SOWING SEEDS OF PEACE
Part 2
Romans 16:20, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly."
How did you get on last week with sowing and speaking seeds of peace? You sowed a few seeds? That's great. You wished you could have sown more? Don't despair. Keep at it. Make it a habit and it will become a way of life. Here are some more seeds to sow.
Hold your Tongue for Peace
Perhaps this is one of the biggest ways to keep peace. It is so easy to spout off words that cause discord. It is so easy to react with words that cause pain or even incite rebellion. It is so easy to answer back when accused. I am always challenged by Jesus' reaction when he was accused:
Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth."
Matthew 26:62-63, "The high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace."
Matthew 27:11-13, "When he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word."
1 Peter 2:23, "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again..."
If we cannot give a soft answer, it is best not to even open our mouths! Wow! This takes self control, doesn't it? But the Holy Spirit, who is self control, lives within us to help us.
Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."
Discipline for Peace
This doesn't sound very peaceful, does it? We often think that if we rock the boat we won't have peace! But the opposite is true. Discipline precedes peace! Read that again. Yes, discipline precedes peace! If your children are playing up, disobeying, being defiant and causing havoc in the home, you won't have any peace. To get peace, you must deal with the disobedience or bad behavior.
One of my favorite Scriptures for parenting is Proverbs 29:17, "Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul."
Do you want rest and peace in your home? Don't gloss over disobedience. Deal with the issues. Sow loving but firm discipline for disobedient behavior and you will reap a reward of rest. Many parents have no rest. Their children are a constant hassle to them because they have not been trained. They constantly yell at them but their behavior doesn't change.
It is a joy to watch parents who live a life of rest. I think of my daughter, Evangeline, who has nine children. Her husband, Howard and she have trained their children to respond with instant obedience from the time they were very little. They have never allowed disobedience or defiant behavior. They dealt with it immediately. They have reaped a wonderful reward of rest. Their children, aged from 15 years to 16 months are extraordinarily behaved. They give delight to their parents and everyone who is around them. They can take them anywhere and trust their behavior. Evangeline lives a life of a queen for her children give her no bother.
Hebrews 12:11 reiterates this, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
I was quite taken aback when reading Romans 16:20 recently, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." You would think that when it speaks of God defeating the devil that He would be referred to as the God or War or the Lord of hosts (which is the Lord of the armies of heaven). It will not be a peaceful task to conquer Satan. It will be war and blood and tears. But, no. He is called the God of peace. I am sure this is because there can never be true peace while evil reigns and therefore it is the God of peace who wages war to bring peace.
If you have to have a little war before you have peace, don't be afraid. Covering over things will not bring peace. It is like a festering sore that will not heal until it is totally cleansed.
Keep sowing seeds of peace. We'll look at more next week.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"Lord, it is so easy to retaliate. Please help me to hold my tongue, and when I open my mouth, please help me to sow words of peace. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
I aim for peace, but not by compromising.
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