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PAST COLUMN #17From the West Meadow
When we picture a world at peace, we picture a world that is absent of fear–a world full of love. Isaiah gives us a couple of brief glimpses of a world at peace, a world without fear. “Behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered...No more shall an infant...live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days...They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb...The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them...The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together...They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain...” (Isaiah 65:17-25; Is. 11:6-9) God promises that someday He will create a new world for us, a world in which there is no evil thought or evil deed–a world utterly devoid of fear. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) As I have said before: peace is not the absence of war, but the absence of evil. In the absence of evil, love dwells (see Psalm 23:4); and where love dwells there is no fear. “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him...There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear...” (I John 4:16-18) John goes on to explain more about perfect love. In verse 20 of I John 4 he says that someone who claims to love God but can’t love his neighbor is not only fooling himself, but is a liar. “How can he love God whom he has not seen” when he hates “his brother whom he has seen”? John tells us that it all boils down to keeping God’s commandments. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” (I John 5:3) It is interesting how some people view God’s commandments. You will hear things like they are burdensome, or they are impossible to keep; they are old-fashioned, or they are done away. Yet John tells us that God’s commandments are not only “not burdensome”, but they reflect the very nature of God, which is love. Take a few minutes to reflect on the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20. Which one of the ten is bad for us? Which one of the ten does not reflect love? The first four commandments teach us how to show proper love to God (see Matthew 22:36-40). Will loving God cause evil or pain? No! God promises the exact opposite! Consider the last six commandments: what’s wrong with honoring your parents, or not committing murder, or not living an adulterous lifestyle? What’s wrong with a world where no one steals, or lies, or lives in jealousy and envy of a neighbor? If everyone kept God’s commandments, we would be close to the world God describes in Revelation 21. No more fear, no more pain, no more crying.... No wonder the psalmist says that “in keeping them [the commandments] there is great reward.” (Ps. 19:11) Return to Recent Columns Here. Find Past Columns Here. |