There is life and in it there are farces, fallacies and failings of all types. The day does not begin or end without reason on top of reason to complain about this and that and something else. Every encounter, with another human, brings with it cause after clause for confrontation and strife. The events of the day pile onto each other without cease or concern. Everywhere we turn there is battling for a place to belong. It is in the streets, in the offices, in the schools and in the houses. We cannot go out or come in without hearing, seeing and feeling the effects. If I were to say to you, “The answer is simple. It is Jesus Christ,” there would be strife. If you are a Christian, you would want to question my faith and know the ratio of faith verses works. If not a Christian you would wrench and protect for fear that I would accuse you, as has been the practice of most of Christianity. If I were to say to you, “We need peace.” The terms of peace would bring with it war. Does it need to be so?
To have peace we must first forget the past. The fallacy that to forget the past is to relive it has not proven true. If the pain of past wars and what has gone on before is not removed from the equation, there will be no peace. The next thing we must do to have peace is to be unselfish. If we are taking for ourselves, without care for others, we are creating strife in another. We could simplify the two statements and say, “To have peace we must have a forgiving and giving attitude.” It is amazing how many of us would say, “Jesus Christ” at this moment. Yes. Jesus came that we could have forgiveness and taught that we should forgive. Jesus also gave His life as a true act of giving – getting nothing in return except salvation for others. What an example of giving. Not killing to secure life, but dying to improve the quality of another’s life. You want to say that our soldiers do the same. And I do not want to take away the glory from the individual that gave their life or limb for country. But I do want to take away the glory from the country that sent the soldier to die for the greed of government. Jesus died for all, not just the ones in His camp. Jesus died for the salvation of those that came against Him and killed Him.
Christianity, or something that would call itself Christianity, has persecuted and has attempted to dominate by intimidation instead of living the example of Jesus Christ. Christianity has touted itself as a government of the Kingdom of God, but has ruled by the greed of man and not the grace of God. But to say, “I am of “ is not to be part of. Living in is the way to be part of. If Christianity does not live in Christ Jesus, it is not Christianity but anti to Christianity. Some await the arrival of an antichrist and do not know that it is and has been for some time. The antichrist will say it is Christ, but will not live in Christ and does so today.
In all of this, there is still God and still Jesus Christ. There are true Christians that believe and live in Christ. There are true kingdom dwellers. Some wait for the coming of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and do not know that it is here. Seek and you will find. Ask and it will be given to you. We cannot get it for ourselves. It is a gift and is given. No one takes the life of Jesus. He gives it. In the act of giving there is also the act of receiving. The opposite of taking and losing is giving and receiving. We must give forgiveness instead of taking revenge. We must give love instead of taking our hate out on others. If we are of Christ, we are of the Prince of Peace.
The understanding that we need the blood of Jesus is our acceptance of and how we step out and receive the gift of Jesus Christ. Laying the burdens of our heart at the foot of the cross is how we remove the garbage of yesteryears. Giving and forgiveness are the truths that will change our lives. Love is unselfish. Love is forgiving. Love is giving. Love, not lust, is the answer. Lust is selfish. Lust is not forgiving of another’s transgressions unless it serves the self. Lust takes without regard for others. Jesus Christ loves. We must love. It is that simple, but it is that difficult. We must accept that our past is behind us and over and do the same for others. We must give and be willing to receive. We must forgive and accept forgiveness. We must love and be loved.