Peace be with you too!

Many Christians live in fear, heck many people live in fear for various reasons. As Christians we should not have any fear, instead we should live in peace and security! In the text for today the 11 are afraid and living in seclusion locked up. It seems as though they had forgotten all the power Jesus displayed over the previous three years. The one whom they called teacher and witnessed raise the dead now seemed powerless to protect them so they were afraid. Let's look:

John 20:19-23 (NRSV)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Friends, our prayer should be to never limit God by our fears but instead to let our faith serve as our strength at all times. Jesus offers us peace, we must choose daily to accept the invitation in our hearts! Today I pray for peace with you!