Tuesday, June 28, 2016

June 30, 2016

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." Matthew 10:34-36

This is one of the more troubling statements Jesus during His earthly teaching. It sounds contradictory for One Who was called the "Prince of Peace". What is going on here?

Obviously, the first thing required here to define peace from God's lexicon because His is the one that counts. Peace means "being made right with God and coming into a spiritual relationship with Him."

When the sinless, righteous and holy Son of God shows up in a fallen, sinful and thoroughly corrupt world you can expect some tension to develop.

When a searchlight of absolute truth is shined into the utter darkness of a confused and deceived world there will be vicious attacks launched against the light.

What happens when you are proven wrong about something you believe? Your immediate response is defensiveness isn't it? You are confronted with two choices. Either you can change you beliefs and conform to the truth or you can seek to discredit the truth.

What happens if you choose to face the truth, repent and change what you believe? Once you change how you believe your behavior suddenly begins to change. When your belief and behavior change it will change the dynamics of your relationship with your spouse or you children or your employer or your co-workers. When that happens the other person is confronted with a need to change and tension comes into the relationship. When Jesus brought peace to your life He also brought a sword.

OK, now multiply that by several billions of people and relationships and you begin to see the scope of what Jesus is saying. 

So, the Prince of Peace came to earth as God in the flesh to make peace with God a possibility. But He also came knowing He would have to disturb the status quo in order to bring real lasting change. Only lasting change can bring lasting peace.

The status quo doesn't die without a fight. Peace doesn't come without a price.

































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