His Sermon, My Story #22 -- Matthew 5:1-9 -- Peace doesn't come from absence...

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What do we need more in our world right now, than peace? We are so quick to draw lines, so easily prodded into conflict. We need peace. I think everyone is seeking it, but few attain it, and keeping it is all too rare. But here's the problem; we have difficulty finding peace, because we are looking for peace in the absence. That's how we define peace, right? Peace comes from absence; the absence of noise or the absence of storms, or conflict.

But when Jesus talked about peace, he had in mind the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom is well-being in the widest sense of the word. Shalom is the blessing of God whch sums up all other blessings. Shalom is more about fullness than emptiness. Let's stop looking for peace in the absence and start seeking His fullness. Peace doesn't come from absence...