December 09, 2019

Advent 2019 - Peace

Devotion for the Week...

The month of December is just galloping along, isn't it? It's already the second week of Advent, which focuses on peace.

Not that long ago I read these verses: "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful" (Colossians 3:12-15).

Living in peace with others requires forgiveness and a willingness to overlook faults, that's for certain, and doesn't that sound like exactly the prescription our world needs? I definitely feel that the world needs more people willing to try to live at peace with others.

I find it interesting that not once does Paul say that in order to live in peace with others we need to change their behavior. Instead, it's all about changing our own behavior and our reactions to the behavior of others. We are to clothe ourselves with mercy, kindness, gentleness and patience, he wrote. We are to forgive others and make allowances for them.

Amazingly, this is exactly how God created peace between Himself and us. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8). Jesus wasn't born because humanity was perfect and at peace with God. He was born because we were lost and in need of a shepherd. He was born because we needed redemption, which only He could provide.
Mercy and forgiveness go a long way towards creating peace | DevotedQuilter.com
Now, because of the redemption Jesus provides, we have peace with God. Also because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit living within us, we can extend mercy and forgiveness to those around us. As God has shown us, mercy and forgiveness go a long way towards creating peace.

1 comment:

  1. "Living in peace with others requires forgiveness and a willingness to overlook faults, that's for certain"... So true, and sometimes SO difficult! We've just finished dealing with my dad's estate, and overlooking faults and forgiving has been one of the most challenging aspects of the process.

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