“Peace I leave with 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
Medieval Europe
I recently watched a documentary about life in Europe during the centuries after the turn of the first millennia (1000 AD – 1500AD). I was fascinated by the “Millennials.” 😉 The old guard had their fears and concerns about the younger generation’s ideas. Millennials seemed to be striving for more individual freedoms, yet, the old order wasn’t sure if it wanted society to change. The Millennials wished to keep the benefits provided by the status quo, but they also wanted more liberty to participate in commerce.
During this time, the ideas of personal property and personal commerce began to be birthed – crazy Millennial ideas, right!? Make no mistake; royalty owned the people of their estate. A person couldn’t leave the lord’s estate without permission, and even a tree could not be cut down without approval and payment to their master.
Medieval Loyalty
Nevertheless, it served the lord’s needs for his people to be self-sustaining and loyal. Loyalty was essential because his people were his army. He only maintained a small standing army, but every man had to join the fight when trouble came. The lord didn’t provide any weapons. Each man had to use his own pitchfork, wooden hammer, and scythes as weapons. However, if a man proved to be exceptional in battle, his lord would reward him with a sword.
One aspect of the Middle Ages (Dark Ages) that never was clear to me was the selfless loyalty that many people gave to their king or master. A man called El Cid continued to give significant payments to Alfonso VI, the king of Castile and León, in medieval Spain, long after Alfonso VI had banished Ei Cid from his kingdom. You would think El Cid would have turned his back on Alfonso VI. Instead, El Cid never stopped calling Alfonso VI his king. In this historical account, I gained an insight into Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Peace is Found in Trust
We know that we each owe Jesus our total and complete loyalty 1. However, we may take for granted the comfort and peace of mind that we gain when we absolutely trust Jesus2. Even though our peace is found in our trust in Jesus, the truth is that we may not always know how to trust Jesus3. With that in mind, find a place where you can commune with Jesus and ask Him to help you with your doubts. You can pray, “Jesus, thank You for saving me. I give You my total loyalty; lead me in the life you want me to live.”
Jesus is the only one that can bring true peace and comfort into our lives4. If we are saved, we have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, living in us.
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”
John 15:26
Jesus is an endless source of love and mercy5, but we may not recognize this because we are too busy worrying about the troubles in our lives and around us6.
We are His, the sheep of His pasture7. Can we trust Jesus when we receive devastating news? Yes, He is our Lord8. Can we trust Jesus when politicians and scoundrels vandalize our nation? Yes, Jesus is our King9. Can we trust Jesus when the life we’ve loved is pillaged and ransacked? Yes, Jesus is God10.
By placing total trust in Jesus, our Lord and Savior, we can know that in Jesus, all things do work together for good11. Living each day with Jesus is how we can receive the comfort we need12.
1 Matthew 10:33
2 Isaiah 12:2
3 Mark 9:24
4 Romans 14:17
5 Lamentations 3:22–23
6 Philippians 4:6–7
7 Psalm 100:3
8 Romans 10:9–13
9 Revelation 19:16
10 John 1:1
11 Romans 8:28
12 Matthew 6:34
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