Weekly Devotional 5-8-23 There will Be No Peace
The world of our day is a world of chaos, strife, hostilities, and escalating wars. One only has to pick up a newspaper, or turn on the radio, or TV, to see how true this is. Why is this? Agreed upon or not, the answer is, the expulsion of God from human reasoning, individually or corporately. When man is his own sovereign, he lives according to the dictates of his fallen nature. This started with Adam, man’s federal head, and was seminally passed to all his offspring (to all humanity).
In the book of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2 we read that God created all that was created, including Adam and Eve. The testimony of those two chapters is that everything was created good, without flaw. Adam and Eve were created with a desire to worship and fellowship with God, but when tempted by Satan to be like God, to be self-determinative, they succumbed to that temptation and became self-worshippers. Instead of remaining thankful for the helpmate that God had given him, Adam blamed this helpmate for tempting him and blamed God for giving her to him (Genesis 3:12). They both became self-centered, subject to vanity and pride. From that time until present, all persons, before spiritual regeneration, are born with this condition. Sad to say, even after spiritual regeneration (spiritual rebirth) us Christians struggle against and sometimes succumb to these same things. With this foundation having been laid consider why this writer believes there will be no peace on earth among unregenerate man until God creates a new heaven and a new earth.
Returning to the book of Genesis we read this pronouncement: “14 Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:14-15) God told Satan (represented by the serpent) that there would be continued conflict (strife) between the seed of the woman (Jesus Christ and by extension those who would belong to Him) and him. God would strive against the evil that Satan had brought into the world. Satan on the other hand would strive against God until he would be taken out of the way, locked away from humanity for a thousand years.
Throughout history in his striving against God Satan has tempted man toward “ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like” (Galatians 5:20-21a) and man because of his fallen nature willing practices these things. Why? Because in his natural state (in his fallen nature) man wants nothing to do with God and does not want to be exposed to the spiritual light that God shines upon them (John 3:19-20). Satan also uses political ideologies in his strife against God. Across the world, in all countries there exists a struggle between some form of Socialism/Communism and free societies (peoples of self-rule). Socialism/Communism is influenced and controlled by Satan and the Powers of Darkness. Because of man’s selfish nature and Satan’s influence, true peace cannot exist. The church, born again persons, are not exempt from this, peace after all is a two-way street. Even if us Christians strive to live peacefully, those who are unregenerate do not. We do not live in a vacuum. Even during the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ (the period of time that Satan will be held away from humanity) much of that citizenry will have to be restrained. Jesus will need to rule with a rod of Iron (Revelation 2:27).
We do not live in a vacuum but as Christians we are to live after the manner which the apostle Paul wrote of in his letter to the Romans. “1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans, chapter 12).
In this passage Paul instructs Jewish and Gentile Christians to live peacefully among themselves and adds that this same conduct should be extended to those outside of the church, to non-believers.
Even though complete peace will not be the experience of this age, still we Christians are to pray for peace, this is pleasing to our Lord.
Lord help us to be the people You would have us to be.
Transforming Power; the Work of God on Behalf of Man