January 5, 2012
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Inner Peace
A couple weeks ago I watched "Kung Fu Panda 2". Fun movie, worth watching in my opinion.
In that movie, Po could not defeat certain opponents because he was too troubled by his past.... he was told that his problem was that he needed to find "inner peace". Eventually, after involuntarily arriving at a monastery, meditating for a long time, and finally understanding his origins and the fact that his parents really did love him, he acquired "inner peace". This allowed him to focus and hone his kung-fu skills and eventually defeat his opponents.
My question is: To what extent does this apply to our lives? Do we need "inner peace?" If so, how do we get it?
I think inner peace is indeed important. I see so many of my friends trying to find inner peace in various ways... through romantic relationship... through trying to acquire lots of money... through trying to become powerful or prestigious... through workaholism... through philosophy and yoga and eastern meditation... through classical music or jazz music or art... through social events... and it seems for many that the "peace" they find is only temporary.
This shows the difference the difference between "circumstantial peace" and real, true, inner peace. "Circumstantial peace" means that you are peaceful when external circumstances are going well... but when trouble and stress comes, peace flits away.
In "Death of a Guru", Rabindranath Maharaj shared how he sought inner peace through yoga and meditation. He would go deep into a trance, and finally feel relaxed and peaceful. But after finishing his session, he would immediately lose the peace and be filled again with stress and worry and anger.
Fortunately however, Rabindranath Maharaj eventually found Jesus Christ, and began to experience true, permanent, inner peace. As Jesus said to his disciples in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you."
Not circumstantial peace that only lasts while the music plays or while the compliments are flowing or while the bank account is high. Permanent, rock-solid, eternal, true, inner peace... it comes only from Jesus Christ.
Why? Why can no other religion or hobby on earth provide lasting peace? It is because only the true God described in the Bible deals with the sin problem that we all have. Hobbies are mere temporary/escapism, and all the other world religions and philosophies are essentially "self-help" systems. They all say that if only you can be a good enough person, you will acquire peace (and achieve heaven, or nirvana, or godhood, or similar state). The other religions all essentially say, "If only you can relax and realize that you are basically good at heart, you will have inner peace; if only you can think positive thoughts and 'wage peace with your breath', all will be well."
Only the Bible tells us the truth: that we are desperately evil at heart, (and are only prevented from expressing it out by societal constraints and parental-type training). Only the God of the Bible tells us honestly how serious our sin problem is: we cannot fix it ourselves or compensate for it by doing good works... 'the soul that sins will die' - either I must die, or else someone must volunteer to die in my place. Jesus Christ died in my place... the legal guilt of my sin was completely transferred to Him... now I am legally free... innocent... pure... righteous! And my outer life will some day (when I temporarily physically die) match up with my new perfectly-good inner spirit.
Only when I see the depth of my sin and when I see how Jesus Christ has taken it all away, can I (and other people) be truly at peace. Any other approach is merely a bandaid, temporarily covering over a cancerous wound which continues to fester, because the basic problem is not removed.
Hooray! Inner peace is possible! And from personal experience, it is wonderful! I wish that all my friends would eventually believe in Jesus Christ and come to experience the true peace and eternal life too!
The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace. Psalm 29:11
Comments (1)
Human beings aren't wired to feel one thing in perpetuity. And being christian doesn't mean you will never lose your cool again for the rest of your life.
Can you stop condescending to non-christians even for five minutes?
"Only the Bible tells us the truth: that we are desperately evil at heart"
Speak for yourself.
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