The War Is Over – June 16, 2019

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1

The War Is Over

Did you know that, as late as 1980, Japanese soldiers were still fighting World War II? You see, the far side of the Pacific has a staggering number of tiny islands. In the chaos of that war, some Japanese soldiers became isolated and forgotten on those islands. As a result, they continued to live year after year assuming that the war was still on.

The same thing can happen to me. In the chaos of life in this sinful world, I can become isolated. In my isolation I can look to myself for answers. But the answers I come up with create only more stress and frustration and emptiness in my soul. As a result I can spend a long, long time fighting to fill myself with a peace I never find. It’s like fighting a war that doesn’t end.

Here’s the Good News: The war is over. Real peace is at hand. But this peace is better than the end to a military conflict. It’s peace with God. And this peace with God does not depend on how my emotions are doing from one day to the next. The peace with God I have is a concrete reality whether my emotions are feeling it at the moment or not. This is true because the peace with God I possess comes through faith in what Jesus has already done on my behalf. Through Jesus’ life God declares me holy. Through Jesus’ death on the cross God declares me forgiven. Because of Jesus there is nothing more to fear.

If you’ve been stuck far too long on an island of your own making, it’s time to get off. Jesus has come. Peace with God is yours. The war is over.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, forgive me for all the ways I have isolated myself from you. In Jesus, real peace is mine. Embrace me with your promises. Amen.