Peace with God

In 1923 a group of the world’s most successful financiers gathered in The Edgeworth Beach Hotel, Chicago. For the 1920’s this was an impressive array of wealth and power seated at a single table. There was the president of the world’s largest steel company, the president of the world’s largest utility company. The group included the president of the New York Stock Exchange and a member of the president of America’s cabinet. The president of the Bank of International Settlements, and a man known as the biggest trader on Wall Street. Another man headed the world’s most powerful monopoly.

Together these 7 men controlled more wealth than the U.S. treasury. Their stories were well known to contemporary schoolboys. They were the Bill Gates of their day and models of financial genius. They were the industrial giants of America. In 1923 the stories of these men were widely publicized, they were glamorous and exciting and kindled envy in others. They inspired others to be as they were.

But in 1923 the stories of these men were only half told. The closing chapters of their lives were yet to be written. When these seven men sat down at the table of the Chicago hotel they were in the same place in their lives that Moses was when he stood at the crossroads between Egypt and Caanan. The paths before them they could not see, and they would not have chosen to follow the paths if they could have seen them. Today their stories are fully told. Today we know the final chapters. We can review their lives.

Charles Schwab, President of the largest steel company, lived the last years of his life on borrowed money and he died penniless. Arther Cutten, the greatest of wheat speculators, died abroad insolvent. Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock exchange, served time in Sing-Sing Penitentiary. Albert Fall U.S. cabinet member was pardon from prison so he could die at home. Jessie Livermore, the ‘bear’ of Wall Street, Leon Frazer, the president of the Bank of International Settlements and Ivor Kreuger, head of the world’s largest monopoly, all committed suicide.

These men all had money, power, fame, prestige, intelligence, and education but they lacked the one attribute that would give their lives meaning, stability and purpose. They lacked the faith that would give them peace with God and an eternal destiny.

Romans 5 tells us that if we are justified by faith in Christ, then we have peace with God. How do we get this faith? It is not something that we can work up, it is God’s creation in us as we hear the good news that Christ has taken our sin and guilt and made atonement (at one with God) for us, and that God invites us to come to him just as we are.

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” (1 John5:11-12 NLT) Jesus is the prince of peace. (Isa 9:6). Isaiah told us over two and a half millennia ago that having perfect peace is trusting and fixing our minds on God (Yahweh). And Paul tells us, “letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6 NLT.)