So then, let us pursue [with enthusiasm] the things which make for peace and the building up of one another [things which lead to spiritual growth]. Romans 14:19 AMP
Have you ever tried playing drums?
It seems to be the musical instrument that most like to just mess around on, but the majority of those individuals have a hard time just playing a simple beat.
Why? Well, in order to play that ‘simple beat,’ it requires you to have all four limbs work together while moving at different times. Kind of like rubbing your stomach in a circular motion with one hand and patting the top of your head with the other. Not so easy, huh?
Before you give up, if you are an aspiring drummer, just like with anything else, Practice makes Perfect! As you devote time to practice, you will overcome that ‘mental block’, and train your mind to allow your arms and legs to unite, live in harmony, and be effective.
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV
In order to work together, there may be times when you must put aside YOUR wants and plans, and work towards the benefit of others (Rom. 14:19).
We know that there is strength in unity and weakness in division.
So…Why is it so difficult to get on the same page? How can we see eye to eye?
You must get past the ‘mental block’ that keeps you from “dwelling together in unity,” as stated in Psalm 133:1, and “start pursuing the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another,” as stated in Romans 14:19.
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:3 NLT
Unity doesn’t happen accidentally. It happens on purpose.
Are you ready to live in harmony with one another?
Into a world that is ugly with violence and hate, Jesus sends us as peacemakers.
Ravi Zacharias states, “Where destruction is the motive, unity is dangerous.”
On the flip side, “Where kingdom-building is the motive, unity is essential.”
Peacemaking is not the absence of conflict, nor is it the avoidance of strife.
The person who glosses over the problems, acting as if everything is alright when it is not, is not a peacemaker.
A working definition of a peacemaker is someone who is actively seeking to reunite people to God and to one another.
Christ has destroyed the barriers people build between themselves. Because these walls have been removed, we can have real unity with one another.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. John 14:27 NKJV
The peace that Jesus offers is confident assurance in any circumstance.
The peace of God moves into our hearts and lives to restrain these hostile forces and offer comfort in place of conflict.
Blessed are the Peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 NIV
Peacemaking takes time and a lot of emotional energy. It is like crossing a fast-moving creek on slippery rocks. The journey is needed. The work is risky. And, sometimes you fall. You get bruised. And, sometimes you don’t make it across the stream.
And, let’s be honest, sometimes, peacemaking doesn’t work.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he exhorted, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18).
We are to live at peace with everyone. That is a pretty clear command. But Paul adds that all important phrase, “If it is possible.” Sometimes peace isn’t possible. There are those who just go through life picking fights with everyone they meet. You can’t always live at peace with people like that. However, let’s focus on the phrase “as far as it depends on you.”
The mark of a Christian is the ability to get along with other people.
We have a God-given, scripturally-directed responsibility to pursue peace. The apostle Paul declared, “God has called you to peace” (1 Cor. 7:15). Does that mean we agree with everything others say or do? No. Sometimes we agree to disagree, agreeably.
God wants his children to be Bridge Builders.
What can you and I do to build those bridges of peace? What steps, what methods, can we employ to actively reunite people to God and to one another?
Honor God in how you treat others.
Are you bringing sorrow, or pleasing God with your attitudes and actions?
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 ESV
A peacemaker never says anything about another person that he or she has not first said to that person directly.
Remember, “God has called you to peace.”
So then, let us pursue [with enthusiasm] the things which make for peace and the building up of one another [things which lead to spiritual growth]. Romans 14:19 AMP
Are you a Peacemaker?
Pastor Daniel Heraldez