“We would all like a secure nation where we can pursue life, liberty, and happiness without oppressing others, either at home or abroad.” As citizens of America (or whatever nation you’re from), can we unite around this? How many of you would like to live in a country like that? I would. Wouldn’t you? Can you think of a better way of wording the desire for national peace and goodwill toward everyone? If so, how would you express it?
If you define “happiness” as the blessing that comes from a life of loving and trusting in the Almighty Father who created all of us* and the end of this blessed state as the freedom to live “quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty” . . . with integrity! (see 1 Timothy 2:2), then I would guess there’s not a Christian anywhere who would not feel a yearning in their heart for such a place to live.
Ultimately, of course, this world does not own such a country, so we find ourselves longing for a country whose builder and maker is God, but we’re not really going to find such a place on earth until God’s Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Meanwhile, God has allowed each of us to offer our bodies as a temple where He may dwell on earth, and he accepts the tiny kingdom of our physical lives and properties as the first fruits where His kingdom can come and his will be done. We can choose for His kingdom to flourish in the fertile soil of our hearts and homes if we will!
If we can agree on this as a starting point for unity, then as Christians we can work together toward establishing God’s Kingdom on earth as ambassadors of Christ—as emissaries of his ultimate purpose that someday—someday—peace and good will for all will not only be a dream and hope but a holy state of human existence on earth. Our best efforts are only a foreshadowing of what’s to come, though! Ultimately, it’s not up to us to somehow make the world worthy of Christ’s return any more than it’s individually our responsibility to become perfect enough for Christ to dwell within us. Christ comes to us when we invite him in; it is His sweet, Holy Spirit that enlivens, heals, and cleanses us from sin. From within. He rebuilds the ruins of our selfish internal empires. He washes the windows of our soul so the light of His presence can shine out. He replaces pride with humility, captivity with freedom, fear with faith, hatred with love, despair with hope, anger with peace, greed with contentment, and self-indulgence with self-control.
If we believe that God is our Father and Jesus Christ is our Savior, but we are still filled with fear, anger, hatred, or despair, then our hearts are not surrendered to Jesus. We are not allowing him to be the Lord of our lives. We are refusing Christ’s Holy Spirit the privilege of healing our souls. Somewhere deep in the hidden recesses of our spirits, we are holding out on God! We are retaining ourselves as sovereigns, ruling like Scar from the desolate thrones of our self-absorbed inner kingdoms. We are our own idols! Is that what we want? Perturbance and ill will?
This is what Satan wants for us, for our countries, and for our world, but this is the opposite of what God wants for us! God created us. God loves us with all his infinitely unfathomable heart. God wants good for us, but we have to surrender, yield, and wait on Him. Will we?
“Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land:
when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it” (Psalm 37:34).
*See my post on “Embracing Happiness,” which explores the biblical concept of happiness: https://kathrynwarmstrong.wordpress.com/2021/01/17/taking-steps-to-become-happier/
Summer Setting 