We live in a world of contention. Nations war against nations, bringing death and destruction; corporations buy out other corporations against their will in hostile takeovers; stores price match competitors, driving them to the point of financial ruin.
Even in our churches, the soloist catches the glares of slighted choir members Sunday after Sunday. Where is peace to be found?
On a home remodeling show, the homeowner took the host through her house, describing all the areas that needed to be addressed, in order to make the house functional for her family. Her home was worn and cluttered, an obvious choice for the hand of a professional designer and builder.
It was when the homeowner revealed her bathroom that eyebrows went up. The room was spotless and in perfect repair. Magazines were ordered and in a rack. Thick towels adorned the rods. Luxurious lotions lined the counter.
“What is this?” the host decried. “Why does your entire house not look like this? Clearly you have the skills to maintain a perfect home.”
“My home is a battlefield, and this is my retreat, the place no one bothers me. In here is the only peace I find.”
This homeowner had made an island of tranquility in a turbulent household, and she treasured her small slice of serenity.
When God gives us peace, do we treasure it, or are we drawn to contention?
Ahab, husband of the infamous Jezebel, was a lover of contention. 1 Kings 21:25 tells us he was the most wicked king Israel ever had. He sought out evil and sold himself to it for pleasure’s sake.
Yet in 1 Kings 22:1-4, we see Ahab at peace. He has repented of his wrongdoing, and God has blessed him because of it, giving Ahab and Israel three years of peace with Syria, Israel’s mortal enemy.
It didn’t last. Ahab fell off his peace pedestal as quickly as one, two, three, and about as easily. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, tempted Ahab with a decisive strike against Syria, and Ahab was taken in. The peace God had given him began to slip through his fingers like sand through a sieve.
What tempts us to give up our God-given peace? Do we continually find ourselves distracted by the Next Big Thing? Does envy pull us away from God, enabling old hurts and habits to bring contention into our lives?
Or, do we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord?
This world is in a natural state of contention. The only true peace we can know comes from God alone.
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