Ponderizing Peace

At this last General Conference we were issued a challenge to ponderize a scripture a week which means to half ponder and half memorize. The scripture I chose was,  "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

I guess peace has been on my mind lately because I am realizing how often I am living without it. I was thinking about how life seems to be filled with too many questions and not enough answers. When the answers don't come and the questions keep piling up it is hard to feel like you can move forward because if you do, you might just have to face more questions.

If we look at this verse within the context of what was happening with his apostles, they probably had a lot of anxiety. They knew that Jesus was about to be betrayed and he was going to leave them. They must have felt inadequate to carry on his mission without him. They too had a lot of questions and not enough answers.

If we look at this verse in context of the chapter we see that he is talking about a several things that lead to peace. He tells the apostles that there are many mansions that he is preparing for them. He will leave but he will come again to receive them. He will lead them to the Father. If we believe in Him we can do great works. He will send the Holy Ghost to comfort us.

I think if we were to break down this scripture, it is leading us to find the difference between the peace of the world and the peace of the Lord. When I think of the peace of the world, I think of things that will give us peace right here and now, like having exactly what we want right now, money, status, maybe a little bit of yoga. These things don't have to be bad, they just aren't the peace of God which leads us to eternity with him.

When I think of the peace that I have received from God, it usually has to do with the Holy Ghost. I feel the peace of God when I feel his love for me or when I receive answers to prayers with either physical blessings or clear answers that help guide and direct my life. It doesn't mean that our prayers will be answered in the way we want or that we will have answers according to our timetable. Sometimes it is just knowing that God has a plan and we are doing his will.

Other scriptures I read talking about peace suggest that in order for us to have peace temporally or spiritually there has to be a law, and we all need to keep the laws or there will not be peace on the earth. Also, if we love the law we will be at peace. That thought made me think of this Dennis Prager video on the Ten Commandments.

I guess this is all leading me to see I need to keep the commandments to a greater degree, seek the spirit of God and trust that as I strive live righteously I can find greater peace of God.