I speak from these verses because it seems as if Christian people have forgotten how to respond to mistreatment. Christians are often notorious backbiters and divisive. Too many hold onto grudges. Bitterness remains. Well, the Bible teaches us otherwise.
There are times in the Christian life when, what we call storms, arise. The thought of my heart is, "How do we respond to those storms?" May we leave convinced that our Lord does indeed love us. He does care for us. He is with us.
We hear a great deal about how these times we live in are the last days. I personally believe that is true. The text before us speaks of some signs of the last times, the perilous times.
John 14:27 and John 16:33 extend to us comfort and hope. We need hope because our world is full of tribulation and sorrow. All these things can bring us distress. Fear can grip our hearts. Remember these verses and recognize there is no need for fear.