FULTON SHEEN AND PEACE
Monday, January 14, 2013
PEACE FROM JESUS
John 14:27
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. (NIV)
You can read the
verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Bishop Fulton Sheen: "Where are your gods?'
Fulton Sheen saw the wars that took place over the course of his
life as the result of a multitude of sins. Indeed, violation of the moral law
in and of itself incurs grave consequences - it is sin that brings suffering.
In response to those who point the finger at God, making him responsible for
evil, he wrote, "The only time some men ever think of God is when they
want to find someone to blame for their own sins. Without ever saying so, they
assume that man is responsible for everything good and beautiful in the
world, but God is responsible of all its wickedness and its wars. They ignore
the fact that God is like a playwright who wrote a beautiful drama, gave it to
men to act with all the directions for acting, and they made a botch of
it." Confronted with unbelievers who ask, when everything is going wrong,
"Where is God?" he replied, "Where are your gods now? Where is
your god Progress in the face of two world wars within 21 years? Where is your
god Science, now that it consecrates its energies to destruction? Where is your
god Evolution now that the world is turned backward into one vast
slaughterhouse?"
Parting words have a special significance. Before Jesus left the upper room, anticipating His arrest and crucifixion, He left a promise of peace. Although the few days would be unbelievably turbulent, He wanted their hearts to be at rest and contented. The world, flesh and devil would tempt them to be afraid but He wanted them to know that every circumstance was in God’s control.
The peace which Jesus gave His disciples was not based on an absence of conflict or uncertainty; there would be much of both in the future. But neither was His peace passive: the disciples had to choose to manage their hearts by trusting that the Lord would have authority over everything that opposed them. Peace would come as they trusted the Lord; it would be the result of their relationship with Him. They would be sure that their sins had no power to accuse them, and that their Saviour was also their protector. So they need not fear God’s anger, the devil’s taunts, the world’s hatred or their own weakness.
Anxiety can be a habit, founded on yesterday’s bad experiences. Jesus commands us to manage our hearts according to His promises. We must teach our hearts, from the Scripture and with prayer, that ‘we can do everything through Christ who gives us strength’ (Philippians 4:13) and ‘I will trust and not be afraid’ (Isaiah 12:2). In other words, we have the responsibility to actively believe His promises and refuse to believe lies. This is not just self-discipline. As we trust God’s promises in the Bible and depend on Him, so His peace grows inside our hearts – it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, and real evidence that we do belong to Jesus. And as you learn to live in relationship with Him, your friends and colleagues will notice too! They will appreciate you not being stressed out, and may want to find out why you have changed.
Prayer: God of peace. Thank You that You do not expect me to live in fear, and that Jesus has promised that I shall have peace. I am sorry that I have tried my own routes to peace which have failed or left me exhausted. Please help me to work actively with You to manage my heart, believing Your promises and rejecting all that is a lie. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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