The Advent Adventure- 11 Days to Christmas: Peace On Earth
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“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
Romans 12:18 (ESV)
Christ came to bring peace to us and the Triune God. When Jesus descended from Heaven to Earth, His plan and purpose was to restore a broken humanity. The brokenness we all carry has three parts to it. The first part is the hurt and pain we cause ourselves by choosing what we deem best over what God has designed us for. This causes God's good and perfect gifts to decay within us, and our souls begin to rot. The second part of the hurt is that we can no longer be connected to the perfect source of love. We break ourselves off from the true vine and can no longer produce fruit. That connection severed is our own doing. The third part of the hurt is the damage we do to others. We may be able to convince ourselves that our sins and choices are isolated, but in reality, our deeds, whether noble or sinister, will infect our brothers and sisters. We need all people to realize our interconnectedness and the necessity of constructing peace with each other. Christ came to bring peace on Earth so that brothers and sisters can live in harmony together.
Our role as Christ imitators should reflect His heart for Peace. We should be seen first and foremost as peacemakers. This can be particularly hard to do if you plan on ever being in close proximity to another human being. The closer we get to someone, the easier it becomes to disagree, argue, fight, or build animosity. Today, in large part due to social media, we don't have to be all too close to anyone in order to begin building disgust. Simply looking at several tweets, posts, and pictures gives us "all the information" we need to cast judgment. But this is not why Christ came into this world. His whole purpose was to restore unity to Himself so that we could find peace with each other. John, writing to fellow Christians in 1 John 4:20, says, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." He makes a bold claim that if you say you love God, you cannot hate a fellow believer. A difficult thing to practice, but a pursuit that reflects our own heart.
So where does that leave us as we conclude our week of Peace and move on to the next week in our Advent Adventure? What if you have been unloving towards people close to you? Maybe not even aloud, but deep within your heart? I would encourage you to take time to do "your" part. Romans 12:18 puts it plainly, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Our goal as believers is to do what we can to live in harmony. Turning the other cheek, not responding to petty comments, having to shoulder more of the responsibilities, caring for those who have hurt us, and forgiving those who have wronged us are all things that Jesus did. These are also things that we are being called to do as well. We will most likely have bad moments, but don't let that discourage you. As G. K. Chesterton so aptly put it, "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."
Let's make it a goal starting today to find one way that we can embody peace. Begin to pray for those people who are hardest to love and easiest to judge. They probably need God's peace more than anything. As always, be careful what you pray for. Typically, I find if my prayer is for patience, God sends me traffic. If your prayer is to see peace restored on this Earth amongst our brothers and sisters, don't be surprised when 'That' person shows up at the Christmas Party.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.