PEACE

PEACE     2/17/20   “Worth Considering”   By Ken Smith: Ken@Trinity-Aloha.org
    
Today’s Scripture (From my mail this morning.)
“…Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”(Matthew 5:9, NIV)

Be a Peacemaker
It’s easy think, If my coworker wasn’t so disrespectful, I wouldn’t argue. No, you have to be the bigger person. Just because they’re doing wrong doesn’t mean you have to engage. That’s the enemy baiting you, saying, “Argue, fight, set the record straight, prove you’re right.” Don’t take the bait. It takes a mature person to overlook an insult and say, “No, I’m staying in peace.”

Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are those who are right.” For the sake of peace, sometimes you have to let the other person think they’re right, even when you know they’re wrong. We think, I’m right, and I’m going to prove it and win this fight. Can we tell you that being right is overrated? You can win every battle, prove your points, but your relationships are being damaged. Put your ego down and let them be right even though you think you’re right. Be a peacemaker and learn to shake it off and move on.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the promise of blessedness when I take the high road and am a peacemaker. Give me wisdom to know when to keep my mouth closed and overlook something that bothers me. I believe that walking in peace is Your will for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Ken’s Thoughts,
One night near Christmas Ken Kesey’s farm, (past the Grateful Dead time about 1968-9) Ken and I were talking about the need for peace in the world.  His wife, Faith, was a devoted Christian.  But Ken was still Ken and about 3 years younger then me.  We had met through our boys going to school together and I found myself on a mission from God to help try to get Ken and his band saved if possible.  So as we were walking by the big barn one early evening,  looking at the stars starting to shine, and talking about world piece and I was bringing up Bible verses as seemed appropriate.  Ken stopped me, and said,   “Yes, and I know there will be no real peace until the Prince of Peace Returns.”  You could have knocked me over with a feather.  Under that hard, worn, hippy shell, was a real living soul.  I really don’t know if Ken ever made his peace with God through Christ Jesus as Lord but I sure hope so.

But really the only peace that we can ever hope to experience in this world is the peace that we can have with our Creator through Christ Jesus as our LORD.  Even in the present day church of believers there is a hidden denominational war going on.  And there is a quest for power and authority war going on along with wars within families.  We are so prone to agree to disagree that each soul tends to be a private island.  And all of this in spite of our LORD’S crying prayer for absolute unity.  We will put out ton’s of energy to defend our turf but very little to find loving unity in God’s Truth in Love.  Seems that today no denomination has any exploring room to consider what the other denomination has found to be of interest.  So if no one will lovingly talk to each other how can we every expect to come into a Jesus, John 17 perfect unity.  Personally I believe this must happen before the Church of Christ Jesus can expect to go home.   It would seem that of the thousands of denominations there should be an effort for God’s Truth and Love in Unity.   We do see some unification due to a falling away.  An effort to maintain the existing structures or to destroy sections of the Bible like Romans chapter one in order to be more OK and inclusive of sins that God has forbidden.

So really, for the most part, we can expect to find God Peace only in our own hearts because of Christ Jesus and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.   And out of that place to go out seeking other to join with us in HIS peace on HIS terms.  The way to eternal life is very narrow and not many are going to find it.  But those who do should make every effort to come into a unity with God’s Holy Truth in LOVE.  God Truth must be found and confirmed by the Holy Scriptures in Context.  It can not be a matter of personal or a progressive interpretation.  God is the same, yesterday, today and forever so HIS Truth is also forever the same.  So for us to have peace with God it means to find and love HIS Truth.  Jesus teaches us that over and over in the New Testament and the same message is carried by the Holy Spirit through the Lord’s Disciples.

Christ Jesus came to make the Truth of God clear for us and to give us an example of how we should walk in that Truth.   It is God’s Truth alone that makes us aware of HIS Kingdom and how very much HE loves us.  But we can not violate HIS truth with lies and make it work for us.

James puts it this way:   From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?  2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.  3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.  James 4:1-3