The way of peace

“The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.” –Isaiah 59-8

   True peace is a highly sought after commodity.  Multitudes of books, seminars, and products, have been written and published with the sole purpose of providing the consumer with true peace; most of which boil down to providing something to supply your lack.  Your lack of peace is due to a lack of something; albeit a state of mind, or a sum of money, or a man, or a women, or……..the list goes on and on.  The message in a nutshell runs something like this “Clearly you don’t have peace because you clearly don’t have enough.”     

If American society was a rock band peace through indulgence would defiantly be on their Greatest Hits album.  Let us earnestly consider the facts, who among us is elevated, adored, exalted?  Is it not those with limitless wealth and power to indulge?  Can you watch 5 minutes of television without this message, in some forum or fashion, being presented: “You have a demand?  I have the supply!”  And what do they want in exchange to supply your need or want?  They want your money of course, so that they can turn around and supply their want or need.  Those with the power to indulge and provide indulgence are championed in this world of ours, and they are considered those who “have it all.”  Empires are built through indulgence, millions are searching for something to satisfy the craving of their soul.  They are hungering for true peace, real belonging, genuine love, absolute acceptance; and millions more are indulging on something to help them forget about their hopeless pursuit for true peace.  This commodity of peace is being daily traded and paraded across this land to those wishing for it when all the while “the way of peace they know not.”   Those who are selling peace and those who are buying it; neither of them know true peace or know the way of it.  If they knew then they would understand that peace is not something that can be bought or earned, it cannot be traded or acquired, because true peace is not the world’s to give.  The world offers only counterfeit peace to God’s real, genuine, true peace.   

One must understand: love, joy, and peace, belong to God (as does everything else for that matter).  The empty void one feels in their heart and the longing for peace in their soul cannot be satisfied by indulgence, but the opposite, by lack; recognizing your lack to be specific.  If you find unholy feeling within, or a tempest of struggle and constant war caged by the fabric of your mind, ignore the urge to buy another self-help book, it will not help.  Don’t bother picking up the phone to call your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, they cannot comfort.  There is no need to take an extra shift so you can have more money to take your wife out on a fancy dinner date or luxurious cruise in an attempt to bring peace to a tempestuous relationship.  These things will not offer peace.  To find peace one must leave off peace as a commodity and embrace it as an entity, an entity of Jesus Christ.  True peace belongs to Christ, is Christ, and therefore comes with Christ.  You need Jesus, recognize your lack of him and repent of your sin.  When you have a witness that he has forgiven you of your trespass and purified your soul of all committed sin then and only then are you a ready vessel to seek the Holy Ghost  that will purge the “can’t help it” sin within.  This Holy Ghost will user in peace, love, joy, and holiness into your heart and grant you passage to a home in heaven.  The way of peace is the way of holiness.