John 14:27 (New International Version )
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.
"A story is told about William Randolph Hearst, the late newspaper publisher. Hearst invested a fortune in collecting great works of art. One day he read about some valuable pieces of art and decided that he must add them to his collection. He sent his agent abroad to locate and purchase them. Months went by before the agent returned and reported to Hearst that the items had at last been found-they were stored in his own warehouse. Hearst had purchased them years before." (From "Our Sufficiency in Christ" by John MacArthur, Jr.)
Sometimes we get so bogged down with the busyness and pressures of life, with the abundance of things we possess, and/or with unresolved baggage from the past that we are either unwilling to claim, unable to appropriate, or simply unaware of the riches in Christ Jesus that God has for us.
We're not talking about material riches that clutter many of the lives of those of us who live in the West, but about riches of a far greater kind. . .such as peace with God, forgiveness of our sins and wrongs, freedom from guilt, the assurance of eternal life and a home in Heaven, and the journey in the here and now to growth, inner healing and wholeness.
God has all these riches [blessings] and many more for all of us. But it's up to each of us to claim them. To discover what they are, it helps to read and study God's Word the Bible.
Dear Lord we pray that we wouldn’t get to bogged down with the things of life that we take our eyes off of YOU. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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