finding satisfaction in the beauty of holiness

We all want peace. You want peace. I want peace. Every Miss America dating back to the first contest wants peace (world peace). Peace is a great thing. No struggles. No quarrels. No fighting. The lion lying down next to the lamb kinda atmosphere. We all want that. But this peace will never exist on this earth. I don’t want to make any absolute statements so just regard this as my opinion.

As long as people have their own agendas, there will never be peace. At least the peace that the world understands. I was driving by a church when I saw a sign that read, “When Jesus rules you, peace rules your life.” This is not the peace the world knows of. The world thinks of peace as no wars, no fighting, no argumentations, no conflictions whatsoever. This was never the intention of Jesus. This is not the peace that Jesus speaks about. (Jn 15:18, Matthew 10:34)

The peace that Jesus speaks about goes way beyond understanding (Phil.4:7). It’s the peace that comes when you don’t feel like there could ever be peace again in your life. It’s the kind of peace when a loved one dies and you know where they’re at but you still lament. It’s the kind of peace that comes over you when the whole world is crashing around you yet the arms of God still hold you and comfort you. It’s not the peace the world gives but that of God. (Jn 14:27)

Some want world peace but this peace doesn’t start on a governmental level. It doesn’t even start on a home front level. It starts on a personal level. Voting is a great thing, (I highly recommend it, it gives you the right to complain) but if Christians don’t get out and start campaigning for Christ, we’ll lose the race (to the lost persons heart).

I’m a realist*, neither a pessimist nor an optimist. In a perfect world, peace throughout the whole world might be a possibility. But we are living in a material world and I am a material girl… ok, so I took a tangent. Forgive me.

You may say that I lack the faith in a perfect God. But I think I have faith in a perfect God’s perfect word. Like where He tells us that satan (anti-christ) will restore “false” peace for 3 ½ years before truly revealing himself. Now brace yourselves for this next statement. I almost rejoice at the idea that things are happening in this world that Christians don’t like. (2 Tim 3) I know you probably think this is backwards thinking, but you also probably think “rejoicing in the times of trials” (James 1:2) is backwards thinking as well. But this means that the day of our Lord is near. You see God is not a liar. He said all these things will happen.

We rejoice over the grace and mercy of God and pout over the death and destruction the bible speaks about. We want the good things the bible gives us and we anger over the bad things. But God is allowing these things to happen and we should rejoice because we get to take part.

Now, the bible says, “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) So I ask, “Just because in the last days we’ll see perilous times, should we let it continue to go on? God forbid. How can we who have experienced mercy and grace not pass it forward?” (Kevin 3:22,j/k) Just as we should strive for perfection in our lives beside grace, we should strive to share faith and turn the world around for Christ in spite of prophecy.

* A realist is someone who sees the glass as “not” half empty “nor” half full but what ever the last action taken on the glass. If it was drunk out of, it’s half empty, if something was being poured into it, it’s half full.