Paul had a rough time while on his mission journeys. He was often attacked or persecuted, and in this story he was actually stoned and left for dead. But he was not bitter, and he did not paint himself as a victim. He saw his persecution and suffering in the light of his life in Christ. It became part of his preaching - these things were necessary in order to enter the kingdom of God. An easy life is not necessarily a spiritually fruitful life. Our whole life should be seen through the lenses of our life with Christ.

The peace that Jesus left with his disciples was not a worldly peace. Human peace usually means a break or pause between bouts of conflict and violence. It gives the belligerents in a conflict time to rearm and restock in order to be ready for more fighting. The peace of Christ is a deep inner peace in which the fear that is so much part of our experience leaves us. Jesus' peace flows from our knowledge and experience of being loved, cherished, and cared for by God. As we look around our world, there is little real peace - families, workplaces, societies, and even churches experience tension and conflict because we are not at peace with God or ourselves. We cannot give what we do not have - if we want a peaceful world, let us draw closer to the Lord.