I opted to focus on the practical words of verses 14-16: Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless… It is helpful for me to recognize the practical living that our faith should produce.
Make every effort to live at peace with everyone… I cannot control other people or their response to me or the world. However, I can control myself and God says I should do everything I can to live peaceably with others. This impacts how I speak to others and how I act toward them.
Live in such a way that the ‘wake’ of my life is peace-giving rather than turbulent. That’s a great image for me. Does my life create problems for others?
Even though there were other practical words in the verses I chose, I find myself sticking with the idea of living a ‘peace-giving’ life. Too many people leave a wake of destruction in their paths. Chaos and hurt seem to be a by-product of their lives. God is saying to me, ‘Don’t be like them’. Be the kind of person whom others want to have enter the room or the meeting because calm, control and peace enter with them. This is the goal. Easier to put on paper than to do…
As I ponder this… it starts with me being a person filled with peace, being a person who is calm in all manner of situations, and being a person who by the presence of the HS is attune with the movement of the HS in all situations. Well, there are 3 things I can be working on today.
Lord, help me to be a man of peace who brings peace wherever I go. I can only do this by Your grace. And believe me, Lord, I need a
No comments:
Post a Comment