Peace to you

A typical day in the life of a mother usually involves conversations like this:

Child One: "Stop looking at me!"
Child Two: "I'm not looking at you!"
Child One: "You're a jerk!"
Child Two: "I know you are but what am I?"

(Someone then gets hit with something; screeching, whining and screaming sounds ensue).

Child Two: "Mom!"
Child One: "He started it!"
Child Two: "I did not!"

Mom (in a patient, saintly tone): "Now boys, that's not very nice. You're brothers and brothers are special. Say your sorry to each other and give each other a hug. Let's not fight again, okay?

(Boys nod their head, hug each other and apologize. They are then the best of friends forever after).

Okay, so obviously that last bit was idealized and fanciful. Most likely mom has heard this fight play out in variations throughout the day and is at the end of her patience. She's exhausted her admonitions on how true Christians should behave and is now threatening to punish the devil out of them if they don't start acting right. No doubt she made them apologize to each other, but they did so through clenched teeth, never turning their back to each other and plotting their next attack when she leaves the room...and she knows it.

As the mother of four children I can verify that peacemaking is a gruelling job that can make a person feel as if they are stuck in the movie "Groundhog Day." The same basic territorial disputes, insults and infractions play out day after day with mild modifications. The same principles are applied, various punishments used, in the hopes that one day they'll understand the value of peace, and learn the recipe for achieving peace.

The Principles of Peace:

1) You can't have peace and have pride (aka arrogance) at the same time; they cancel each other out.
2) You can't have peace and selfishness; has the same effect as pride

The Ingredients of Peace:

3) You must have humility to attain peace; someone has to admit it if they're wrong
4) You must have a sense of repentance to have peace; someone has to be sorry if their wrong
5) You must have a love of righteousness to attain peace; a desire to see the right thing done to bless everyone involved
6) You must be merciful to attain peace; if you hold a person's faults against them, you can't be at peace with them. Forgive the person who is wrong.
7) You have to be unmaterialistic to have peace; if you want something you have no right to too much you'll fight to get it. If you are unmaterialistic, you will share what you have with those who lack in order to increase their peace.

Peace is one of the greatest treasures of heaven. God lives in peace, He loves peace, and He is the consummate peacemaker.

This is not to say that He never goes to war. Sin was/is a declaration of war on peace; a declaration of war on love; a declaration of war on God. Because sin (any sin, and every sin) violates Love, it destroys peace. God is Love and as such can never act contrary to Love, thus He is at war with sin.

Yet, rather than annhilating His enemies (that would be me and you - unless you've fallen into the strange deception that you are without sin) - He became a peacemaker, to reconcile us back to Love, back to Peace. He did this through Christ, the humble, forgiving, merciful One Who loved righteousness more than His own life. Through Him, only Him, we have peace with God.

Following in His steps, we are suppose to become peacemakers in the earth; at work, at home, at prayer, at church, with friends. We must treasure peace as Christ does, constantly accumulating the ingredients within us in order to make peace. In this way we will satisfy Love, and show ourselves to be His true children.

Matthew 5:9 (NLT), "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."

Peace, of course, is more than not being at war. In fact, sometimes peace can only be acheived through war - war on unrighteousness, specifically. As Christians, we are engaged in a battle every day between our soul (mind, will, and personality) and our spirit (where the Spirit of Christ lives). These two are opposed to each other and peace can only be acheived through battle with the unrighteous desires within. But the aim is never war, though war may come: the aim is peace and the preservation of peace.

As James 3:18 says, "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."

Ironically we may have to strive for peace. It is difficult, sacrificial, painful at times; but it is never thankless. Don't surrender. Peace be with you.....