SCRIPTURE: Romans 14:19 (TM)
So let's agree to use all
our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words.
STORY:
In
1555, Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake because of his witness for
Christ. On the night before Ridley's execution, his brother offered to remain
with him in the prison chamber to be of assistance and comfort. Nicholas
declined the offer and replied that he meant to go to bed and sleep as quietly
as ever he did in his life. Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in
the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need. So can we!
OBSERVATION:
We live in troubled times. On
the surface it would seem that today is worse than it has ever been. But here
is some sobering information that was discovered by a former
president of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and historians from England,
Egypt, Germany, and India: Since 3600
B.C. the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have
been 14,351 wars, large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been
killed. The value of the property destroyed would pay for a golden belt around
the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick. Since 650 B.C. there have also
been 1656 arms races, only 16 of which have not ended in war. The remainder
ended in the economic collapse of the countries involved. I’m not sure when
this study was completed, but I’m sure that those numbers would be much larger
what with the violence that is spreading across the face of the world in 2013.
The power of getting along,
having a “peace of mind” defined as having emotional and mental stability, was
illustrated by a study done at Duke University some time ago:
1) the absence
of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in
unhappiness.
2) Not living
in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads
to depression.
3) Not wasting
time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life,
instead of trying to run away from it.
4) Force
yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to
withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
5) Refuse to
indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that
nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
6) Cultivate
the old-fashioned virtues--love, humor, compassion and loyalty.
7) Do not
expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between
self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of
inadequacy are inevitable.
8) Find
something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people
score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.
As long as there is an absence of personal internal peace
the world in which we live will be at odds with itself. Number 8 is the key to
the other 7 – and this “something bigger than yourself” is a relationship with
God through Jesus Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit.
We can try to find other “bigger than yourself” ideas or
concepts, but they all pale next to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Also, in the long run all those “other” ideas and concepts will be found
lacking in power. Just give them time.
I wonder what would really happen in this life if all those
who profess a faith in God through Jesus Christ would actually start living
into that reality instead of relying on political parties or the military
establishments or financial security to bring about that one thing we all long
for – PEACE? Just wondering…
PRAYER:
Gracious and loving God, we
seek peace, we long for peace, we say we are working for peace… but a casual
look at our life says something totally different. Help us to bring the reality
of life to the truth of your Way… the only way to true peace.
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