Aren’t you tired of all the negative floating around out there? It seems that no matter where we turn for relief or respite, negativity finds us. It has been many years since our nation has been so divided. Political parties seem to be the worst these days, most politicians no longer working to better the country, but to besmirch and beat “the other guy.”
Our jobs, our homes, everywhere we look we see strife. And unfortunately, this kind of strife has worked its way into the very fabric of our spiritual lives, into our churches. For generations, members of the same Christian family have looked upon different denominations and congregations as inferior, in the wrong, a blemish on God’s true church. And it is not only limited to the larger scale; we find this strife much closer.
In the game of “He Said-She Said,” of striving to win (whatever that means), the thoughts, consideration and feelings of others take a back seat, sitting along side “doing what’s right,” in a vehicle bound for nowhere any of us would want to be.
At times, most of us forget that we are here to do the right thing, not the easy thing. It is easy to give in, to fight, to tear down. But God, in His Word, tells us what we are to do in this life. We must chase after those things that foster peace in and among us, to find those things that edify, or build up, the spiritual strength of one another.
Strife, animosity and anger destroy the person having these feelings, damage the recipient of those feelings, hurt the testimony and spiritual growth of the entire congregation, and diminish the effectiveness of the Lord’s Church. Does it seem worth it?
It most certainly takes hard work and determination to forgive, to set your heart on Godly things, on what He is pleased with, on what is right. Right is not always easy to do, but it is what God expects of His children. The only way to be able to do the right thing is concentration and patience. You must continually concentrate on the right thing, making the decision not to give into anything else, and practice it at all times, so that it gets easier.
This is not to say that pursuing the things that make for peace and that edify one another will someday become the easiest thing in the world. What it does mean is that you learn how to do it effectively, and you are more likely to avoid saying or doing things you will later regret. It is a lot like losing weight. If you’re on a diet and weigh yourself three times a day, you will soon get discouraged because you don’t see much progress. But if you weigh yourself once a month, the results are dramatic.
As you begin focusing on and practicing the things of peace and edification, you might find it extremely difficult and not see much progress, but slowly and surely, the more you practice it, the more progress and success you will see.
We need to flee from those things that tear down and destroy peace, because they are killing us emotionally and spiritually, on so many levels. The world, our churches, our homes, are in desperate need of building up, of a sense of the peace God has promised His children. What decision will we make? What will be our legacy? When people think of or remember us, will they recall a Godly person who strove to seek peace and build up others, or someone who tore apart the hearts and lives of others, and was less than peaceful?
There is more at stake than just you and me. The integrity of God’s church, the appeal of the Christian testimony, and the success of the Lord’s kingdom are also determined by our faithfulness to this commission to pursue the things of peace and edification. Life is too precious and too short to do pursue anything else, and when it comes to peace and edification, it is a worthy, wonderful pursuit.
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