Practical Peace or Shalom 101

Hibiscus not from our gardens

If you asked the average man on the street if he would like peace on earth you probably would never hear the answer as "no." And yet our world is anything but peaceful in many places. How is this possible? Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that many people do not have an understanding of what it takes to have peace in the world.

Love your neighbor as yourself. This is one of the hardest things to do in our modern world. Our neighbor definition encompasses the entire globe due to communication technology. But just treating our next door neighbor as we do ourselves is hard enough. You often hear of neighborhood disputes that seem rather petty to most of us. When was the last time you gave sacrificially to your next door neighbor...that is by giving without expecting anything in return? This is an excellent step toward a peaceful world.

Forgive as you have been forgiven. This statement presupposes that you have made the step of asking forgiveness of God and that you have accepted His Son's death as your atonement for your sins. Even those who claim Christ as their leader by calling themselves Christians often do not reflect Him in their daily lives by refusing to forgive. Jesus gave us the ultimate example of forgiveness when he said as he was dying on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." When was the last time you offered forgiveness? This is the best step toward peace.

Take care of widows and orphans. We have a number of widows in our congregation but any orphans are unknown to us. Why is it so important to take care of these? Because they are the most defenseless members of our society. Our hearts can be softened toward peace if we live our lives being sensitive to the needs around us. We are not just talking financially here. When was the last time you spent some time with a lonely person? Doing this is an act of peace.


The peace that passes understanding. So probably the mythical man on the street who yearns for peace on earth just doesn't understand that it's presence here on this earth is more in his own control than he suspects. Following a few simple steps, once he knows the Savior, is all it takes to have this Peace on Earth.