Devotionals

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I sit within the quiet of a sun-splashed Saturday morning early in May. The peacefulness of my wooded backyard is accentuated by the chirping and whistling conversations of various unseen birds. A gentle breeze lazily rustles newly leafed Oak tree branches and an aroma of fresh pine wafts by. Somewhere distant a dog barks excitedly, no doubt anxious to begin the day’s adventures.

While I soak in the serenity of this moment, I cannot help but ponder the battles that must rage within the hearts and minds of many who I know and love, and countless others. So many struggle needlessly because they do not know the Peace that is an amazing and unfathomable consequence of living within a relationship with Jesus the Christ! Men, women, young adults and seasoned grandparents uncertainly hang their present happiness and hopes for a better future on empty promises offered by a fallen world.

Why won’t they embrace the Truth? It is a question that has been wrestled with since well before the dawn of Christianity. One facet of this complex dilemma is that all of humanity is either actively or unknowingly engaged in spiritual warfare.

In countless wars across human history, each army fought for what it believed to be a just cause, or at least for a vaulted prize of some sort. Likewise, wars are fought on the battleground of human hearts and minds, and on unseen spiritual plains. Misguided passion, greed and pride fuel the conflict. The forces of righteousness and truth are locked in combat with the forces of evil and darkness. These are enduring impassioned struggles for souls, and for life.

Is there anywhere that this worldly and cosmic war does not wreck havoc on creation itself? Is there a place where true Peace coexists with pure Love and unmerited Joy, as was always God’s intention? There is such a place: it is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus had much to say about the Kingdom of Heaven:

- He told his disciples the poor in spirit and those who are persecuted because of righteousness would inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
- He admonished us to seek first the Kingdom, then all the things we need would be given to us.
- In his parables he illustrated how sons and daughters of the Kingdom are like righteous wheat among whom useless weeds are also planted, that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny mustard seed that grows into a mighty tree, and like a treasure hidden in a field worth more than all one’s possessions.

Simply put, if we put our trust in Christ alone, we become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is our ultimate destination. But more than our hope for the future, as Kingdom residents we reap the benefits of citizenship immediately. Jesus lovingly implores us, “Come to me, you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28.) Through Christ, The Peace of God “transcends all understanding,” transcending even the trials and storms we must endure in this life.

Though we may find ourselves at times in the thick of battle of one sort or another, rest securely in the truth that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38,39).

The Peace of a life lived in Christ is freely offered to those who will accept it. If you find yourself battle- scarred or perhaps nursing fresh wounds, there is a refuge that the world cannot provide nor keep you from. Run into the arms of the One who made you, who loves you and who aches to embrace you. In Christ you will surely find rest and peace now and forevermore.

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