Everyone Desires World Peace

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”  Romans 14:19

World peace.  That’s what the beauty contestants are expected to say when they are asked the question about what they desire the most.  At least, that’s what they do in the movies.  It is a noble desire to want peace all over this world, but this world has never seen worldwide peace.  Jesus told us in Matthew 24:6 that in the end times there will be wars and rumors of wars, and since the world has experienced wars since Cain killed Abel, I suspect that the end times will bring wars that can’t be numbered.  Those who have fought in wars say that war is hell.  We have enough soldiers who are missing limbs, whose minds are troubled, and who have committed suicide to indicate that war is certainly a form of hell.  My Dad came back from WWII with a tremor in his hands that he lived with the rest of his life.  He, like most veterans, never talked about his experience overseas.  Who wants to relive those memories?

Paul, in this verse in Romans, was speaking of an inner peace among people.  We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” which means, “Don’t get all bent out of shape over things which are insignificant and/or petty”.  Is it going to make a difference 100 years from now?  How about next week?  Why waste valuable peace and harmony to argue or complain about something that has no eternal significance whatsoever?  Another saying that we’ve all heard, “Pick your battles” refers to the same idea of reserving confrontation for what really matters: injustice, sinful behavior, ungodly ideas and policies, or to stop someone from heading down the wrong road.  Sometimes there must be times of confrontation, but they should be few and far between, and handled with love, mercy, and understanding.

Paul wrote several letters to various churches that he had planted on his missionary journeys to encourage the church members and sometimes to rebuke them for allowing some questionable practices in their churches.  He always began his letters by introducing himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, and he always added that grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ be upon the believers in these churches.  He never used the term “grace” alone or “peace” alone, but always put them together, because, as Forrest Gump would say as a simple illustration, they are like “peas and carrots”.  They go together.  There is no separating them.  Grace is the unmerited, undeserved favor of God which is a pre-requisite for peace.  If grace is not bestowed upon a person by God, then he or she will have no real peace.

Grace comes through Jesus Christ.  It was God’s grace that made forgiveness of sin and salvation possible.  Jesus wasn’t sent to die on the cross because we deserved this immeasurable favor.  Quite the contrary.  We only deserved hell because of our pride in abandoning our Creator in order to go our own sinful ways.  Christ didn’t deserve to die for our sins.   God’s grace, love, and mercy gave His creation the opportunity to be free of the guilt of sin and to come into the place of reconciliation with God.  Sinners who respond to God’s call to repent and believe on Christ also receive the peace of and with God, the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) of which worldly peace knows nothing.

Since God’s grace has provided us this peace, let us strive to keep peace among our family, friends, and co-workers.  Be known as a peacemaker, not in a phony, self-serving way, but as a genuine person of integrity who listens to all sides and uses his or her God-given ability to find a peaceful solution.  We should determine to build others up by positive affirmation, not insincere flattery or artificial compliments, but honest dialogue emphasizing other’s worth and value as one of God’s creations and keeping negative evaluations to a minimum.  Isn’t that how we desire to be treated?  If we are children of God, that is, we have trusted in His Son to make peace for us with His Father, then we should be peacemakers among all in our sphere of influence (Matthew 5:9).