HOLY PURSUIT OF PEACE

Hebrews 12:14  

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

Living in peace with everyone is one of the toughest things we will do. Peace is not the absence of conflict, but a by-product of commitment. We will not always feel like loving the people around us, but we must pursue peace in order to propel people toward Jesus. A lack of effort to live in peace develops a bitterness inside us. When we allow bitterness into our hearts, we’ll find ourselves mad at people over things they didn't do to us. Disappointment grows into resentment and fills our relationships with jealousy and negativity. Holiness leads to peace, but a lack of holiness is a critical obstacle to a close relationship with Jesus.

A right relationship with Jesus leads to a right relationship with others. We cannot live in peace with others if we are creating conflict and destroying trust. Our actions and attitudes will either facilitate or frustrate our ability to communicate the Gospel and cause either peace or pain in the process.

Peace and holiness are to be our spiritual condition as well as our spiritual position. As His children we are already at peace with God because He forgave us our sins by grace through faith. But we are also to make every effort to maintain the inner peace of God that surpasses human understanding by maintaining a mind that is stayed in Him.

Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled or fearful." It is as we turn the eyes of our hearts upon Jesus and fix the thoughts of our minds on Him that His peace, like a river, will flood our hearts, and His holiness will become a practical reality in the life that is consecrated to Him. We are holy unto the Lord because we are set aside by God and positioned in heavenly places in Christ, and we are to be holy because the Lord our God is Holy.

We are to be holy by setting ourselves apart for Him, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord, surrendering to Him in every corner of our lives and every attitude of our being, surrendered to Him for His praise and glory through time and into eternity. We have little control over who we meet, but we have complete control over how we respond. Without peace, our attitude will add to the burden others carry instead of adding to the unity others need. Through Jesus, we can make every effort to live in peace with others!!!

Father, thank You for this day and that we have been redeemed, sanctified, and set apart by You because we are Your blood-bought child. Lord, pour out Your abundant blessings upon my friends and family today. Lord, our desire is that our lives are truly holy and set apart for You, in thought, word, and deed. Lord, we have so often soiled our garments by pursuing things other than Your perfect peace, Your Holy purity, and Your Godly will for our lives. Lord, help us to keep the eyes of our hearts fixed on You and we pray that the life that we now live in this body may reflect our heavenly position in You. Lord, use my friends to be a witness of Your mercy, grace, and peace to all today.

Father, we love You. Amen.