Grace-mercy-peace unto all from God our father,and our lord Jesus Christ

There seems to be signs that some are realizing that peace, isn't division. That law,isn't grace. How long do you think until all realize that law work's wrath only,and brings division,and not peace.

Shawn,

Grace, and Mercy, and Peace to you all,
from God, and our Father, and our Lord JC.

I try to remain "above" making and taking sides. I try to be observational rather than adversarial (which occurs when sides are taken, and people become either offensive or defensive). In Christ is our "peace" (not our war) there should be no further need for being offensive or even defensive, just observational instead of adversarial.

Yet that is also an ongoing challenge, not to get drawn back into an adversarial mode from an observational mode; Kinda like the interesting Bible phrase "holiness with sobriety", which seems to suggest not one more "mingled" drink of grace + law, lest we also become as 'drunken' as the 'weird weather' seems to be lately.

Aside: here's an interesting newspaper article about 'weird weather', how it's even got science baffled. For it can't be global warming, not if both extreme lows and extreme highs, like in Alaska this June, where they had both a record low and a record high in the same month, in just a matter of weeks. I found it interesting this newspaper article described the current 'Jetstream wobble' as if 'drunken':

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Alaska+Upsidedown+weather+tied+stream+wobbles/8575571/story.html

On the brighter side, yet only if there still be sides made and taken (which is still "double minded": what not to be, since it is unstable both ways if plural ways), it is a 'hopeful' sign that some, like yourself, now see division (confusion) is not peace, and grace is not law, and mercy is not sacrifice, and wrath is not what God has appointed us unto (noted in 1Thessalonians 5:9 about "us", after 1Thess 5:3 about "them", as if there still be them/us division in true oneness... not).

I was encouraged by your previous forum post, noting how 'amazing' grace is, that it is even 'purging' your old memories (in your case two bad divorces) to the point that it never happened. Thank you for sharing that.

On the darker side, if watching the news (now mostly bad news: weird weather, wars, rumors of wars, $canals galore, political infighting, etc), it is difficult to remain hopeful, because law is hopeless, depressing: depression now an epidemic world-wide. Yet many still see a need for law, almost as if still having a need for shame in such a blame game scenario. World leaders are saying 'rule of law', which is absurd if told "law worketh wrath" and wrath is not what God appointed us unto, especially if wrath is so destructive, not constructive.

As such, it was interesting to observe how hurricane Sandy took a sharp left turn into New York area while travelling up the east coast of USA. This was unusual for a hurricane to do, according to science.

There's many instances of how destructive law (worketh wrath) can be, and so many places now having to declare a 'state of emergency', as if it's a "last [state] worse" rather than better; Almost as if worse/better (before/after: old/new) somehow got reversed to better/worse (after/before: new/old) just to have this last state worse scenario played out. Even in Canada (usually pretty stable) we have an ongoing state of emergency due to a sudden Alberta flood, along with a summer weather forecast suggesting more potential flooding. UG.

Perhaps it has something to do with the expected return of Jesus, who said first shall be last, and last first; Which is like the reverse, due to the curse, of the law. Perhaps it has something to do with our Prime 'Minister' also saying 'rule of law' instead of saying Grace, Mercy, and Peace.

It's almost as if navigating through Revelation, which is allegorically like navigating through the best of spam; And the objective of such an allegorical final exam is not to get spammed, by becoming aware grace is not law, wrath is not peace.

Sorry for just chatting, digressing from the question posed, but my own spirituality has become a bit challenged lately. My own contentment has some wobble lately, yet it's only a temporary glitch needing a fix, and by grace alone I, you, we, all will all get 'through' it ok. For the end is already written, and we should all focus on, think from, that end, which is the end of the law, not the end of grace. Grace is eternal. Law is not.

The social media has more positive aspects than the news media. For example the 'Israel loves Iran' movement started by a simple poster posted on facebook by Ronny Edry, is still going viral, still expanding, all over the world. So people everywhere are beginning to awaken, and are communicating a desire for peace, by sharing and focusing on what unites us more than on what divides us.

Aside: here's a Coca-Cola video (just a commercial, but nifty) that focuses on what unites us, shows the need for such, and how such exchange, communicating, may bring us happiness when the fences, borders, walls come down:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts_4vOUDImE

How l-o-n-g it will take depends on us, both as individuals and as a global society. As individuals we all go through various things, stages, phases; but somehow we are also all connected. We are becoming more aware that whatever anyone does or says, somehow affects us all.

For some it may take longer to become more observational, less adversarial; But I remain hopeful that many others will soon see, or find the missing piece of the puzzle that assembles us all together as one, one man-kind that puts away childish things; And then we all become like the fulness of the stature of Christ, which is graceful, merciful, peaceful.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.