The Wolf And The Lamb

The Bible tells us that a day is coming when the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb. We live with the hope of peace on earth. What role do you and I have in bringing about peace? If we desire peace, we must be willing to say, “Let peace begin with me”. Today, let’s explore the meaning of that phrase.

It is always easy to point out the problems in the world. Hatred, war, enmity, and resentment have been around since the dawn of mankind. Will it ever end? Where do we begin if we desire a world at peace? In a simple answer, we start with ourselves.

In 1905, the London Daily News asked the great thinkers of that time this question: “what is wrong with the world today?” Of all of the answers submitted, only one is memorable. G. K. Chesterton wrote, “The answer to the question, “What is Wrong?” is, or should be, “I am wrong.” We should ask ourselves if that would be our answer too.

If there is to be peace, then we all need to do our part to change the world. We need to make peace with those closest to us, those we encounter each day, but most importantly, we must strive to find a lasting inner peace.

Are you in conflict with anyone? Are you at odds with somebody? Do you hold anger or resentment towards someone? Have you caused pain to somebody? Have you been unable to forgive someone?

What about your inner peace? What things in life cause you stress and anxiety? What thoughts and struggles cause you agitation? What battles are being waged inside of you? Are you causing pain to yourself in some way?

The Bible speaks of a level of peace that is hard to imagine. Isaiah 11:1-10 tells us a time is coming when “The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.”

Isaiah is prophesying both about the time of Jesus’ birth and the time of His second coming. If we want to find a peace that exceeds all understanding, then we must find it in a faith rooted solely in Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, the world will never be at peace. You and I have been tasked with being the hands and feet of Christ in the world today. Jesus wants to work in and through us to bring about this peace. Will we do our part?

We must first begin to see ourselves like Chesterton did, as being part of the problem. We must embark on a journey of self-discovery and correction. In prayer we must ask God to reveal everything in us that is:

  1. Not pleasing to Him.
  2. Causing us anxiety and a lack of peace.
  3. A source of inner conflict.

Advent is an ideal time to do this inner reflection. It is impossible to be at peace with others around us if we are not at peace with ourselves. It is only after we begin, with the help of our Lord, to mend our inner conflicts, that we can live at peace with those around us.

Advent is also a time to reflect on the brevity of life, and upon our impending death. It is a time to reflect upon eternity and our final judgement. Like a puff of smoke, we will be gone. If we knew that we only had a few weeks to live, what would we need to change in our lives? If we are to leave a peaceful impact before we depart this life, what relationships do we need to repair before we go? Tomorrow is not promised. Today is the day to make peace.

Listen to this hopeful song of Christmas peace as you contemplate your role of bringing peace in the world.

Isaiah told us that Jesus would usher in peace. Now during Advent, we need to invite Him into every aspect of our life so that when that day finally comes, when our life in this world is over, and when our final epitaph is written, we will have lived in such a way that it can say the following:

“Here lies a true disciple of Jesus Christ, one who not only found a deep inner peace rooted in the Lord, but one who brought peace to everyone and every situation he/she encountered. This world is more at peace because (fill in your name) has lived a Christ-like life.”

If this is not what your epitaph would currently say, then make this Advent Season a time of change so that on the day you depart this life, it could be!

Peace is not meant to exist only after the second coming, it is meant to exist now. Eternity has already begun. Eternity coexists with the present. God is calling each of us to be agents of peace in this world. In prayer, let’s ask Jesus to transform us into peacemakers today!

Heavenly Father, help me to live my life in such  a way that I bring about peace to those around me. Help me to rid myself of anything that takes away from the peace you want the world to have. Help me to life a truly Christ-like life. Amen! 

AMDG

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Brian Pusateri
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4 Comments

  1. Joseph B Galloway on December 13, 2022 at 9:39 am

    Brings to mind arguably the best Gospel song of all time – Man in the Mirror. If you want to make the world a better place, just look at yourself and make the change!

  2. Bill Hartley on December 6, 2022 at 10:10 am

    Really great start to the season, Brian…love the Chesterton reference…fyi…I have a quote of his permanently on the wall of my classroom: “We are in the same boat, on a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”

  3. Bob Lange on December 6, 2022 at 8:48 am

    This poem from Wendell Berry comes to mind as we calm ourselves before the calming of others….

    “The Peace of Wild Things”

    When despair for the world grows in me
    and I wake in the night at the least sound
    in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
    I go and lie down where the wood drake
    rests in his beauty on the water,
    and the great heron feeds.
    I come into the peace of wild things
    who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
    I come into the presence of still water.
    And I feel above me the day-blind stars
    waiting with their light.
    For a time I rest in the grace of the world,
    and am free.”

    • Brian Pusateri on December 6, 2022 at 8:53 am

      Bob

      Thanks for sharing this. Beautiful!

      Brian

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