Having grown up in N.Ireland I well remember ‘the Troubles’ with violence and murder never being too far away. I will never forget being in Belfast when a bomb went off at a police barracks, close to where I was, blowing it to kingdom come. I well remember the British army swiftly arriving on the scene with their machine guns at the ready, shouting at the crowd to get back in case there was another bomb set to go off. Some things you never forget.
In a world full of trouble and strife- ‘Peace’ is a beautiful word. It is surely significant that this is the first word which the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples as they fearfully hid behind locked doors on the first resurrection Sunday. The full sentence reads ‘Peace be onto you’. However, this was not just a common greeting but rather a stupendous truth which would revolutionise the lives of 11 very ordinary men (and all the rest of us who will take Jesus at His word!).
The Bible is adamant that our biggest problem is not our lack of national or international peace but, rather, our lack of peace with God. This has come about through our disobedience to God- what the Bible calls ‘sin’. It is sin that sours our lives, blights our relationships and causes trouble for us personally. Unchecked, it is this same sin that leads to disharmony at national and international levels.
Even more seriously, sin is rebellion against God as it arrogantly tramples underfoot His holy law. As such, sin is nothing less than a declaration of war on God. However, the great news is that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ man’s sin problem has been fully dealt with. It is on that basis alone that Jesus offers peace to those who will come to Him in faith. Praise be that God’s mercy is infinitely more powerful than any terrorist bomb!
So what are you looking for today- war or peace?
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