Light the Candle of Peace

Rev. Greg Morrow, Pastor
First Baptist Church, California
Rev. Greg Morrow, Pastor First Baptist Church, California

Rev. Greg Morrow, Pastor

First Baptist Church, California

"Peace on earth, goodwill to men..." So said the angels to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born. Read the headlines of any newspaper on any given day, and you will yearn for a candle of peace to be lit in every home around the world. The absence of peace is evident from geo-political conflicts between nations all the way to concerns in local communities. An example of the lack of peace in our world was given by the Moody Bible Institute back in the 1980's, which cited the Personnel Journal, reporting, "since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than eight percent of the time! In its study, the periodical discovered that of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace. Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treaties were made--and broken." That was 25 years ago...anybody wonder if things have gotten any better since that time?

We live in a world desperately in need of peace. And we live in a world where many desperately seek the peace they need. Why is peace so elusive? Why is peace so hard to find? Perhaps peace is elusive and hard to find because we look for where it can be found rather than in whom it is found. You see, we will never have peace in our homes until we have peace in our hearts, and that peace only comes when a person comes to God by faith in Christ. Ephesians 2:14-17 says: "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its command and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near."

My wish for you this Advent is that you will light the candle of peace in your heart. Trust Christ as your Savior. Believe in Him without delay, and elusive peace will give way to peace experienced, and that peace so hard to find will finally be found.