Peace of Mind in a World of Anxieties and Animosities-Part-2
THE BATTLEGROUND IS IN MAN’S HEARTS.
“Man who is born of woman lives only a short time and is full of trouble. Job 14:1
Peace of mind is the most sought after 'commodity' in human life. Most likely you are somewhat at peace and somewhat happy and not much at peace. It appears that most of us are in a state of perpetual restlessness. On analyzing the causes of this restlessness, I have endeavored to discover God’s principles that need to be followed from the Bible if we are serious about achieving perfect peace. It is no secret that the world is always in constant turmoil. God created man and placed him in a beautiful garden to enjoy perfect peace, joy and happiness.
But when Adam and Eve disobeyed, they were at once stricken with guilt before they hid themselves with shame. Guilt and fear replaced the peace and happiness they knew. Here was the beginning of a troubled world- and a troubled mind. Like Adam and Eve, when you are out of tune with God, fears and anxieties crowd into your life. When you focus your attention on the uncertainties of life, on a changing, decaying world, your security and confidence are shaken. Your peace is disturbed. Sin has separated man from God. “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).” “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). Guilt, fear, irritation, resentment, selfishness, and other hostile impulses plague man wherever he goes. They bring weariness and mental exhaustion. The love of self was at the root of the first disobedience of man. It continues to be the one of the first basic evil inclinations that takes you down the path of despair and heartache. The longer you travel the path of self-centeredness, the more troubled you become.
The Book of Job presents an interesting case study about God-centered living which Brings Peace.
This book tells the story of a man called Job lived in a country called Uz. This man was good and honest. He loved God and refused to do evil deeds. He trusted God. But he had terrible troubles. Job loses his wealth, his family, his health, and the support of his wife. Besides that his friends show up and dump on him. Job calls them "miserable comforters." The devil caused Job’s troubles (Job 1:12; Job 2:6-7). But Job did not know this fact. So Job thought that God caused the problems (Job 19:1-12). In fact, God did not cause Job’s troubles. God merely permitted Job to suffer. Still, Job trusted God and refused to offend God (Job 2:9-10).Job’s friends tried to help him. But their advice was wrong. They did not think that God would allow an innocent person to suffer. So they thought that Job was guilty. They guessed that Job had done many wicked things (Job 22:4-11).Job argued with them. He explained that he was innocent (Job 31:1-40).
Job also thought that God should help him instantly. But Job was still suffering. So Job supposed that God was unfair (Job 23:13-17). But this idea was wrong. Nobody should blame God. God is always fair (Job 34:10-12).God was kind to Job, even when he was suffering. God taught him many things. He learned that death is not the end of everything (Job 19:25-27). Job discovered that God would rescue him (Job 14:13-17). And Job knew that God is wonderful (Job 26:5-14).Then Job was sorry that he said the wrong things about God. And Job’s friends were sorry too. They asked Job to pray for them. And God forgave them all (Job chapter 42).After Job prayed for his friends, God made Job successful again (Job 42:12-17).
One of the profound truths we learn from this book is that our lives on earth are short. In Job chapter 14, Job speaks his opinion of life and death. While his opinion of each is biased due to the grievous circumstances that he was in at the time of his speech, he was correct about one thing: life is short. The years of our lives do fly by like days, Job's biased opinion however says the days of our lives are 'full' of trouble. Job had once again forgotten about the 70+ years he had lived prior to his affliction. Those 70+ years Job had lived a very good life, not a life 'full' of trouble. Job's afflictions gave him the realization that man's days are "full of trouble”. Job said that we are like flowers. Some flowers are very beautiful. But they may last only for a few hours. Or Job said that we are like shadows. A shadow has a clear shape. And it moves like a person. You could almost think that your shadow was alive. But your shadow disappears in a moment. So our lives may be beautiful, like the flowers. And they may be active, like shadows. But we shall soon be dead.
This Book admonishes three vital facts about life –First is our life will come to an end; our days upon earth are brief, are not endless, no, they are numbered, and will soon be finished.
Second is that it is determined, in the counsel and decree of God, how long we shall live and when we shall die. The number of our months is with God, at the disposal of his power, which cannot be controlled, and under the view of his omniscience, which cannot be deceived. It is certain that God's providence has the ordering of the period of our lives; our times are in his hand. The powers of nature depend upon him, and act under him. In him we live and move and
Third and final fact is that the bounds God has fixed we cannot pass; for his counsels are unalterable, his foresight being infallible.
Job.14:1-6 Job enlarges upon the condition of man, addressing himself also to God. Every man of Adam's fallen race is short-lived. All his show of beauty, happiness, and splendor falls before the stroke of sickness or death, as the flower before the scythe; or passes away like the shadow. How is it possible for a man's conduct to be sinless, when his heart is by nature unclean? Here is a clear proof that Job understood and believed the doctrine of original sin. He seems to have intended it as a plea, why the Lord should not deal with him according to his own works, but according to His mercy and grace. It is determined, in the counsel and decree of God, how long we shall live. Our times are in his hands, the powers of nature act under him; in him we live and move.
And it is very useful to reflect seriously on the shortness and uncertainty of human life, and the fading nature of all earthly enjoyments. But it is still more important to look at the cause, and remedy of these evils. Until we are born of the Spirit, no spiritually good thing dwells in us, or can proceed from us. Even the little good in the regenerate is defiled with sin. We should therefore humble ourselves before God, and cast ourselves wholly on the mercy of God, through our Divine Surety. We should daily seek the renewing of the Holy Spirit, and look to heaven as the only place of perfect holiness and happiness.
Paul told Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, that this world would get worse. He wrote, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people."
Doesn't most of this define trouble? Of course it does! People seem to be in total unrest each and every day of the year. People seemed to be dragged down by the world’s problems and day to day living. We have put ourselves in a position to have a great fall. We’ve decided, in ways, that God’s ways are wrong, so we will make our own way. This attitude is the key to failure.
Why don’t we experience it more consistently? One obvious reason is sin—choosing to act independently of God’s will. Every time we resist His instructions or convictions and go our own way, we are in conflict with Him. We cannot have tranquility when walking in opposition to the Lord. The conviction of the Holy Spirit will cause internal turmoil in our hearts.
Another reason for emotional commotion is a lack of faith. Remember the meaning of the word peace—“to bind together.” Sometimes we fail to connect what the Lord says is true of us with what we feel about ourselves. Then, feelings of inadequacy can overrule the truth of His Word, which says, “Our adequacy is from God” “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”(2 Corinthians 3:4-6) Thoughts of worthlessness outweigh His promise of value and acceptance “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to son ship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4-5), and fears overtake His guarantee to provide for all our needs “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:19).In the same way, when we look at the suffering and difficulty in our lives and perceive God as uncaring or unable to help, we’re relying on our own understanding instead of on the truth of Scripture. Anytime we begin to distrust and doubt God, our confident assurance will be shaken.
One of man’s greatest desires is to live in peace, or the absence of war and conflict. However, hostilities are the result of man’s sinful nature and will never be abolished on this sin-cursed earth. Bible says. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”(Jeremiah 17:9-10) World history is the history of wars; wars of kingdoms against kingdoms and nations against nations. People live in constant conflict—almost as walking war machines. We live in conflict with God, with others, and with ourselves. Bible says "The way of peace they have not known," (Romans 3:17). Men don't understand what brings conflict and, therefore, what brings peace. We can see this at the individual level, within the family circle, in a church, in a company, in a state, in a nation, and among the nations of the world. It is always the same problem -- men do not know the way of peace. So the cure must begin within our own hearts. Inner peace ultimately leads to external peace. By creating peace in our inner world, we bring it into the external world, affecting other people too.
To be continued…………
