verdade e Vida (“Truth and Life”) since 2006. In 2010 he was appointed Portuguese ministry leader for Back to God Ministries International. Rev. Lopes and his wife, Tinha, have two college-age children.
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