May 3

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. — John 14:27 BSB

Here lies the secret of abiding peace—God’s peace. We give ourselves to God, and the Holy Spirit takes possession of our hearts. This is truly "Peace, peace." But it is precisely at this moment that the devil tries to turn us away, usually by distracting our thoughts. This is the time to prove the sincerity of our consecration and the singleness of our heart. If we truly desire His presence above all else, we will turn away from every distracting thought and look steadily to Jesus. But if we desire the gratification of impulse more than His presence, we will yield to a passionate word, frivolous thought, or sinful diversion. When we return, we find that our Shepherd has gone, and we wonder why our peace has disappeared.

Often, failure comes over some small thing—a thought, a word—when the soul that wouldn’t stumble over a mountain stumbles over a straw.

The real secret of perfect rest is to be constantly, jealously occupied with Jesus.