City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses are packed with comfort and truth. They truly accentuate God’s overflowing goodness towards us! In these verses, we see Jesus mentioning two parting gifts:

1) The Holy Spirit, who will teach us all things and bring to remembrance all that God has said to us; and,

2) His peace. 

Let’s unwrap these amazing gifts. First, as believers in Christ, we get none other than the Holy Spirit. What a gift! He’s our Friend, our Teacher, our Counselor, our Guide, our Comforter. He’s the very presence of God who dwells in us. It’s absolutely mind-boggling how good we have it with the Holy Spirit. 

Having the Holy Spirit in our lives means we no longer have to come to God through an earthly high priest who may or may not be approved by God. No longer do we have to hear about God from an earthly prophet who may not always get it right. No longer do we have to be ruled by an earthly kingdom which may or may not choose to follow other gods. 

Such was the experience of the Israelites. They had to build a Temple that met certain requirements in order to experience the Presence of God and even that was limited. Today, we ARE the temple of God! Let that sink in for a second. We have God inside us to guide us into all Truth–Someone to tell us when we’re going in the wrong direction. We have Someone who teaches us the ways of God. We have Someone who writes the commands of God on the tablets of our hearts. We have the ability to know the very mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:16). All of this is made possible by the Holy Spirit, and some never even take a few minutes out of their day to acknowledge Him.

Let’s unpack the second gift Jesus leaves us–His Peace–not as the world gives. This peace has the ability to settle our troubled hearts and drive away every trace of fear. How? How is God’s peace different than the peace the world gives? 

For one, in order to be at peace with the world, you will usually have to pay up. The peace the world gives is performance driven. If you want to be at peace the world’s way, then you’ve got to have the best looks, the best style, talent, poise, all the right moves, all the right words, and so many other things. 

The Peace Jesus gives us is unconditional. He’s done all the heavy-lifting for us to be at peace with God. We need only to trust Him. 

Application

To have an untroubled heart and live unafraid in life, the Lord has given us the Holy Spirit and His steady Peace. Live in that truth today. In other words, live as though it is really true, because it is. 

Don’t know how to engage the Holy Spirit? That’s ok, He knows how to engage you. The Holy Spirit is the One Who unveils Jesus to us. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it’s because the Holy Spirit revealed Him to you. 

The Holy Spirit draws us in, and all we have to do is respond to Him. Begin to actively listen for the Holy Spirit in your daily life. The more you listen for His voice, the clearer it’ll be to you. Just keep listening and waiting for Him. As you move forward in life, you can trust God is directing you. Listening to God and living in His peace will calm whatever is disturbing you and awaken you to His love.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit to help me walk out my faith in You. Holy Spirit, thank you for journeying through life with me and giving me a fresh revelation of Jesus. You’re the best! God, I thank you for making a way for me to be at peace with You. I know it cost You dearly, and I am forever grateful. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.