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There Can Be No True Peace Without God
by Dr. Henderson Ward Peace is a much bigger word, a far weightier concept, a more profound relevant issue to our lives than the five letters would indicate. To those who see peace merely as the absence of war is like a baby viewing the four walls and the ceiling of his room as the limits to the universe. If there is no war, no hostilities, no terror and you go hungry and can't have a good night's sleep, then you do not have true peace. When the fighting has ceased, and the guns stop barking, and you are afraid for tomorrow, and the lives of your loved ones are uncertain, and hazardous, then true peace you do not enjoy. The warmongers might have long ceased their murderous campaign, they might have evacuated their killing fields but if your mind is disturbed with the unsavoury activities all around you then your life is bereft of true peace. True peace is powerful and mightily impacts our total self; body, soul and spirit, and reaches beyond our physical, mental and spiritual limitations to leverage heavenly assistance to enable it to be efficacious. Because true peace has this ineffable character, this divine association, it makes it impossible that those who persist in activities contrary to God's will, can possess it to any extent. With this in mind the Bible makes a powerful assertion, "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isaiah 57:21), and to counteract that it says, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." (Psalm 119:165) True peace, when seen in this light, when accurately evaluated as a gift from above, is manifested in the total well-being of the whole person. The Jews of the Old Testament used to greet each other with the Hebrew word "Shalom" meaning peace. The ONLY blessing that God taught Moses, word for word, to teach the priests to bestow on the Jewish assemblies was: "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26) And Jesus Christ himself highlighted and endorsed the beneficence of this divine peace when he said to his disciples: "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) And the Apostle Paul, whose understanding of this peace is second to none, wrote, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7) There are some important things that just happen to you as you proceed in life, and others you can only acquire by diligent searching. Jesus reminded us of this when he said, "Seek and ye shall find..." (Matthew 7:7) Important questions, that have a bearing on this matter of true peace, must be faced, and until we know the answers, and make right decisions, this true peace will remain forever a vague concept out of our reach. Important Question number 1: Why am I here? When you wake up every morning the first person you see is you; the person you are most concerned with is you; the ONLY person impacting your consciousness is you. No silly arguments about your existence, no philosophical rambling about reality and perception, you are shockingly real with all your foibles and idosyncracies. And the pertinent question is, why am I here? At this juncture philosophy muddies the water and gets lost in abstractions. Science tells us that your existence is a big fluke, an accident, a meaningless occurrence that will soon be corrected when, after a few years you are gone, finished, and that is the end of that. Science even asserts that just as there was a big bang that brought the universe into existence (their best guess that is) there might well be a collapse back to nothing, or as science calls it, a singularity. Depending on your worldview you may align yourself with one of an assortment of conflicting opinions. The God-haters and deniers will say that there is no God, no rationale or meaning to anything and as soon as we are gone that is our lot. We come from nothing with no value and thus we shall return. People of this persuasion are usually the bane of humanity. If it is true that we have no value, no worth, then who cares if a few thousands, or millions even, are zapped off the face of the earth. This is cynicism and hopelessness par excellence. On the other hand they are those who believe that all around us are evidence of systematic design and purpose, and so they should, for man was beautifully and ingeniously crafted. Even an ancient, like David, recognised this, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psalm 139:14) Man was made in the image of God and put on the face of the earth so that a blessed, responsible people can emerge who can choose freely to serve him, glorify his name and communicate with him on a level unique to humans. The writer of the Hebrews was pedantically accurate when he wrote: "You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands." (Hebrews 2:7) Important Question number 2: Can I know the truth? Many people in the world do not have a clear understanding of the number of religions there are and the huge amount of contradictions and errors in their beliefs. If you check carefully you will find that there are over 10,000 religions, all teaching different things and each adamant of the truthfulness of their theology. Simple logic will dictate that they are not all correct and truthful. So how can the truthful ones be known? True religion cannot be subjective, relying on how you feel or view the religion on a person basis. Like science there is the litmus test that anyone can use, and by praying to Almighty God for guidance the religion will stand or fall when tested. True religion must be transforming; it must transform the believer towards godliness (Titus 2:11-12), true religion must be universally caring; drawing no distinction between Jew or gentile, nationality or race (James 1:27), true religion must meet the criteria set out by Micah, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8), and true religion must prepare believers for eternity (1 Corinthians 15:19) God has made it possible for us to know the truth, all we have to do is seek it earnestly. Important Question number 3: Who art thou Lord? There has only been one person who walked this earth claiming to be God and demonstrating by humongous miracles his claim to that title. All of this is a matter of proven history. His name is Jesus Christ; read of him in the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Until you know who Jesus Christ is, until you have met him and cemented with him a spiritual personal relationship, just as the Apostle Paul and millions of believers have done, you will never know true peace. Important Question number 4: What must I do to be saved? This is probably the crucial question; what must I do to be saved? Salvation brings with it a peace that passeth all understanding and is found in God through Jesus Christ. Millions have found this to be so and if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul and mind, and commit to him, you too will find this to be so. Important Question number 5: Where will I spend eternity? After you depart this world, eternity awaits. Two choices only; either to be with God in eternal bliss or to be with the devil and eternal damnation. As ever the choice is ours. The undeniable conclusion is readily apparent and is this. To have this true peace of God is to have the true God of peace. Nothing else will do. Paul reminds us of this when he wrote: "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Enough said. Books by this author (non-fiction except indicated otherwise) E-books Published by Amazon.com If you do not have a Kindle then when you access the site, click on How Buying Works and you will see the FREE apps for Computer, Cell phone, etc Then click as appropriate. (Please click on the appropriate book link or cut and paste in your URL) STAND UP TO THE DEVIL (e-book) Volume 1 You must first identify him http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BQVLSS BASTARD: A STORY OF REDEMPTION(e-book fiction) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OF3SD6 ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (Hard copy) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002X78D16 THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (e-book) Volume 1 Five tough facts to be faced http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YX5NSI ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (e-book) http://tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60799-630-9 Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017 Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |