Peace in these times

I have heard it said that peace is unattainable. I have heard that peace is the opposite of war and that war is unavoidable so therefore peace is not possible. I have heard that the number one foe of peace is fear.

Of those three statements, the only one that has any credibility is the last one. Fear is of course our greatest enemy, especially when it comes to peace. Standing in the gap between fear and peace is Christ, our job is to meet Him there and trust Him to deliver us from this enemy.

When we cave into our fear we pull further away from Christ, but when we learn to turn away from conflict we draw closer to Him.

Jesus came because of life, He came to preserve life. Is not death the opposite of life? When Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the dead, He overcame death. In the same manner we are supposed to overcome death by accepting life in Christ.

Our lives are precious to God. He created us and sustains us. How then can we for one second allow something as sinister as abortion? At the same exact moment, how can children of God accept something as maniacal as war?

We stand on the principles of scripture which we believe are God-breathed. Within these breaths of God we are to be consumed with life and not death. We are to be focused on eternity and not this death that exists here in this fallen world.

We are to forgive others as we have been forgiven. We did not deserve to be forgiven and yet His grace overflows. In fact we continue to fail to deserve God’s amazing love and yet we turn around and fail to forgive others because we don’t think others deserve our forgiveness.

Who are we really?

I keep saying the same things over and over, repeating myself for what, self gratification? It really is gross to think of how much I have written about this over the past three years, but here we are none the less.

I have my bible which has notes upon notes written in it. There are underlined passages that I keep returning to along with a few small snippets of paper that I have kept that are filled with my thoughts. I have asked God to spell it out for me on numerous occasions and He keeps coming back with, “keep writing”.

I have protested a few times as this seems redundant but I am waiting for a particular moment when this will all seem crystal clear, when it will stop being something that I think I get and a few people around me barely grasp.

This is so much bigger than our own immediate lives; it is something that will carry on forever. Our kids and their kids need to hear this and they need to hear it now, not on some epitaph after we’re gone.

Our moment is now; it is today, carpe diem and all that. Throughout history there have been voices that carried above the din, that spoke through the chaos. It is our time to raise our voices in protest to what we are being sold.

In these times we need peace. We have been given the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and we respond how? By annihilating anyone who does not agree with our own world views? By destroying anyone who goes against our finite views on religion?

GOD IS LOVE. I missed the lines in the bible that say God is anything to the contrary of that last statement and yet there are people out there, worse yet there are Christians out there who would rather put a gun in a young person’s hands, send them off to a foreign land and ask that young person to kill to protect a so called freedom.

As Switchfoot says, “I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians”. This world has nothing for me if the people who so dearly hold onto their bibles are the same ones that hold onto their guns and their Americanism. Christianity is about following Christ and not the GOP.

This eats me up and yet I know there can be no hesitating on this position. I am standing here today with my faith and a belief that we are called to follow Jesus and then to love our neighbor.

Peace is in knowing that. Showing peace to others is in living it out. We need peace in these times, right now, right here today.
___________________________________________________________________
My life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.

D

Self discovery

Finding one’s place among others is seeing yourself among other people, and wondering not only if you fit in but if you make a difference. As men search to not only fit in but be accepted by their peers they are emasculated by a society that wants nothing more than their failure.

Who do we seek to impress? Is it other men, or is it women? Is it society and a perceived impression? Is it our parents that were there for us; or not there for us?

We walk amongst only so many people on a daily basis. We have a unique chance to display to them who we are as individuals, to show others what we stand for. Our place in this world will ultimately be for naught if we leave no lasting legacy with those who were closest to us, especially our families. Instead of being so concerned with what society might say about us, we should question first what our heavenly Father would say, and then our earthly family.

Our families are critical in our daily lives. Some of us have large families and others have very little family at all. Regardless of your situation you must address the relationships you currently have and ask those closest to you for an evaluation. There are two simple questions, and the answers will become your concentration for the rest of your life. Confront the person closest to you and ask;

“Do you see Jesus in me?”

This is profound beyond most anything you will ever ask a member of your family. You are asking something that cuts to the very depth of who you are and asks the other person to search themselves as deeply. Even the most devout family will struggle with this question if they are truly honest, and that is the key, you must be honest with each other.

Depending on the answer, we each need to take steps to determine what it would take for the answer to always be yes, no matter who you asked. If you have a large family, I recommend that you ask at least 4 members. After you ask the initial question, consider asking this as a follow up;

“Why?”

Understanding this is your formula for moving forward in your mission to serve Christ on a daily basis. When you know the “why” people either see Jesus in you or don’t, you can determine your course of action. That exact moment is your opportunity to seize the day and live it for Jesus. Take up your cross and follow Him. Make it your daily goal that others will see Jesus in you and will want that same love in their heart.


My life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.

D