Waging Peace

"Waging war" is costly, isn’t it? We read the news and see the costs of waging war in Iraq or in Afghanistan. The financial costs alone are staggering, with dollar amounts that have more zeros than I can compute in my simple brain. But, I’m not thinking merely of Iraq and Afghanistan. Waging war is costly on all fronts. Maintaining "wars" with people at work, school, the neighborhood, the church—and even in our families—is costly, too. There’s a price to be paid for not getting along with other people in our lives. What kind of price have you paid?

Interestingly, "waging peace" is costly, too. Seeking reconciliation ("peace") with people with whom we’ve had some falling out is costly. Embracing people who have such a different view of life is costly. Accepting people who are just plain "different" is costly.

The good news is, the price of "waging peace" has already been paid by our gracious Lord. How can we benefit from His gift of grace in our pursuit of "waging peace" in our relationships? What is the connection between the gospel of God’s grace and getting along with people that we find it difficult to get along with?

Sunday, January 17th we will look at this very issue in the morning services at Christ's Covenant Church. This will be a very timely and personal topic of discussion. In preparation for the sermon, why not start praying now for God to open the eyes of our hearts, that we would see the practical implications of how the gospel impacts our relationships—especially our "difficult" relationships? Take some time before Sunday to prayerfully read through Ephesians 4:1-6.

You can listen to the sermon on www.hisfameministries.com by Monday, January 18th if you miss Sunday and want to hear what you missed!