Guest Article – Finding Peace
Hello there!
Charlie is a member of Hope and is working his way through university with the intent of becoming a pastor. That got me thinking, not only would it be good practice to have him write a devotion and get the experience but it would let me have a week off be a mentor. So, I introduce to you the first of what I am sure will be a number of articles from my unpaid intern church office administrator.
God Bless and enjoy
- Pastor Dan
We often find ourselves in the midst of despair in one form or another. In a world full of wars, economic woes, crime, and good old fashioned political turmoil and mudslinging, it can truly be a challenge to feel any real sense of peace. Add all of this to the relatively more mundane struggles in life such as the passing of loved ones or the stress we feel from school or work or family woes and one can quickly see that we are assailed from all sides by things that want to rob us of any sort of peace at all. In the middle of all of these conflicts that surround us we often stare at the tree that is the culmination of all of these problems and forget to see it for what it really is in its roots; sin. At the heart of every issue we see, there is the taint and corruption of sin at play. For every war fought there are sinful humans giving the orders. For every crime committed there is a sinful person breaking the law. Economies crash, political turmoil happens and millions suffer because we build models and systems based off of what we as sinful human beings think is best, just to see it all topple down one day. As we age we see not only death on the news we watch, but also friends and loved ones pass away, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). However, in that very same verse, we see that while the wages are death, the gift of God is eternal life. We quite literally worship a God who split hell wide open and defeated sin and death by dying and rising again three days later. Through Christ’s death and rising again, and through the sacrament of baptism, we are united with Him in a resurrection like His (Romans 6:3-5). That tree of insurmountable problems has been struck at the sinful roots, and when Christ returns there will be neither sin nor death, nor any of the fruits of such things (Revelation 21:1-4). This concept is an eternal concept, that the suffering we encounter here in this life is only temporary and a mere blip on the radar compared to the rest of eternity. We know this to be true, but at times we cannot help but base our attitudes and outlooks on more temporal problems. It’s okay to feel anxious and sad at times. Life is a roller coaster of both the expected and unexpected situations that plague us daily. But let us consider what our Lord Himself says;
“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
-Matthew 6:30-34.
The root of all evil and all of our worries (sin) has been killed by Christ in His death and resurrection. The problem isn’t so much of the suffering that still persists today, for God allows suffering (we can ask Job when we all get to heaven). The problem is simply a matter of perspective and where we place our hope and our trust. If we allow ourselves to be consumed with the problems of today, we will never find peace. But if we place our hope and our trust on the firm foundation that is Christ and His work on the cross for us, we can truly have a sense of peace and joy in knowing that while we still suffer woes of all sorts, such problems are truly only temporary in comparison to eternity.
This is what should be in mind whenever someone wishes you Christ’s peace. Christ’s peace my friends.
- Charlie Blankenship