Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27).

The first major recorded event, after the fall of man in Eden, was a murder.

Perhaps that is why we should not be surprised that one of the most present events throughout history is war.

An act whose only purpose is to bring pain, death and destruction to the victim. Sometimes, however, it seems that the aggressor forgets that he or she will also have to pay a price.

But of course, whoever gives the order to start a war is usually far away from the front line.

War is synonymous with casualties, and it is often said that the first casualty of war is the truth. However, this is not always true.

Aggressions are often justified under the pretext of defense, such as the famous “preventive wars” in the Middle East or the aggression against Ukraine. However, the truth always prevails through the clouds of bomb smoke.

The real first casualty of war is peace.

As soon as the first shot or the first explosion sounds, peace is dead. In fact, it may have died a long time before. The next victims are people, and, with them, the entire creation.

For nothing is more contrary to the concept of divine creation than war. And despite social advances, no one has managed to eradicate it. Nor will it succeed, until Christ comes again.

It is well known that the vast majority of the advances we currently have at our disposal have their origin in military needs. Digital watches, cell phones, computers, GPS, and even some medical advances were initially aimed at killing more and better.

We have gone from the stone or the jawbone of an ass to the missile. But the human heart still harbors the same yearning for evil.

And maybe missiles are not launched every day (now in Ukraine they are), but every day thousands of people attack their fellow human beings causing them physical or emotional harm, or both.

And in this context it is very easy to lose hope and faith.

Perhaps because of this, and because Jesus knew that violence is an endemic evil of humanity, he left us this beautiful promise recorded in chapter 14 and verse 27 of the Gospel of John:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The world offers peace when violence ends. But it is still not a complete peace, because true peace is not the absence of violence.

A rape victim does not regain peace when the assault ends. And I wish the Ukrainian war would end right now, but that’s not going to bring peace back to Ukrainians. Because pain, hatred and rancor is growing in their hearts.

Recently a young woman from Kiev said that the Russians would never manage to enter the city, and the reason she gave was neither military nor geographical. The reason she gave was that hatred in the Ukrainian population had grown so much that Russian soldiers would never be able to defeat them.

That is why Jesus did not leave us the peace of the world, but left us his peace. A peace that does not need external conditions, the absence of violence, to exist, but is a peace that remains in all times. And that develops even more, if possible, in times of persecution and trial.

It is a peace that grows continuously as our faith and dependence on God grows. A peace that helps us to forgive and heal our wounds. Because what hatred does is to keep them open and infected.

And it is this peace the world needs. Therefore, today more than ever, the world needs us to be visible, even if they do not want to see us, and to carry the message of the Gospel, even if they do not want to hear it.

So cling to your Lord, and go forward, and even if the violent ones take everything from you by force, you will discover that there is something they can never take from you, the peace that Christ has given you.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

La entrada Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you se publicó primero en David Gómez.

An old Spanish saying goes, tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are.

Obviously, this is not always true, but it does alert us to the great influence that friends and people around us have on us.

If we spend a lot of time together, we end up sticking to each other’s forms, styles, expressions…

And this is like a snowball that grows bigger and bigger. Because, once you start to develop a particular lifestyle, you prefer to surround yourself with people who share it, as they reaffirm to us that we are on the right side.

This is a consequence of what is known in psychology as confirmation bias. I look for what confirms my ideas or beliefs and reject what contradicts them, even if they are proven facts.

Thus, it is not surprising that we find people who define themselves as goths, rappers, hipsters, hippies, emos, swaggers…. And so on to complete a long list of what are known as urban tribes; which are nothing more than groups of people who share an aesthetic and a particular point of view of life.

However, do not think that this is something that only happens in this era, nor that it only occurs in the secular world. This is something that has always happened, and it also happens in the church, although we will talk about it on another occasion.

But the truth is that this sense of security that the sense of belonging to a group transmits to us is something that pressures us in such a way that it can make us abandon our previous way of life, and even our principles.

And this pressure is especially intense in situations where being outside the group is not advisable.

In Paul’s time being a Christian was very dangerous. Religion was an essential pillar of the identity of each people. Not sharing it was a sign that you were a foreigner, if not an enemy.

Therefore, no matter where a Christian was, he was always going to be seen as a danger; and the temptation for them to “adapt” in order to go unnoticed was very strong.

The problem is that once a Christian has “adapted to this world” he also begins to let this new vision of life mark his thinking.

And so, he feels more and more comfortable in the middle of the world and with that way of looking at life. Until the day comes when, almost without realizing it, he has stopped following Christ.

That is why when Paul writes to the Romans he leaves them the warning that we find in chapter 12 and verse 2 of that letter: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If we are to be witnesses and messengers of the Gospel, we cannot allow ourselves to be influenced by ideas or concepts that oppose or despise God’s principles.

Because it is not about passing through this world anonymously, but quite the opposite. We need to be referents to others of what God is, and what He can do in the lives of people who accept His lordship and forgiveness.

That is why the apostle Paul exhorts us to make a firm decision for God. Thus, he asks us not to adopt the principles and values of this world that are in contradiction with divine principles and values. Because this is the best decision a person can make.

It is true that in some cases the values of this world may seem very suggestive and logical, especially for our personal interests.

However, these are against the principles by which God wants us to abide, and in Matthew 5, verses 43 to 48, Jesus makes this very clear: You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

That is why Paul asks us to strive to live God’s principles, to renew our old way of thinking and to go deep into God’s Word to know them, because in this way we will also learn to know God’s will for us, good, pleasing and perfect.

And only in this way will we be able to reach the end of our lives on this earth knowing that an ample entrance into heaven is reserved for us.

May God bless you

Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash

Crecer en la fe

Descubre una vida de plena libertad y gozo en Cristo.

Quiero saber más

La entrada Do not be conformed to this age se publicó primero en David Gómez.

There are two things that bother most of us terribly, having to wait and having to ask for help.

If we analyze our behaviors we will realize that we have less and less patience.

Nothing makes us angrier than arriving at the doctor’s office or a restaurant and having to wait. And even more so if you have booked an appointment.

Books have fewer and fewer pages and the most watched videos on social networks are less than three minutes long. Even Aliexpress is working to deliver orders, to anywhere in the world, in less than three days, because, otherwise, sales slow down.

And if we go to surf the Internet then the issue is already incredible. To give an example, if a page takes more than 10 or 12 seconds to load, the vast majority of people abandon the site.

And even if the paragraphs are very long, people skip over them.

And as for asking for help… we’re not doing much better either.

We always like to look our best and give the impression that we are winners, because being a loser is frowned upon. And because admitting our need for help implies recognizing that we are not so much masters of our lives.

I recently switched phone companies and had to go to a store to return the router; and in the time I spent in that store I saw something very interesting. Every customer in front of them always asked for the highest-end smartphone they were offered.

They may not have a place to drop dead, but if they do, they will do so with a state-of-the-art cell phone.

And if we add the problems caused by Covid-19 to this tension to make us look like winners, we get a devastating cocktail.

Spain is among the countries with the highest growth in cases of depression in Europe. And it has the highest per capita consumption of antidepressants.

Terrifying.

But God has the answer to this situation.

An answer that fills us with hope and that we find in the epistle to the Philippians, chapter 4 and verses 6 and 7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The apostle Paul teaches us that there is only one way to keep anxiety and worry away from us, and that is to present our needs before God and thank Him for His decision and provision, whatever it may be. For only in this way can we find his peace.

Because God wants us to learn to rest in Him. And not because he wants us to become indolent beings, but because it is only when our hearts and thoughts remain centered on Christ that we will be able to defeat adversity.

But this will only happen when we accept that God has His perfect time to show us His answer and has a perfect plan for our lives. Although at first we may not understand it.

So, if you are struggling to achieve your dreams soon, and to do it by your own means, and if you are seeing how anxiety or depression is taking over your thoughts, stop and turn to God, and decide to trust him.

Because only when you strip yourself of your pride and arrogance, and decide to ask for and accept his help, you will feel how your life is filled with his peace, you will discover his plan for you and you will see the power of God working in your life.

God bless you.

Cover image by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash

La entrada Do not be anxious about anything se publicó primero en David Gómez.