Baseball and Steroids

I voted to brand Barry Bonds' record breaking home run ball with an asterisk.

What is the opposite of peace?

1 Tim. 1.2b reads "... Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." I had a brief devotional on this verse this past Wednesday and I continued to think about this verse until now. I reasoned justice is the opposite of grace. I certainly do not want justice for myself when it comes to salvation.

The opposite of mercy is condemnation. Condemnation would be justice for all sinners. No one desires to be condemned. War is the opposite of peace, but in this text I thought turmoil or crisis would represent the opposite of peace with equal accuracy. This is not to say that war is not the opposite of peace, but war is an extreme opposite. As I considered the causes of turmoil or of a crisis, I think the idea of simple uncertainty became the lowest common denominator in my mind concerning the opposite of peace.

Financial markets plummet at the prospect of uncertainty. Oil prices soar at the rumor of uncertainty. I believe one of the primary gifts of God through Christ is the peace that comes through the certainty He offers us. Life is so uncertain and God tells us through James 4.14 just how uncertain this physical life can be. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for little while and then vanishes." Contrast that uncertainty with the absolute certainty of Hebrew 13.8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever."

The challenge is ridding ourselves of the doubt trying to rob us of the peace Jesus Christ died for us to have... forever.