DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED
Posted by: spiritualdigest <spiritualdigest@...>
DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God;
trust also in me
. Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid" (John 14:1, 27b, NIV).
There are a lot of problems and hardships today that
make the world unbearable for living. No one is immune
from these things that are confronting human beings
every day. Many have given up all hopes and are
expecting the worst to happen. Some have even resorted
to taking their lives. However, in all these, Jesus
Christ says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled."
Jesus Christ was with his disciples in the upper room
giving them His farewell speech when He made this
statement. His disciples were disturbed because of some
events that He predicted. These events included: He was
going away (John 7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; 13:33); He would
die (John 12:32-33); one of them was a betrayer (John
13:21); Satan was at work against all of them (Luke
22:31-32); they would not be able to follow Him to
where He was going (John 13:36); Peter would deny Him
thrice (John 13:38); and all of them would fall away
(Matthew 26:31). Nevertheless, Jesus counseled them to
believe in God and also in Him (John 14:1). He was
saying in essence that
they should believe in, adhere to, trust in and rely on
Him. Trust is the great antidote for a troubled heart.
Seeing God above our problems will make our hearts not
to be troubled.
Jesus Christ did not ask His disciples to only trust in
Him as an antidote for their troubled hearts, He also
gave some other reasons for His admonition. He affirmed
the reality of heaven where He was going to prepare a
place for the disciples (as well as other believers),
and come back to take them (John 14:2-3). The reward of
Christian service in the hereafter is an encouragement
to the disciples and even believers today to persevere
in trials of faith.
Jesus would not leave the disciples alone in the world.
He promised that the Father would send another
Comforter to them, Someone who would abide with them
forever (John 14:15-17, 26). This would be the Holy
Spirit.
Despite the fact that Jesus Christ would leave His
disciples, He would give them His peace (John 14:27).
This peace would be different from the worldly peace or
any other peace that they could think of. But this
peace, as Paul put it, "
transcends all understanding,
[and it] will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7, NIV). This would not be
for them, just as part of their lives in eternity, but
as a vital aspect of their lives on earth. The peace is
also for all that put their total trust in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ briefly mentioned it as He was rounding
off His farewell speech that He has overcome Satan, the
prince of this world (John 14:30). Satan might have
come to this world, yet he would not overcome the
disciples. Jesus Christ reaffirmed it also in John
16:33 that He has overcome the world.
What are you passing through that is making your heart
to be troubled? Remember Jesus' admonition, "Do not let
your hearts be troubled." He has gone to prepare our
eternal home for us. He will come back to take us to
Himself. Come to God through Him, the only true living
Way. Allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in your
life. You will experience His peace. "For our light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal
glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes
not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is
seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2
Corinthians 4:17-18, NIV).
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor)
NB
This is an abrigded version of a study of John 14. If
you want the full version, write me at directly
spiritualdigest@yahoo.com or
spiritualdigest@hotmail.com. God bless you!
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