Using Someone Else's Stuff

I've never been one to be shy to borrow things. Books, CD's (back when we used those, remember?), tools, etc. I've always found that either you have the stuff you need or you have friends who have the stuff you need. It's a community building thing, right? We see that we've been entrusted with something, and depending on the friend and their habits it's something they've taken care of as well.I came across a line from Jesus today, one that I have heard and read before, but today it came in a new context and it brought me to a line of questioning that I think is helpful for all of us. Jesus makes this promise to His disciples:

"Peace I leave 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." (John 14:27, ESV)

Jesus gave them something that was His to give away. Sure, we can say that Jesus was trying to keep them from freaking out after He announced (again) that He must die and leave them in a world that hates them. That makes sense.

However, realize this: Jesus WAS at peace and it was His being-at-peace that He was leaving to the disciples. He was giving them something of His to use and enjoy.

The critical question for us then is this: what was the foundation of Jesus' peace? What did Jesus know about God, believe about God, trust in God to do, and if that is the kind of peace we are left with then what should our lives look like?

Should we be living much more bravely, more beautifully, more counter-intuitively simply because we have the peace of Jesus - the peace that trusted in a post-crucifixion God who would call Him from the grave like Lazarus and bring all things back into order?

May the peace of Christ, that is built on Jesus' trust in His Father, come to you today on unconditional loan from the One who desires to see you untroubled and bravely trouncing mountain tops for the sake of His Kingdom.