Bible Study: Acts 15, 1 to 2 and 22
to 29. Revelation 21, 10 to 14 and 22 to 23. John 14, 23 to 29.
Apart from water, food and shelter, peace is considered as one
of man’s most treasured possession.. As we know, peace is more than the absence
of war, it is the presence of that inner calmness, the presence of a certain
degree of fearlessness, the presence of joy and appreciation for one’s state in
life. Without peace, it is difficult for anyone to really say he or she is
alive as every moment comes with its own load of worries, unhappiness and fear.
To be without peace is to live in a temporary hell and this is a punishment no
human being deserves.
Dear friends, the truth is that we cannot hide the fact that in
our world today, there are real threats to our personal and communal peace. The
Fulani herdsmen menace in this country is an example internal terrorism brewing
right before our very eyes. The seemingly hopeless condition of our economy
with the naira loosing value day after day is a threat to our peace. The fact
that there is no constant supply of light and we cannot even get fuel to power
our better-pass-my-neighbours is a disturbance to our personal peace. The high
cost of living coupled with the wastefulness on the part of our senators,
assembly members, representatives and leaders in different cadres who do not
seem interested in alleviating the plights of the poor masses just leaves us
restless.
It is almost a year now since a new government came into power
but it is becoming clear that the change we are seeing now is different from the
change we were expecting and the harsh realisation of this fact is scary to say
the least. Even on a domestic level, many homes today are without peace. There are
never ending quarrels over money, unfaithfulness, childlessness, unemployment
and so on between couples and sometimes interference from the extended family
members.
The church itself is not even left out. Consider the unbridled rivalry
between different denominations, see how Pentecostals and Catholics treat other
like arch enemies. Sometimes, even between fellow Catholics, charismatic members
and legionaries. Today’s first reading is classic case of how there can be
division in the church leading to the lack of peace. The issue was about
whether or not the converted gentiles should be circumcised to receive
salvation. Circumcision was just one issue but within the church today, there
are so many issues capable of splitting us apart.
In the midst of all these things that trouble us, we have always
sought for ways and strategies to find peace. One of the ways we look for peace
is trying to amass as much wealth as we can. We assume that since money solves
many problems, the more of it we get, the better our chances of dealing with
our life situation. But then, even with so much money, many cannot understand
why peace still eludes them. You must have heard the saying: “Big man, big
wahala.”
Some take to arms and ginger others to fight. They seek peace
through self-defence or under the protection of military might. In the name of
finding peace, there is almost no end to the production and discovery of
weapons of mass destruction. You hear of soldiers going for peace keeping and
you see them go with rifles, bombs, sophisticated weapons and so on and you
wonder how much peace they end up bringing to the victims at the receiving end
of these weapons. If by killing others, you hope to find peace, then find out if
you will have any peace should you become the only man left alive on earth.
Again to find peace, many believe pleasure is the answer. They are
ready to do whatever will tickle their nerves even if such clearly offends God.
Moral values are fast eroding from our society today as many believe entertainment
holds the key to salvation. Listen to our music today, look at our films; see
how our youth dress. It is rather disheartening. If pleasure could bring peace,
why is there still so much unrest among the humans who now live like animals in
our society today?
Dear friends, Jesus Christ has given us the only solution to peace.
He says in our Gospel passage this morning: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I
give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” So far we have
considered various ways we try to obtain peace from the world and we know how
such peace are short-lived and bring alongside their own baggage of pain.
The peace that Jesus gives is the only true peace and this peace
is so powerful because it entails having God himself living inside you. “Whoever
loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to
him and make our dwelling with him.” If you succeed in having God living inside
of you, what can possibly threaten your peace anymore? Is there any situation
too difficult for God to handle?
Dear friends, rather than expend our energies on things that
only provide false promises of peace only to leave us restless all the more,
let us be resolved to get close to Jesus and love him by keeping his
commandments that he may dwell in our hearts and bring us true peace. The world
as we see it cannot give us the peace we need. Jesus alone is the answer. The only
peace we need is to have God the father, the God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit right inside our hearts. He who finds God lacks nothing. He who lacks
God lacks everything. To be in God is to experience Peace! Let us treasure the
fact that this peace is available to us right now.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, come into my heart that I may find true
peace of soul despite all the troubles the wold contains. Amen
God bless you. Good morning. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Sunday and Happy
new month. Welcome to May!
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