Recieve and Give Peace
“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
In John Chapter 14, Jesus comforts His followers and promises to send the Holy Spirit to teach and remind us of the gift of peace.
Receiving Peace
Jesus left us His peace. As I read those words today and let them sink in, it fills me with awe, amazement, and thankfulness. Storms are going on around me and within me that have already been quieted by His words. I don’t need to allow my heart to be troubled, and I don’t need to be afraid. As I thought about this more, I realized most of my troubles and fears come from my worries, stress, insecurities, selfishness, pride, and lack of reliance on Jesus. He left His peace, but I strive as though I need something else to calm the storms. I strive as though I am in control.
Consider Mark 4:35-41, where Jesus was asleep in a boat with His disciples as they crossed the lake through a storm. The disciples were scared for their lives, so they woke Jesus up and asked Him if He cared that they were perishing. Jesus’ response was to rebuke the storm by simply saying, “Hush, be still.” Jesus is in the boat with us as we brave the storms battering our ship.
Giving Peace
When I think of what Jesus gives us, I am struck by our stewardship opportunity as leaders as we set a tone for the organization and those under our care. We have a tremendous responsibility and opportunity to provide an umbrella of peace and stability. Still, we will find it difficult to maintain if we do not experience the peace Jesus spoke of. One of the ways we can lead as stewards in His peace is to acknowledge that Jesus is in control as we ask Him to say the words, “Hush, be still,” to the storms facing us, the organizations we lead, and the people under our care.
I want to challenge you: Take a moment to think about how you can steward the peace of God in your life as a leader. Then, help those you lead to experience the peace of our Lord as you lead as a steward.
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Howard Rich is the CFO of Amazi Water and the President of the Center for Steward Leader Studies. Howard is a life-long advocate of generous living and desires to see Christians lead from a heart of stewardship and generosity.
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