Peace, Quietness, Assurance

Is. 32:17 - "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever."

Righteousness. Doing what is right. Doing what is pure in God's eyes. Living according to the standard that is God. A very high standard. A holy standard. A true standard. The thing that we are to seek first: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness." Matt. 6:33. If I am going after what God says is right, true,pure, holy and I am asking God to work that into my life beyond everything else then there is something that this righteousness does. It actually goes to work. It brings about a result. It has an effect. What is it? Peace, quietness and assurance.

When I look around at the world it seems that these qualities are lacking. People are not at peace. There is noise all around us and they are not assured of anything. It seems that the world is all screwed up and the people in the world know it. Financially, socially , politically. We have problems everywhere and people are scared.

Why has this happened? A lack of righeousness. A lack of living according to God's standard found in His word. This, of course, has happened over several decades of godless living. Any recovery from it will also take decades. In order for us to see peace, quietness and assurance in our nation and in our individual lives, we will have to start living righteously. For this to occur on a national scale will take a significant period of time. For this to occur on an individual scale can take only a minute. A commitment before God that I will, with His enablement, live a life that is consistent with His word. I can't do it myself but He can do it in me. The result will be peace and quietness and assurance.

The same is true on a larger scale. The is no reason that the church should be flipping out over what is happening in our world today because if the church is living righteously ,then we will be a community of peace and quietness and assurance. Can you imagine the world going crazy and the church living at peace? What a concept! What an example. What a refuge. It takes all of us, however, to see this happen within the Body of Christ. But it can happen. It should happen. It will happen if we commit ourselves to live Biblically.