IMAGINE PEACE. James 4:4-10.

Posted bySteven WalesPosted inDo not be conformed to the world, WorldlinessTags:, , , ,

What if we were all on the same side? What if everyone loved everyone, and there was no judgment, no hate? No politics? No right and wrong?

“Imagine there’s no countries. Nothing to kill or die for… Imagine all the people living life in peace…. Imagine all the people sharing all the world.”

Unfortunately, this writer was a dreamer. Consider how he died—murdered on the sidewalk by a fan. But there is nothing wrong with John Lennon’s dream. God put inside each of us a deep sense of what the world SHOULD be. We know we were made for more, for a lost paradise, postponed until Christ completes His work and we live in the paradise of a new earth. Everyone longs for peace. Everyone knows there must be more to this life. C.S. Lewis says that that longing alone proves we were made for something more.

But meanwhile, FACE IT: You do not live in a world of peace. And if you belong to Christ, the world is AT WAR with you. As is the devil. “Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world HATES you.” 1 John 3:3. You have been drafted into a military campaign, a life-or-death battle you did not ask for, but you’re living it—and YOU MUST WIN. How?

Walk with Christ, obeying His word.

“Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God! … But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites! Be miserable and mourn and weep…. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.” James 4:4-10.

We are drowning in worldly influences: TV, movies, music, social media, friends, and more. Admit that MOST of the voices you hear every day are the ungodly voices of the world. You are influenced every moment by the voices of lost people outside you—and in your thoughts. They have gotten in and only God’s word can defeat those voices. Study it.

*The picture above is a painting of John Lennon by Iryna Kastsova, 2022. Prints can be purchased online https://www.artsper.com/us/contemporary-artworks/painting/1542282/john-lennon .

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Published by Steven Wales

Dad's Daily Devotional began as text messages to my family. I wanted my teenagers to know their father was reading the Bible. But they were at school by then. Initially, I sent them a favorite verse or an insight based on what I read each day. That grew into drafting a devotional readng which I would send them via text. I work as an attorney and an adjunct professor, and recently wrote a book called HOW TO MAKE A'S.

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