PEACELESS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 48:22

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been in a place where you lost peace in life?

I know I have and it’s not a fun place to be.

You see, when we talk about peace-less living then we need to talk about a life that embodies the opposite characteristics of a peaceful life. It is a life that is defined by conflict, contentiousness, discord, strife, trouble, turmoil, fighting, and unrest. Peace-less living leaves us caught up in stress, anxiety, fear, and worry. It seems our ever waking thought is caught up in our circumstances and our peace deprivation results in more than a few sleepless nights, offering us more waking moments to ponder our situation.

Maybe you can relate.

Well, today the word of God touches on this matter of peacelessness as we look at the final verse of Isaiah 48. Want to know about one source of a life that is missing peace? Look at these words:

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”  Isaiah 48:22

Now, you are going to have to follow me closely through the progression of thoughts here.

The statement from the Lord seems to be a no brainer, right? In fact, it seems too simple to devote an entire devotion to but any of my readers know how I roll and there are often hidden gems of wisdom the Lord is seeking to bring us, even in one mere verse.

There is no peace for the wicked.

The Lord said it and I don’t think any of us would disagree. A person who chooses to live wickedly is a person who has chosen to sin. They have opted for transgression over righteousness, conscientiously deciding to violate the Lord’s commands, principles, and expectations. A lifestyle like that is not going to be favored by God and as we know, He will bring His judgment on anyone who disregards or disrespects Him.

This is the unsettling aspect of wickedness that should not leave anyone who exercises it in peace.

But let’s take this down a different path for a minute. For think about the matter of the wicked for a moment.

Who are the wicked anyways?

Well, I would submit to you that anyone who sins can be counted in that number and so that means we all are being wicked, have been wicked, or will at some time in the future be wicked. It’s in our DNA. We just don’t like to talk about it.

Indeed, I can feel the hair standing up on the necks of some who are reading this right now because we do not like to face what we are sometimes and the fact of the matter is that we are all sinners who have no hope without the saving grace that comes from Christ Jesus our Lord, the Savior of the world who was sent by God, His Father and ours, to die on the cross and pay the sin penalty for all mankind. Jesus did this for the wicked, for wretches like you and for me. We did not deserve it but He did it because He loved us. It truly is amazing grace.

Friends, we cannot find ourselves to the peace that eternal life in Jesus brings us until we realize our wicked state and why we need a Savior in the first place. Jesus, and only Jesus, shows us the way to walk off the broad path paved in evil ways with a destination of destruction onto a narrow way of righteousness that leads to true life, the kind of life that God the Father favors, now and forever more (Matthew 7:13-14). This path is paved with peace and hope as we bask in the light of the Lord’s love, in the light and love of the One who is the Prince of peace.

When we who are inherently wicked, choose to focus fully on the Lord’s ways without compromise, then we will find our peaceless existence give way to a peaceful one that no one can take away from us for we will be living in the peace of the Lord which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).

It’s this peace that I pray for you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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