Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Peacefully Happy


The League of Nations couldn’t do it.  The United Nations can’t do it.  Amnesty International won’t get it done.  All of the pot smoking, V flashing hippies of the 60’s didn’t make a dent in it.  John Lennon’s classic hit didn’t do it.  None of these things brought peace or will bring peace.  Why not?

In the first generation of mankind outside of the Garden of Eden we find the first recorded murder in human history.  Murder is part of sin as is greed and pride and all the host of things that most inspire the world to go to war.  Men fight for the greed of territory with raw materials.  They fight for the pride of country.  They fight simply because they hate other people.  The ones that they fight then fight back.  Men cannot change the visible problem until they change the inner problem.  We are sinners and do sinful things that lead to a world in turmoil, nations in turmoil, neighborhoods in turmoil and families in turmoil. All this turmoil comes from hearts in turmoil.  We need to start at the heart.  We need to bring peace there first.

Jesus said, “Blessed (happy) are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God”.  You see, God is in the peace making business.  God could be perpetually at war with mankind since we are constantly offending Him and breaking His laws.  He could be, but He isn’t.  God reached out to mankind through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.  Instead of being at war with us, God has given to us the means of reconciliation.  God has reconciled us to Himself through His Son.  He made the overture of peace at the cost of His own Son’s cruel death on Calvary.  That is truly peacemaking.  Now all who come to God through faith in His Son have peace with God.  But wait!  There’s more.  God has given a job to those who come to Him.  He has appointed them to be reconcilers as well.  That means that those who know Christ are fully commissioned as peace makers. 

This peace will come to one person at a time as they believe in Him and find peace in their heart that will transform their families, their neighborhoods, their nations and the world.  Again we turn to Isaac Watt’s great hymn rendition of the Beatitudes.  “Blest are the men of peaceful life, who quench the coals of growing strife; they shall be called the heirs of bliss, the sons of God, the God of peace.”  Let us all let Christ make a peaceful difference in our lives each day. 
 
 
Visit my website at www.davidccraig.net for inspiring Christian books.  Coming this month is my newest book Taking Care of Joe.  This is the story of a caregiver for an Alzheimer’s patient.  See how God adds His grace in the face of this horrible disease and how living a life of love is living a life NOT interrupted.  You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at FEBC.org.  FEBC is a vital missionary outreach to many countries that are closed to traditional missionary work. 
 

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