Peace and Prosperity

 We live in a world that is full of conflict and full of needy people. Yes, there are a few places that have relative harmony and sufficient resources for the people. However, even here in the United States, there is so much division and quarrelling. There are so many people who are "food insecure." It is the nature of our world because of the sin that pervades our societies, and sin brings about a lack of peace and prosperity. That is not what God wants for our world, so one day things will be very different.

Micah prophesied of the last days, the end of the world as we know it today. He gave us all a glimpse of the 1,000 year reign of Christ on this earth. (Micah 4:4) "Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven's Armies has made this promise."  I am looking forward to being here with Jesus and all of the saints, as we return with Him to set up His perfect kingdom on this earth. However, we do not have to wait until then to have peace and prosperity.

All of us can live in peace right now. That peace comes from the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Once we know Him as our Lord and Savior, He gives us "His peace" which is totally superior to the peace of this world, which is just the absence of conflict. Jesus gives us His peace in our hearts, no matter what happens to us. We can live in peace through sickness, sorrow, family problems, and financial problems, if we will stop worrying and take all of our problems to Him. Then, He promises to give us the peace that passes understanding.

We can all live in prosperity now, too. I am not talking about having millions of dollars, fine cars, clothes, and a fancy house. I am talking about the fact that when we have Jesus as Lord and Savior, He is more than enough to meet our needs. He gives us what we need, and He gives us the ability to be content with what He supplies. Therefore, we always have more than enough, if we are trusting Him. He might allow us to run out of money for a time, but that leads us to depend on Him even more, so we grow in our relationships with Him in the process. I pray we all will experience the peace and prosperity of the Lord today and every day.

Tomorrow, I intend to read Micah 5-7.