Dr. Douglas Wingate, Ph.D.
Life Christian University
Find the peace of God that is available only through Jesus Christ.
The United States of America just finished another presidential election cycle. As in every presidential election before it, one side is elated through the victory of their candidate and the other side is despondent through the loss of their candidate. To many, this is just an exercise in power wrestling between two political parties. To others this concerns the primary direction that our country is heading, with possible catastrophic consequences for the wrong choice. In either case, when your side loses, you lose your peace and sense of well-being.
I remember that as a young man, my sense of well-being was based in whatever level of success I was having in my pursuit of fame and fortune. I was challenged by a friend who told me that I was “hung up on my rock star ego trip, and that if Jesus was the only way to get to heaven, I was on my way to hell because I didn’t think that it was hip to be a Christian.”
That statement rocked me to my core. I then picked up a Bible and examined the claims of Jesus. I read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and when I read through John’s gospel and arrived at John 16:33 and read the words of Jesus when he said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” For some reason I stopped after reading that verse and immediately the Lord Jesus spoke to me in what seemed to be an audible voice. He said, “Doug, I am alive and I am the Lord.” I slipped out of my bed, got on my knees, and asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life.
That was 43 years ago this month, and I have walked in the peace of God for all of those years. It has been quite the adventure, with great blessings and challenges, but it has all been worth it. I learned that God is always right, always good, and His word is a very sure guide for every situation of life. I feel so sorry for those who have not yet been enlightened to this life in Christ and are stumbling through life with no peace at all.
I heard one of the presidential candidates say that Christians who believe the Bible were just going to have to change and stop believing that God is right. This candidate said we live in a new world now, and things have changed. Well no, things haven’t changed, and God is always right. I am not interested in living in the new world that disregards God’s truth.
When I see the people protesting in the streets and getting so worked up that they begin rioting and disrespecting other people’s rights and property, I can tell that they do not know God and do not have His peace. This exercise in futility is not going to change the results of the election, it is just going to cause a great deal of problems for everyone, especially those who are arrested, injured, or killed for their riotous actions.
I always chuckle when I see a vehicle with the window sticker that spells “COEXIST” with a bunch of symbols from various religions. We can coexist while we are alive here on Earth, but we will not coexist for eternity. We are headed in two completely different directions. There is a hell to avoid and a heaven to gain. But we should certainly treat each other with respect and civility, because for now we do share a common existence on Earth. The way we treat each other is important because the Bible says that it is the love of God that draws a person to change his mind about God.
My heart goes out to those who do not know God and have not received His peace. There is a very astute observation that says, “For the unbeliever, life on Earth is as close to heaven as they are ever going to get, and for the believer, life on Earth is a close to hell as they are ever going to get.”
This is a wonderful time of the year to receive Jesus as your Lord and receive the peace that only God can give. You will find it to be the end of the struggle of trying to find out what life is all about.
Dr. Douglas J. Wingate,
President and Founder of Life Christian University
www.lcus.edu
410 E. Chapman Rd.
Lutz, FL 33546
813-909-9720