Continuing our teaching on peacemaking, Pastor Femi Paul showed us that peacemakers should be distinctly attractive in a world increasingly marked by conflict, strife and turmoil. Philippians 2 calls us to live without complaining and division, becoming a breath of fresh air and giving people a glimpse of God through the way we live. While Scripture warns of a culture where people become quarrelsome, difficult to reconcile and even unwilling to make peace, the children of God are called to be different: peace-loving, gentle, reasonable and quick to mend fences. Peacemaking, however, does not happen automatically. God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, calling us to work at restoring our relationships with one another. James 3 reminds us that healthy communities are built when we do the hard work of getting along, treating one another with dignity and honour, being willing to listen, yield and extend mercy. Every response therefore plants a seed. When we choose peace, we plant seeds that can produce a harvest of goodness. Peacemakers don't merely desire peace; they work for it, plant it and help it grow. Prayer: Lord, thank You for reconciling me to Yourself through Jesus Christ. Make me a true peacemaker: gentle, reasonable, merciful and quick to mend fences. Keep strife, quarrelling and division far from me. Give me the wisdom and humility to do the hard work of getting along with others, treating everyone with dignity and honour. May I plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness. Amen.
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