A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:8

From Cain and Abel to now, wars have been the foundation of mankind. Ever since the emergence of sin, hate has been a part of the human psychic. It does not matter how much man has progressed, the need to fight against one another has become the norm.

The oppression of humans whether it is due to race, religion or wealth has been the catalyst causing many wars. We have seen the war between Israel and Palestine over land, which has been raging for many years. We have seen World War 1 and 2 for world domination. There have been so many other wars which continue to rage in our backyards.

The lessons I have learnt from war is that there is never a winner. Though many freedoms have been gained by war, so many lives have been lost in this fight. Martin Luther King Jr. proved that the non-violent approach to oppression can have the same effect as the violent approach.

Throughout the New Testament the bible preaches love and peace. If you love someone how does the thought of war exist? If we practice love in our daily lives towards each other, then there is no room for war.

Ecclesiastes 9:18 teaches us that “wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” Sin and disobedience to God have been the main ingredients for war amongst humans. The devil drives a wedge between the righteous and unrighteous. Many so called Christians have waged wars against others under the banner of God. The net result is that those who would ever have an inclination towards righteousness are turned off. These so called Christians who are under the spell of the devil insist that they are of God when their actions tell the full story of hate towards others.

Many empires have come and gone trying to wield their powerful armies in battles with other nations under the guise of freedom. Other nations have now emerged claiming the same hypocrisy.

You see world peace will never be accomplished by man. It is only when man recognizes God that peace will emerge. James 3:18 tells us, “and the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. “ Now many doubters will say that God destroyed many nations by war. But let us be clear, God destroyed nations which were against God and righteousness. One such notable nation was Sodom and Gomorrah. God allowed the righteous in that city, Lot and his family to leave. There is some misconception about that story that should be cleared up. Many people believe that it was only homosexuals who were punished by God; however, there were many other persons in that City that were unrighteous in God’s eyes.

The New Testament speaks of grace, peace and mercy throughout. Jesus Christ came in peace. Even when persecuted he continued to do God’s work in peace. Peace was in all his sermons to the people.

If we could be like Jesus today, peace could be restored to this world. If we start within our homes and communities we can make a change. If we teach our children to love others and to show peace when war is imminent. Let God lead you towards peace today and leave war in the trenches.