40 Days Pondering the Fruit of the Spirit
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 24 | NO LAW AGAINST THESE THINGS
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 24 | NO LAW AGAINST THESE THINGS
PURSUING PEACE
1 Peter 3:10-11
“For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.’”
Whenever I stop and look around our country and the world, I’m reminded that THIS – where we are now – is NOT heaven!
For one thing, we never seem to have any long-lasting PEACE.
A quick online search pulled up a Harvard listing of “all the main wars of the 20th century.” I counted thirty-five.
And already here in the 21st century, from the same source, I count THIRTY with MANY still ongoing.
So, what is the LORD trying to teach us in these verses from First Peter?
First, if we love life and want to see “good days,” we MUST keep our tongues from speaking EVIL and telling LIES. Second, we must AVOID EVIL and instead DO GOOD.
Before I continue, let me ask: Do you ever pay attention to what you SAY? Think: if you carried a recorder with you ALL DAY and then played it back, would you approve of everything you said that day?
Finally – and relevant to this conversation – we must “SEEK PEACE and PURSUE it.”
What that means is that we must be purposeful about it. We must make it a priority; we must DO SOMETHING.
To become a Child of God, we must receive HIM and BELIEVE in His Name. We must receive what the LORD has already done for us.
To acquire PEACE, there are things we must do as well. God wants us to live in PEACE, but it requires some focus, control of our mouths, and – to begin with- as it says in Romans 12:18… “as much as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
Prayer: Lord, I do desire more PEACE in my life. I also believe YOU are the Source of the Peace I need. Help me do it YOUR way and stop looking for peace in all the wrong places. Amen.
1 Peter 3:10-11
“For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.’”
Whenever I stop and look around our country and the world, I’m reminded that THIS – where we are now – is NOT heaven!
For one thing, we never seem to have any long-lasting PEACE.
A quick online search pulled up a Harvard listing of “all the main wars of the 20th century.” I counted thirty-five.
And already here in the 21st century, from the same source, I count THIRTY with MANY still ongoing.
So, what is the LORD trying to teach us in these verses from First Peter?
First, if we love life and want to see “good days,” we MUST keep our tongues from speaking EVIL and telling LIES. Second, we must AVOID EVIL and instead DO GOOD.
Before I continue, let me ask: Do you ever pay attention to what you SAY? Think: if you carried a recorder with you ALL DAY and then played it back, would you approve of everything you said that day?
Finally – and relevant to this conversation – we must “SEEK PEACE and PURSUE it.”
What that means is that we must be purposeful about it. We must make it a priority; we must DO SOMETHING.
To become a Child of God, we must receive HIM and BELIEVE in His Name. We must receive what the LORD has already done for us.
To acquire PEACE, there are things we must do as well. God wants us to live in PEACE, but it requires some focus, control of our mouths, and – to begin with- as it says in Romans 12:18… “as much as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
Prayer: Lord, I do desire more PEACE in my life. I also believe YOU are the Source of the Peace I need. Help me do it YOUR way and stop looking for peace in all the wrong places. Amen.