“May the Lord of peace Himself grace you with peace always and in everything.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
It seems that wherever we turn, we hear or read about, or view on the nightly news, some new violent act of mayhem, murder and brutality. We have unrest in our streets, trouble in our schools and turbulence at civic and political meetings. It is as though chaos has run amok, turmoil is the standard and lawlessness is the norm.
The airwaves are filled with talk shows looking for solutions to all of our problems. We want safety, we want security and, most of all, we want peace. If only we can just have peace in our homes, peace in our neighborhoods and peace in our communities. Give us real peace; give us real hope; give us real optimism, but how can one find peace amidst all the chaos?
A former president of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and historians from England, Egypt, Germany and India have come up with some startling information: Since 3600 BC, 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 BC, there have also been 1,656 arms races, only 16 of which have not ended in war. The remainder ended in the economic collapse of the countries involved.
Some talk of peace for their inner selves, and others look outward for peace in our communities and in the world, for we all want to find peace in our lives and in the world. So, what is humankind to do? Where do we look for this most valuable piece of real estate that is called peace?
Come join us during the month of August as we explore what it means to know real peace, true peace and everlasting peace as we look to the Lord for guidance, substance and wisdom. For God’s desire is for us to live in unity, harmony and peace. We will look to the one who sustains, cares for us and loves as we discover four areas of peace that will help open our eyes to the various aspects of knowing peace through Jesus Christ.
The peace that Jesus came to bring was not just peace for one person but peace for all the nations of the world. This peace would not be brought about through political force or conquest of war, but through the grace and mercy of our humble Savior.
We will discover together how to find peace, how to know peace and how to give peace and comfort to others as we try to comprehend the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)
Pastor Mark