Peace/Conflict

29. April 2008 by Bernice Davis.

Good Morning: 

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Have you ever scarified dealing with an issue for the sake of “peace?”  We often avoid conflict because we don’t want to stir up any problems.  

While many people think that staying away from or not dealing with situations that could possibly result in arguments, ill will, hard feelings, tension, drama etc, is the right thing to do, it actually does not solve the problems nor does it give us the peace that we desire.    There can not be true peace without conflict.  Avoiding issues does not solve the problem and while you may agree to not discuss them, the problem still exists; we simply ceased from the discussions or decided not to deal with them because of the emotions that it will cause to surface.   

Peace is not to be sought out at the expense of righteousness.  What I mean by this statement is that biblical peace does not come without conflict.   As Christians we do not compromise righteousness or “right doing” just so we can avoid conflict.    

James 3:17 states “ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” True peace comes only from doing the right thing and sometimes standing up for what is right will cause major conflicts.   

Today, let’s memorize verse 18:  “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” 

Let’s think about all the situations we’ve tabled, avoided for fear of causing arguments, conflict, etc.   We really don’t have peace if we are not dealing with our situations; it’s simply an illusion of peace.  It’s still there and still shows up in our hearts, our emotions, and our mind.  When we can’t deal with something for fear of how the other person will react, then we’re truly not free.   Christ came so that we can experience freedom in every part of our lives and it’s a wonderful thing to be free. 

Tomorrow, we’ll continue our journey.   

 Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.   

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