The Pursuit of Peace
Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things which one may edify another. -Romans 14:19
On the night before Jesus died, He promised to leave His disciples a wonderful gift. It was the gift of peace. But it was not just any kind of peace, and it was not available from lots of different sources. Jesus said, "My peace I give unto unto you: not as the world giveth" (John 14:27 KJV). This peace comes only from our Savior and Lord, and it is not at all like the peace this world offers. The peace the world promises is, at best, temporary and, at worst, empty and unfailing. The peace Jesus promises is lasting and meaningful.
In our text for today, the apostle Paul reminds us that peace is not only a gift that believers receive, but it is something we must pursue. Paul exhorted us to pursue "the things which make for peace." Far too many people in too many churches their own desires and push their own agendas. The church is not a place for us to work toward getting our individual wills accomplished, but rather a place where God's will is to be done.
The things we pursue must not be divisive, but instead be things that are unquestionably in the will of God. Our personal preferences are not always based on biblical revelation or the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Often our individual biases have nothing to do with honoring the Lord. So let us not waste opportunities for peace by pursuing things that do not better.
Prayer : Father, give discernment that I may pursue the things of peace and not the things that satisfy my own desires or preferences. Help me understand that I am to build up others and not tear them down. In Jesus name, Amen.
On the night before Jesus died, He promised to leave His disciples a wonderful gift. It was the gift of peace. But it was not just any kind of peace, and it was not available from lots of different sources. Jesus said, "My peace I give unto unto you: not as the world giveth" (John 14:27 KJV). This peace comes only from our Savior and Lord, and it is not at all like the peace this world offers. The peace the world promises is, at best, temporary and, at worst, empty and unfailing. The peace Jesus promises is lasting and meaningful.
In our text for today, the apostle Paul reminds us that peace is not only a gift that believers receive, but it is something we must pursue. Paul exhorted us to pursue "the things which make for peace." Far too many people in too many churches their own desires and push their own agendas. The church is not a place for us to work toward getting our individual wills accomplished, but rather a place where God's will is to be done.
The things we pursue must not be divisive, but instead be things that are unquestionably in the will of God. Our personal preferences are not always based on biblical revelation or the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Often our individual biases have nothing to do with honoring the Lord. So let us not waste opportunities for peace by pursuing things that do not better.
Prayer : Father, give discernment that I may pursue the things of peace and not the things that satisfy my own desires or preferences. Help me understand that I am to build up others and not tear them down. In Jesus name, Amen.
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