Friday the 30th

2 Peter 1:12-13

 

¹²So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body.

 

Our work is never done. There is no conversion of a sinner and we are then done check mark. We must always continue to encourage, remind, and reinforce upon each other the truths of Christ. I used to drive and fire tanks at one point in my life, I used to ride a half pipe on a skate board. I can honestly say that while I still have some knowledge of these things, I could not do them today. So goes our love for Christ. If we do not keep it in the forefront, if we do not utilize the power that we have been given, it will fade. We will find that while we might have the knowledge, we are no longer firmly established in the truth. We will be adrift like a ship without a sail, floating at the mercy of the winds of the world. We must continue to remind, and encourage each other as long as we live in our temporary tents of life so that each of us stays strong in the truth. We all go through difficult times….times that we might feel the urge to slip, or stumble. With the help of our friends, with the encouragement from each other we will find the strength to persevere in the name of Christ Jesus….and there is the joy and the hardship right there to read in the last few words of verse 13…..”as long as I live”. Our time here is limited. While we might be eager to spend eternity with Christ, it is all too human to feel the pangs of  reluctance about leaving this world, yet it is going to happen. Our time is short, and we all have 12 hours of daylight. Enough time to get done what we need to get done, but not enough time to waste much of it. Let us spend that time not just looking for the lost, but also reminding each other just what we are saving the lost from. As we go into the weekend let us all remember that all of our time counts, all of our time is a reflection of what we find important in our lives. May we all hold our families a little tighter, gather our friends a little closer, and reach our hands out a little farther to those who need help. Let our actions and our words remind those around us of the truth, the life, and the light that is Christ.

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Thursday the 29th

2 Peter1: 3

 

³His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

 

Before you draw your first breath in the morning, before you open your eyes you already have everything you need to conquer the day. The Lord has placed inside of us all of the strength, the knowledge, the desire, and the perseverance that we could possibly need. So why is it so hard to get out of bed? Why is it that our first thought is I wish I could stay in bed, or our first emotion reluctance? It is not because we don’t have what we need, it is because we don’t rely on what we have. Don’t fool yourself, if you had more money, if you had a different job, if you had a different house, or a different family it would not change. Everyone has problems, everyone can see where they are, and see that they want something different. That is the snare of the devil. Just as we all have problems, we all also have something else in common……The love of the Lord. No matter our station in life we all are blessed with the tools we need to lead a spectacular life. We just need to rely on the Lord and what he has given us, instead of looking for ways to make our life easier. Each morning make the choice to wake up with the Lord. Instead of dreading the day, spend some time with the Lord, reflect each morning on all that you have been given, let the Spirit of the Lord rise up inside of you in the morning, and allow it to wrap you in joy. Each day is a choice, do I rely on the Lord, or do I rely on myself? When you rely on yourself, it is easy to see why the day looks so challenging, it is no surprise that there is a lot that you cannot accomplish, there are things that you will not be able to do. However with the Lord all things are possible….all things??? Yes! All things! Think of the blind that were given sight, the lame that were given their legs back, the sick that were healed, and the people saved from fire, and from prison. None of those things happened because those people believed in themselves, their belief rested on the only foundation that will outlast any storm…..Jesus Christ. Those people knew that they had been given more than they needed in Jesus Christ, and His Father. These people show us that the Lord is more than enough, He has given us more than our portion. Rely on that and your days will be bright; illuminated with the glory and goodness of the Lord. We will find ourselves suited for battle in armor that no enemy can overcome.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Wed the 28th

1 Peter 5:8

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

 

Self-control…..it is where we all must start. We cannot help others if we cannot control ourselves. If we cannot control our selves we cannot love ourselves, if we do not love ourselves, we cannot truly love others. If we do not love others, we cannot effectively serve God, Christ, or our fellow man. It is a theme that runs through out the Bible, yet it is a concept we look at last. We love to look into other peoples backyards and point out the trash, the things that we might do differently if it was ours, we are always eager to go and help “fix” whatever is broken. Perhaps we notice all that they have that we do not.  Seldom do we take the time needed to look at our own backyard. More often than not, ours is in no better condition. While we are so busy looking at others, the devil is prowling in our back yard searching us out. We make for easy prey when we provide so much cover for the devil to hide behind. We must work to clean up our own backyard first, and that takes a HUGE amount of self-control. When we work to remove the clutter, we have a better field of view to see the devil coming. When we work to remove things like lust, pride, envy, anger, and deception from our lives, we find that self-control is easier to attain. These types of emotions are the devils hiding spots, they feed on us, and urge us to “let go”. We cannot let ourselves walk into that snare. Through the sacrifice of Christ we find the strength needed to rid our backyards of this clutter. Then we can go on to help our neighbor, then we can start to love ourselves, then we can fall on our knees and give thanks and praise to the Lord for all He has done without having to worry about the lion jumping on our backs. Remember while we are busy looking into someone else’s backyard……someone is busy looking into ours. Work for self-control in all areas of your life so that you might clear enough space to allow the Holy Spirit to do all of the good works within you. We have but one life to live for the Lord, let us work to make it a worthy one.

 

May you be filled with the love of Christ,

Brian

Tuesday the 27th

1 Peter 4:11

 

¹¹If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

 

This passage always reminds me of my school days. The teachers favorite phrase to my parents would always be “we feel that Brian is just not working up to his potential”……..it took many years for me to understand what those teachers were talking about….and they were right. Paul is very much saying the same thing here. He is urging us to unlock our spiritual potential. When we speak, we should speak as if every word is important as if it is the very words of God…..because they are. After all were we not created in His image? Are we not called to follow in Christ’s footsteps? When we speak it tells the world volumes about our true belief. We make a choice do we fit in with the world, or do we show the world the potential that we have? The same can be said about when we serve, it should be done, not just as good as humanly possible, but we should unlock the strength that God provides and show the world the strength that God provides to those He loves. We are all human, but each and every one of us has the potential to be so much more. We have the potential inside of us to lead spectacular lives that reflect the glory, and the power of God. It starts with our words, and spills over into our actions. What will you do? Will you work to your potential? Will you step out in faith, and let your words show the purity of God? Will you work to let your actions reflect the strength that God has placed inside of you? We all have a huge amount of potential. The choice is ours to make, will we work to it, or will we simply survive? Unlock your potential today, make the choice, and commit yourself to it. Give the glory to God, let your words and actions show the world your true potential.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Monday the 26th

1 Peter 4: 8-9

 

⁸Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

 

As we start the week this week, let us all do it with our hearts full of love. I know that few of us were eager to get out of bed this morning, maybe it was a rough trip in to the office, or the kids hid the keys….whatever the case make it a point today to set those little instigators to the side. Don’t let the small things in life keep you form experiencing the true joy of living with Christ. Lead with love, love that flows from the heart, love that puts the needs of others first. Let us offer hospitality to each other without grumbling, not because there is something in it for us, not because we deem that the other person “deserves it” let us look after each other, and may we do it with a joyful heart. Let us live to give this week, may we give in love, and give much, so that when the week draws to a close we can look back and reflect on the joy that we have brought into the world, knowing that it has been done in the name of the Lord. Love covers a multitude of sins, I cannot think of a better remedy for the pains in our life, than loving others.

 

May God bless and keep you,

 

Brian

 

 

Friday the 23rd

1Peter 4: 4-5

 

⁴They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

 

I was reading an article about some new signs up in New York that can be seen throughout the subway system now. They read something to the effect of you can have a good day without God. From what I understand there are several signs that have different verbiage but the same message, you don’t need God to have a good day…the idea is that you can live everyday without God, and it will still be a good day…..you know what? They are right! You can have a good day, maybe a good week without God….but you will not have a good life….and when you go down into the dirt you will suffer the pain of death not just once, but twice. The world wants you to believe that you don’t need God, they cannot understand why so many of us will not conform to the ways of the world. They hold us up as outdated, superstitious, or delusional. The next verse tells the tell, we will all have to give account, we all will stand before the Lord, and answer for our lives. Not just a day or two…… but for our whole life. So yes, I am sure that you can have some good days without God, I have seen many people do it. I just don’t really have any plans to have to explain and give account of why I tried to do it without Him. Why settle for a good day, when you can have a good life, why look only to the day that you are living now, when it is everyday in your life, and everyday in the next life that counts. Christ did not suffer, die, and then defeat death so we could have a good day. That was done with the long term plan in mind, it is a gift for those who will accept it, for those who will stand proudly on the day of judgment, and say yes, I followed you Lord, and while everyday has been a blessing, the eternal life spent at your side has always been the goal. I have no need for one day without God, even if it was to be a fantastic one in the worldly view. One day without my Savior cannot even be marginally good, it is a lost day, a day that I can never get back, a day squandered on the devil, and an embarrassment to myself, and my God. Don’t live for a good day, live as the offspring of royalty that you are, live a child of God, and a sibling to Christ, that is the key to not just to one single good day, but to an unbelievably, unimaginably, spectacular eternal life.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

 

Thursday the 22nd

1Peter 3:13-14

 

¹³Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”

 

I love how Peter points out the obvious fact that I so often over look……who is going to harm you if you are working for the good? So often we are hesitant to do the right thing when it counts. We are afraid of how it will be taken, or that if we expose to much of ourselves, even in an attempt to do good, we will somehow tip our hand to the world, and we will be persecuted. SO we blend in, we let ourselves become camouflaged with the rest of the world, so that we don’t stand out. The fear we feel is a false fear, I often think of it as the devil himself whispering in your ear to just sit back and let it happen…..nothing you can really do….you can’t make a difference…..The truth of the matter is who cares what the world thinks? So what if you are persecuted for doing the right thing, you have nothing to fear. Why you might ask, because the Lord is with us, I often think of the LORD reassuring Joshua before he crossed the Jordan, the Lord reminds Joshua be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be frightened, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. We all have our rivers to cross in life, we all have a chance to do the right thing everyday, while that little voice might whisper in our ear to just let things happen, we know differently, we know that we are blessed, we know that the Lord is with us, and that being the case what weapons formed against us have a chance? We do not need to fear what the world fears, We have a family in the Holy Trinity that will always protect us.  We will not come to harm for doing good, we become spiritually injured when we do not!

 

In the name of the Lord,

Brian

Wed the 21st

1Peter 2:16

¹⁶Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

 

We are servants of God, first and foremost in our lives that is our purpose and our drive here on earth. Peter pointing out that we all should not use our freedom as a cover-up for evil shows us that even back then it was a problem. If we read the KJV we see that the phrase “a cover up for evil reads” as: “a cloke of maliciousness” This gives us a better picture of what Peter was taking about, we all might be inclined to say “well I would never use my freedom as a means to conceal evil”, however all to often our good freedom is specifically used to hide mean, malicious words and actions. We see it in the woman or man who is so outgoing in the church community yet is also the biggest gossip, we see it in the business world when men and women tout their Christianity, yet their actions when few are looking tend to be mischievous, or instigating turmoil. Let what people hear you talk about in public, be what they see when in a private setting.  For us to act in a way that shows duplicity undermines the goals of the Lord, and turns us from servants of Christ in to agents of the devil. Let us all live up to our full potential, may we find the voice of the Spirit inside us, and allow it to lead us to a life as true servants of God.

 

Peace,

Brian

Tuesday the 20th

1 Peter 2: 9-10

 ⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

If you feel adrift, if you feel less than adequate, if you feel like you have no purpose, or that the world is closing in on you…….read this passage again. This world may beat you down, and kick you once they get you there, but it is of little matter. You are part of a chosen people, you belong to God, you have received mercy, and have the invitation to eternal life through Christ Jesus. What the world thinks of you does not matter, trust in the Lord, where you are going is where God wants you to go. The life that you are living right now will only improve if you will recognize these facts and trust in the Lord. Put God first in your life, recognize your life for what it is, not a mediocre, just get by life, but a life blessed by God, a life that is full of the glory of the Lord. This life you have been given is the opportunity to lead a spectacular life, one that is in line with all the blessings and favor that the Lord has for those he loves.  Give praise to the one that called you out of the darkness. You are now a child of light, the arrows of the world have no chance against the glory of God, the barbarous words that might fly, the insults, the rejection, the failure are only white noise. Rely on God and he will not only sustain you, he will raise you up, he will bless you, he will anoint your head. We were once lost, but now are found. Rejoice in all that you are in the eyes of God. You are part of a chosen people.

 

May the peace, and the love of Christ be with you,

Brian

 

 

Monday the 19th

1 Peter 2:4

 

⁴As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him.

 

Rejected by men…... We typically all feel rejected at some point. We are found to be less than desirable, and it tears us up. We seek entrance into a group, look for the acceptance of our peers, or try to excel in areas where acceptance is crucial. Time and time again we come up short. We are not allowed access or we are just outright rejected. Take heart, there is no need for resentment, or to feel less than others. The race we run is not a race between us and the world. It is a race to reach the Lord, and guess what? He has chosen you already, you were chosen before you drew your first breath. To the Lord you are everything you need to be, and you already have everything you need for the journey. This rejection by the world is to be expected. It serves a two-fold purpose. First it serves to remind us that we work on the Lord’s timetable, not ours. A rejection should not force our eyes to the ground in despair; it should force our eyes upward to the Lord. If we have been rejected how could it not be part of God’s plan for us? We should continue our march, praising God, and looking for the opportunity that He wants us to seize. We might have thought we knew where we were supposed to go, but rejection serves as a reminder that God has other plans for us. The second thing rejection by the world does for us is it reminds us to turn to the Lord for guidance. Each and every one of us in precious to him, there is not one of us whom God does not love. It is not the approval of the world that we require; it is the Love of God that we desire. Why worry about who has rejected you, why waste time looking for a way to win worldly approval? Look to the Lord, draw closer to him, and you will see his will more clearly. You will see that God will show you the way, but you have to look, you have to listen, and you will have to be rejected. Rejection by the world is nothing more than a reminder of the acceptance by the Lord. Run the race for the glory of God, not the glory of men. We will all go to our graves, but it will be the ones who have been rejected by the world, and accepted by The Lord that will rise again in glory. I would rather be rejected thousands of times here on earth, so that I might be accepted one time in the afterlife.

 

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Friday the 16th

1 Peter 2:1

¹Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

 

Rid yourself of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander……well…that frees up a huge chunk of the day! I love this passage because what it is saying is change your way of life, not just in a small way, but down to the very fiber of your being, it lays out the driving force behind a lot of our worldly desires. It shows us the way to live by pointing out what we must leave behind. As sad as it is to actually say, the world today does not promote truthfulness, love, selflessness, and building up of others. So we find ourselves behind the eight ball. How do we excel in the world, yet play by God rules, not the worlds? It is easy to say rid yourself of this or that, but to actually do it is the hard part. Like most things with the Lord, it must be done fully, and there is the key. God is not a half measure God. He is an all in God. He does not give miserly, he gives abundantly. He gave his only son so that we might have eternal life, so that is how we must live. All in. We cannot set aside most of our hypocrisy, or give up all malice, but hang on to a little deceit. We must model our lives by the example God gave us in his Son. We must give to him, as he gives to us; and there is the answer. You see, when you turn your life over to the Lord, you will excel. You will start on the path to being the best, not that you think you can be, but the best that God knows you can be. Why? Because God works for the good in the lives of those that love him. What God blesses, cannot be less than the best. Does that mean that you will become everything you want to be, that you will get everything you ever wanted. No, but you will become everything the Lord NEEDS you to be, and that my friends is spectacular, and beyond anything you can conceive. So work to rid yourself fully of the negatives, it is a work in progress, but you have to get the process started!

 

Peace

Brian

 

 

Thursday the 15th

Proverbs 13:9

 9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
       but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

 

We have to let our light shine brightly, all of the time. It is a challenge, and that challenge is one of the biggest ones we face as Christians. It is always easy to let that light shine when you are at church, or at a bible study, however our best opportunity waits for us as soon as we step out of church. We are walking billboards for the Lord. If we go to church every Sunday, yet are flippant about our faith during the week, we show all of those around us that while we might talk a good talk, we must not believe what we say, for our actions do not back up our words. This is a huge hurdle to overcome. I can promise you this, you will never clear that hurdle if you do not jump! We all find comfort in our friendships, and sometimes we find it hard to let that light of Christ shine as brightly as we would like for fear of how it will be received. I would like to offer this point as something to think about the next time you feel like you need to subdue the light burning inside of you. We have put ourselves in a tight spot, you see once we make that life changing decision to follow Christ  we have to let that light shine, we cannot put it under a bowl, and hide it, it must be set out for the world to see. What happens when people see us hide our light? We slight God. We turn God into a punch line of sorts. Like the girl in the movie who the leading man will date, yet never goes around his friends with, nor takes the girl home to the parents.  He tells the girl he loves her, yet he is embarrassed to be seen with her. The Lord warrants much better! This is something that I struggled with for a long time. In the end what I found is that when you let that light shine, when you walk with Christ at your side….well the Lord takes care of  those relationships, in most cases those relationships that you were worried about actually improve. I know for me the people that knew me so well, are still in my life, they recognize that while I am different, it has been a change for the better. Don’t steal the chance from the Holy Spirit to work in someone’s life, let that light shine! Like any flame, if it is robbed of oxygen it will be snuffed out.

 

Peace,

Brian

Tuesday the 13th

1 Peter 1: 22-23

 

 ²²Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. ²³For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

 

Purity comes from  obeying the truth, however we cannot simply stop there, that truth brings about change, real change, tangible change that you can see and feel We are not simply called to love one another, but to love one another deeply…..from the heart. The King James version uses the word fervently from the Greek word ektenos meaning intently, without ceasing.  Here again it comes back to leading with love. Not just your everyday, I love you, but fervent love. An all consuming love that puts the needs of others before your own. Not just every now and then, but always, everyday. Not towards just the people we get along with, but specifically the people that we do not. This is a foreign ides to the natural world, yet it is a concept that we must each struggle with, so that we might understand it fully, and live it unequivocally. The next verse explains why we should fight for this all to well. We must radiate this concept that makes no sense to this world because we are no longer of this world. We live here, we must live in this world for sure, but we are not of it. We have been born again, we have been given a new lease on life, an everlasting and imperishable gift. We must shed not just our old words, but our old actions as well. We must work to reflect the love that Christ reflected so well while He walked this world. We have eternity laid out in front of us, but that path can only be lit with love….love of God and His Son, love of His word, and love of our neighbor. This is the love that will light the world, this is the love that will radiate the warmth that the natural world so desperately needs, this is the love that is ours to receive and to give. We have been purified, now we must take the next step and love.  

 

Peace,

Brian

Thursday the 8th

1 Peter 1: 4-5

into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

Of all the things we work for, of all the things we want in our life why do we so often work for our salvation the least? What are you working for right now? What has captivated you to the point that it is your main underlying thought for the day? Is it a car, a vacation, a home? Maybe your totally focused on just trying to survive the day, you think that, in and of itself, is enough, and so that is what you struggle for…..Why? All of that goes away, all of that spoils, breaks, weathers, and typically is quickly replaced by the next shiny thing you see! However you have something that is already set aside for you, something that will never fade, and will last this lifetime and beyond. As Peter reminds us here it is kept for you in heaven. That is the achievement beyond all achievements, that should be our focus. Notice how Peter points out that if you will just lead with faith, not only will you receive this inheritance, but you will be shielded by God’s power. God works for the good in the lives of all that love him, and are called to his purpose (Rom 8:28) If we will put him as our focus, if we will live our lives faith first, everything else second  we will claim that inheritance. When we lead with faith, the path becomes clearer, the day is more brightly lit, because we are walking in the light of the Lord. As a result our earthly lives become blessed as well. Why wouldn’t they? We are shielded by God’s power. We are more than conquerors. Weapons formed against us will not prosper. We have an inheritance waiting for us. It is better than all the gold or silver we could amass. It is there for the taking….will you take it? Will you let your faith lead the way, and allow God to shield you?  As always the offer is never rescinded, but you can refuse it. Anything that you might acquire in this world will fall away, salvation lasts for eternity. Will you live to collect that eternal inheritance?

 

May God bless and keep you,

Brian

 

 

Wed the 7th

James 5:7

 

⁷Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.

 

Paul could not have used a better example than the farmer to show how we must wait with patience. While the farmer waits, he is not idle. There is much work to be done to get ready for the harvest. Most of that work is tiring, and back breaking work. We have a lot on common with the farmer, while we wait for our spiritual harvest there is much work for us to do. So like the farmer we learn to work in faith. We ask for guidance, we pray for understanding, and we actively search out others to help in the work. Always searching, always moving forward, always full of faith that the Lord will provide the path when it is time to move. Patience is the key. We are on His time table not ours. While there is much to do, to try and force it would be a mistake. The Lord let’s us know when it is time to move, and we have to have the patience to work right where we are at until that time comes. The spiritual land we are on at the moment might need more work, or perhaps it is us that needs to take the time given to better our own understanding of the Lord, so that our work might be all the more fruitful. Whatever the case work with the patience of a farmer, trusting in God that our harvest will be bountiful. Bursting forth with the Love that is the Lord.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Monday the 5th

James 4:7

⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The devil will flee….and why wouldn’t he. His war was lost the day that Christ rose from the dead. As a result forgiveness, and salvation are ours for the taking. The offer is there everyday. Yet the world keeps the devil around. We feed him, we encourage him, and we entertain him. Many walk right into his snares everyday. Why would people do that? Because it is the easy path to take. Don’t want to take responsibility? Lie. Don’t want to work for what you want? Steal. Want people to think well of you when your actions don’t deserve it? Deceive. Why would the devil give up? Even knowing that he cannot win the war? One soul. One soul at a time is all he is hunting. There is record of hundreds of people coming to Christ as a group, at revivals, Church events, youth ministries. They walk in unbelievers, or skeptics, and leave changed forever soldiers of Christ. The devil never gets that. He is relegated to searching out the lost soul one at a time. It is your choice how you handle him when he comes to call…..and he does make personal visits. If you submit to God, then the devil has lost, oh he might hang around and tempt you a little, but he will not stay, he will move on to easier prey, after all his time is short, and he know it! Will you offer up yourself to the devil “just this once”, “no one will know”, “it is not really cheating”…..whatever the choice, it is yours to make. Will you sell yourself, and the Lord out for a temporary victory? Will you lie down with the world and back bite? Or will you choose to submit, will you choose to be the example of a child of God? We are more than conquerors, we are bound for glory far better than anything that this world holds. Do not allow the devil a foothold in your heart, reject him, his lies, and his temptation. Live your life as a beacon of hope, and love. Submit and radiate the love of the Lord. Let your life be reflective of the family you are a part of with God as your Father, and Christ as your brother….do that, and the devil does not stand a chance.

Peace,

Brian

Thursday the 1st

James 3:18                  

 

¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

 

Blessed are the Peacemakers. The problem is, all to often we think of the peacemaker today as the one who caves, the one who always suggests to “drop it” or the one who is always looking for a way to make the problem go away. I don’t know about you, but that does not sound like someone I want to be. However being a peacemaker does not mean that you are a punching bag, or a doormat. It does not mean that you turn a blind eye, nor do you have to be tolerant (compassionate yes, but not tolerant). As a matter of fact a true peace maker will seldom find themselves in a peaceful situation, if that was the case they would be a peace follower, not a peacemaker. By it’s very name you can see that one must be in the middle of a situation where there is not peace to create peace. Paul was a peacemaker, yet when you read his letters you can see that he took on the current issues of the time, and held to his faith. He projected that faith as the platform of his argument for peace.  While Christ was the best example of peace, he always held people accountable. HE was always ready for the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. While his goal was peace, He would not waver in His teachings. If we look at Paul and Christ as an example then we see that a peacemaker will live among conflict, they will use their resources to bring peace through understanding, They will bring peace through sticking to the saving faith, that comes from Christ, and standing on that faith they will lead, not through words, but through their actions.  Today, words are a dime a dozen, it is the person who acts, that shows conviction. Faith, leads to conviction, and conviction to action. Peace will follow, but it will come by the tireless effort of the peacemaker, showing the world the way. This is why the Peacemaker will be blessed, not because he found a way out of the struggle, but because he would not give up. Not because he caved, but because he built a life on faith, and lived that faith. Not because he gave up in the name of  peace, but because he will never relent in his struggle to bring the Peace of Christ to everyone he touches. There is a peacemaker in all of us, will we allow it to come out? Can we be strong enough to face the challenge head on? It can be a daunting, and tiring task, but nothing ever came from a life that was an easy one.

 

Peace,

Brian