Have you known anyone whose entire life has been overrun by chaos (anger, stress, bitterness, disappointment)?
I have (been one of those people). The injustices of life seem to have a way of piling up on you one after another.
There’s the pile of broken sexual relationships. Legitimate sexual relationships (Biblical marriage), due to poor upbringing, ignorance and disobedience are under siege by the armies of Pain, Grief and Betrayal; how much more those illegitimate relationships which chip away at the moral fiber of human society. And as much as we try to learn from our mistakes, the desperation inspired by that Emptiness that screams at the core of our being forces us to continue the cycle of trial and error through marriage after marriage and liaison after liaison.
There’s the pile of broken emotional relationships. Being raised in an environment driven to dysfunction by poverty, racism and sin itself, millions are foisted unprepared on to a society that, itself derelict and broken, has little comfort and encouragement to offer. Even in the coterie of the affluent and well-to-do, the wealth and technology that was intended to free one to pursue a higher philosophical call only serves to separate families, isolate family members and friends into individual computer universes devoid of touch, and plague the successful with uncertainty, doubt and–worst of all–meaninglessness.
There’s the pile of broken professional relationships. While gifts may still open doors, success on the corporate ladder appears at times to depend on things not listed on a resume. Why were you let go when others less experienced rose higher? Did you have to sell your body (or feign a sense of willingness to) for promotion or recognition when your professional accomplishments should’ve been enough? Why were others offered company-paid training while your enthusiasm was overlooked? Your supervisor lied to HR about you; HR knew your supervisor was lying, but let you go anyway.
There’s the pile of broken financial relationships. Economic genocide is a myth, until it happens to you; you make less than your male / Caucasian peers though you do the same work (or more). Or you’re Caucasian, yet the industry that has prospered your family for generations has now been left on the scrapheap of history. Nowhere else in creation does Murphy’s Law seem to carry more authority than in personal finance. You keep to your austere budget, save on a regular basis, and pinch every penny. And just when it looks like you’re about to step up to the next level, an emergency comes along that costs exactly (or slightly more) than the savings you worked so hard to accumulate. Then there are those family members that seem to have no problem taking, but find a way to disappear when it comes to giving.
Last–but not least–there’s the pile of broken dreams. That simple idea that you knew would put you on easy street appears years later on someone else’s commercial. For decades you and your companion survived the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, only to have the love of your life, the person whose arms you planned to die in, walk away from you just a few months before retirement or a few months after they graduate. The friends to whom you gave the shirt / blouse off your back now treat you as though you were already dead. The books you wrote, confident they would make the New York Times Bestseller List, rarely yield any royalties.
Does any of this sound like you? You’re not alone. While it’s no crime to pursue success in your relationships, it’s of utmost importance that you start with the right relationship…a relationship in which success is guaranteed: your relationship with God. Check out this Scripture:
“Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in One Body; and be thankful.” – The Apostle Paul, Colossians 3:15
Not every Christian gets to be a pastor or prophet, yet EVERY believer receives Christ’s Peace; a Peace the Origin of which is not found in the heart of any created being, but in the Heart of The Godhead Itself!
At this moment it would be prudent to define the word “peace” in this Christian context: Peace describes that transcendent relationship between the Members of The Godhead that has, is and always will exist…even as The Godhead Itself exists.
Because The Godhead has ALWAYS existed, the Peace between It’s Members IS AS ETERNAL AS THE MEMBERS THEMSELVES…
Perhaps this understanding will make the logic of Colossians 3:15 easier to grasp: God doesn’t simply place us as believers in a state of tranquility for tranquility’s sake. Rather, as members of Christ’s Body, we are made privy to the Intimacy that Christ has always enjoyed with The Others in The Godhead!!!
For this reason Christ’s Peace, which is of Divine origin, takes Divine priority; the Peace of Christ is to be more important to me than anything in my life that is not Divine. The Peace of God, as a Divine attribute of God, RULES OVER ALL the emotional affairs of my heart…rendering my soul virtually impervious to the demonic black hole of hate and vengeance that now seeks to swallow all humanity!
The Eternal Peace of Christ grants Its recipient an Eternal perspective. The Unconditional Love and Affection God the Father has poured out on Christ from all Eternity is now poured out on me (John 17:22, 23). I am as inseparable from The Godhead as Christ is (Romans 8:35-39)! I am, for all intent and purpose, immortal (John 5:24). The Immortal does not react to temporal situation and circumstance in the same way as one who is unsure of their eternal destiny. Billions walk the earth today obsessed with the model of their cell phone or the color of their clothes while at the same time HAVING NO IDEA OF HOW THEY SHALL SPEND ETERNITY…or whether their soul can survive death or even if God exists!!!
The Peace of Jesus Christ is able to guard your heart and mind against any onslaught the world or the Devil may launch against you (Philippians 4:7).
Want proof?
The proof is in the pudding, as they say. German Chancellor Angel Merkel has recently declared that Christianity is the most persecuted sect in the world, and so it has been from that first Day of Pentecost until now. What is also true is that NO RELIGION FACES ITS (ALLEGED) DEATH AND EXTINCTION WITH A BETTER DISPOSITION THAN CHRISTIANITY. If you never have, find yourself an electronic copy of John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs; for modern reports of persecutions subscribe to Voice of the Martyrs. Or look up the names and writings of famous Christian witnesses who’ve suffered persecution like Corrie Ten Boom and Watchman Nee. Lastly, according to Christianity Today, more Christians have died for their faith in this current century than all other centuries of church history combined.
Mark my words: Biblical Christianity will continue on the Earth till the End of Time. If ten brutal Roman persecutions couldn’t crush the Gospel of Jesus Christ out of existence when Christianity was in its infancy, now that technology has produced a global media community the Word of God will continue to thrive, heal and save the billions who come to the Feet of Christ today.
What about you? Has this earthly life drained the last store of hope in your heart? Are you tired of being angry ALL THE TIME? Are you ready to finally place your past, present and future into the Hands of Someone Who actually knows what They’re doing?
Call out to Jesus.
Amen.
(LISTEN to this blog-post on any of TEN podcast platforms!)