BIBLE PASSAGE:
Peacemakers who sow in peace
reap a harvest of righteousness.
(James 3:18)
MEDITATION:
Peacemaking – One of the characteristics of having spiritual wisdom
is, owning an attitude that loves peace. James expounds on the topic
of peace and the benefits of being a peacemaker.
In our daily choices we either ‘sow to the flesh’ or ‘sow to the Spirit’.
Our thoughts and actions plant the seeds that affect who we are and
the impact our lives will have for God. The ‘flesh’ wants to live without
the Lord and act independently. This attitude of independence doesn’t
go away when we are saved. We still have a nature that wants to be in
control and have everything we want, when we want it.
However, the Holy Spirit frees us from slavery to the flesh. When we
are sowing to the Spirit, we are accepting God’s truth into our heart
and mind. When we feed our spirit with the things of God, we become
stronger in our faith and we behave in a more Christ-like manner. We
also learn that we are not designed to be independent, but are to rely
on God to fill our minds with thoughts and actions that are pleasing to
Him.
James tells us that those who live by God’s wisdom not only ‘love peace’,
but they also ‘make peace’. Look at what Jesus says about peacemakers.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
What could possibly be better than being called a ‘child of God’?
People can call us all kinds of names, but I doubt that many
would refer to us as a child of God.
James also says that we stand a better chance of living a righteous
life ‘if we have a peaceful attitude’. He could be referring to an inner
peace, as well as peace with others. We can easily lose our inner peace
whenever we yield to temptations from Satan.
There are things that can jeopardize our peace with others, such as ego,
pride, envy, anger, bitterness, gossip, being judgmental and holding a
grudge, just to name a few. The underlying cause of most of these can
be attributed to selfishness. Selfishness wants everything its own way
and any time it doesn’t happen, character flaws like the ones just listed
will often surface.
ACTION:
James has given us a lot of things to think about. If we want to measure
our status and consistency as a Christian, we should ask ourselves the
following questions:
By what standard do I measure
myself – the world’s influence, or God’s Word?
How honest am I about recognizing my own faults?
Do I spend a lot of time pointing out the fault of others?
How consistent am I in what I say?
Do I gossip, use profanity, etc.?
Am I rude and inconsiderate of others when they are speaking?
Do I spend most of my time speaking about the things I have and my
own accomplishments, or do I ask questions of others and give them
an opportunity to tell me what is going on in their lives?
How consistent are my attitudes and actions?
Do I let changing circumstances
change my relationship with God, or with others?
Can others depend on me, or do they know that
my dependability is affected by my mood or circumstances?
What kind of example and testimony is my life?
Can others see the characteristics of the Lord in me?
To what degree do I reflect Christian attitudes and actions?
To what degree do I reflect non-Christian attitudes and actions?
What impact does my life have on the non-Christians who know me?
What influence does my life have on children, youth, and new Christians?
What impact does my life have on members of my own family?
If I were the only Christian a person knew, would my words and actions
lead him or her to Christ, or would they lead them away from the Lord?
What do I do when I recognize inconsistencies in my life?
Do I confess my sins to God,
or do I try to find ways to justify my actions and attitudes?
Do I seek God’s help in overcoming
my weaknesses and developing a Spirit-filled life?
Do I try to maintain control of my life,
or do I surrender control to the Holy Spirit?
Note:
When we submit to the Holy Spirit, we give Him control
of our words, attitudes and the decisions we make. We
also allow Him to guide us in our interactions with others
and in our prayer life.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for being our God of
Peace and NOT a god of confusion. Since You have
chosen to ‘make peace’ with mankind by giving us
an opportunity to fellowship with You as a result of
what Jesus did for us, help me to be sensitive to the
importance of promoting peace with others, even if
they choose not to be at peace with me. Remind me
that Jesus chose to be peaceful even though others
were opposed to Him and His sharing of the ‘good
news’. He set the example of the characteristics His
followers should have as they strive to become more
like Him. Give me the courage and wisdom to set
aside my selfishness in order to become a more
peaceable follower of Jesus.”
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