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The
Search for Peace
In
the 1980’s a retired couple was alarmed by the
threat of nuclear war so they undertook a serious
study of all the inhabited places in the world. They
wanted to figure out the least likely place in the
world to be affected by nuclear war – a place of
peace and security. They studied and traveled,
traveled and studied. They finally found THE PLACE and
sent a card to their friends from their new home in
the Falkland Islands.
Unfortunately,
their ultimate place of peace was soon a literal war
zone as Britain and Argentina fought over those
islands in what history books now called the Falklands
War. *
There
is not a place in
the world where one may find perfect peace.
Jesus warned His disciples: “In the
world you will have tribulation” (John
16:33). One
may find a place where a country is not (at least
currently) involved in a war, but there is also the
matter of conflicts with others on a relational level
as well as inner conflict with the individual.
When
Jesus warned His disciples that “in the world you
will have tribulation,” He also comforted them by
saying: “In Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
The
peace that Jesus promises is NOT the absence of
conflict on the outside, but an inner calm within the
individual
- a peace
in the midst of the storm!
It is based on trust in a God who cares and
provides for His children (Luke 12:22-31).
A
"perfect peace" that is ours NOT
because of the absence of trouble, but because of the
presence of God! This peace is found in a
relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, that
sustains His children even in difficult circumstances.
Jesus
Christ died on the cross so that YOU and I might have
THAT peace. Through His death, burial, and
resurrection, Jesus conquered the number one problem
that keeps us from having peace: SIN.
His death served as payment for the sins of those who
will submit their lives to Him: believing
in and trusting Him (Acts 16:31), repenting
of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confession
that He is the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized
(immersed) for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38). The
"peace of God which surpasses all
understanding" will CONTINUE to "guard"
the hearts and minds of those who CONTINUE to walk
with God obediently (Philippians 4:6-7).
Through
Jesus, WE may have peace with God, peace with others,
and peace with ourselves – even in a troubled world!
Do
YOU have that peace?
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited
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