
Gallup surveys reveal growing unhappiness in the world. The happiest 20 percent of those surveyed have never been happier while the unhappiest 20 percent have never been unhappier.
The happiest 20 percent “are fulfilled by their work, have little financial stress, live in great communities, have good physical health, and have loved ones they can turn to for help.” The unhappiest 20 percent have little if any of the five.1
As part of their happiness survey, Gallup discovered that 61 percent of people always or often feel inner peace during difficult times.2 This inner peace is connected with their temporal well-being measured by the five factors above.
Gallup also surveyed the percentage of people at peace with their thoughts and feelings. In Malawi, 59 percent were rarely or never at peace, making it the third most peace-starved country in the world.
On average 34 percent of those surveyed said they were always at peace with their thoughts and feelings. It was 28 percent in the U.S. and 73 percent in Nicaragua.3
Many of the happiest 20 percent of the world’s population, always at peace with their thoughts and feelings, do not have the unique peace Jesus offers. Theirs is a counterfeit peace. Most of the Jews of Jesus’ day did not understand peace with God, the kind that matters most.
As Jesus was entering Jerusalem less than a week before His death, most of the Jews did not recognize He was the way to peace. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42 NLT).
Only Christians can experience peace with God. In mid-2024 Statista reported that 31.6 percent of the world professed Christianity.4 A smaller percent than that has experienced peace with God because many are Christian in name only and not fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. So, what is the way to peace?
“This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36 NLT). “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1 NLT).
Unlike most first-century Jews, we must recognize our need for Jesus. We are sinners with a penalty to pay. Jesus died on the cross to pay for it (Romans 5:8).
We must repent by turning from living for ourselves to living for God. We must invite Jesus into our lives by faith to be our Forgiver and Leader and give Him the driver’s seat of our lives.
He promised He would come into our lives if we invited Him. We take Him at His word. That is the narrow path to peace with God. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians. #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources
See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com.
God has empowered me to write “His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength.” It’s a free evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship eBook. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead more than 3,100 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 8,521 people. I invite you to check it out.
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