Romans 12.18 Kind of Peace

I think it’s safe to say most people want peace. Oh, there may be a few knot-heads out there, but for the most part, we want PEACE! In a television interview, Barbara Walters asked the successful actor Richard Dreyfus, “What one thing do you want that you don't already have?" His answer was instant, and one word, “Peace.” 

For many, peace is an elusive thing because they search for it like love … in all the wrong places. You’ll never find peace in alcohol or drugs or relationships. Not ultimately, anyway. Real, lasting peace comes from the Child who was born, the “Prince of Peace,” Isaiah said [9.6]. He also had it right when later he said, “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked” [48.22].

The Apostle Paul would also wrote about that peace. It affects our lives in many ways, but I’ll only touch on three of them.

1. There is peace with God. "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” [Romans 5.1]. When our sins are forgiven, there is no condemnation that is rightfully deserved of those who are guilty before heaven’s King. 

2. There is internal peace. This peace is the by-product of simply abiding in Christ. “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” [Philippians 4.9]

3. Where possible, there is peace with others. This one is made more difficult because it doesn’t solely depend on you. That being said, we must do everything we can to achieve it [Romans 12.18], which means you work hard to make peace with your spouse, your children, your parents, your siblings, your employer or employee, your classmate or teacher, even your ex (yikes!).

Achieving a Romans 12.18 kind of peace usually requires humbly sought after forgiveness. My Dad used to say, “If you mess up, fess up!” Those aren’t exactly Bible words, but they certainly express its intent. When we seek forgiveness, God is pleased and, typically, the offended party will respond in kindness — not always, but I have found that true in most cases. 

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Romans 12.18

Chopped!

One of my favorite TV shows is “Chopped.” It’s a cooking competition show where four chefs have to turn “mystery ingredients” into  extraordinary meals. The ingredients they are given don’t always seem to go together. (For example, in last night’s episode, the ingredients for the dessert round included: jalapeño cornbread, sirachha suckers, fresh pineapples, and white chocolate.)

When the allotted time has run out, judges taste the dishes that have been prepared. The one who makes the least tasty meal gets “Chopped.”

Do you see where I’m going with this? God takes the experiences that befall us in life and, no matter how strange they may be, makes something for our good and His glory from them. 

Joseph is a great example of this. His “mystery ingredients” included hatred and betrayal from his siblings, accusations and lies from his employer’s wife, and darkness and gloom from years of imprisonment.

God was able to take those ingredients and make a masterpiece! When Joseph caught up with his brothers years later, he told them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” [Genesis 50.20]. 

It’s amazing what God can do with everything that happens to you. Trust Him no matter what. When God works in the kitchen of your life, He will never be “Chopped!”

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8.28

Choose Your Attitude

Do you know a Christian who is, what I affectionately call, a Jekyll and Hyde believer? You know what I mean, don’t you? That person that you’re never quite sure who you’ll be encountering. One day he’s bright and cheery. The next day he bites your head off just because you said, “Good morning,” to him. Maybe there’s another question here: Are you like that? If you are growing in Christ likeness, and being controlled by the Holy Spirit, your ever-increasing consistency will be a testimony of your faith.

Have you ever thought about choosing your attitude? I believe you can, and so did the Psalmist. When you get cranky or moody, do what the Psalmist did, and have a good heart to heart talk with yourself …

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42.11

I haven’t run across a better quote on attitude than this one by Chuck Swindoll:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.” (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/267482)

Amen, Brother Swindoll, Amen!

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let those who love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!” Psalm 40.16

Our BIG Problem

If you’re considering encounters between God and man, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more dramatic one than Moses’ encounter with God in the Midian desert. He was eighty years old at the time, tending his father-in-law’s sheep. That’s when he met God who told him to bring His children out of Egypt.

Moses was stunned, like we would have been, right! He asked two questions: “Who am I?” and, “Who are You?” 

In my mind, the first question was more of a statement than a question. Here’s my expanded version of it: “Are you kidding me? There’s no way on earth that I can pull that off!”

God didn’t waste time answering that question. Why? It’s irrelevant. It didn’t matter who Moses was. Nor does it matter who we are when we say the same thing to God. All that really matters is who is on your side. If it’s the “burning bush God”, you’re going to be OK.

The second question is really the important one. “Who are You?” That’s the heart of the issue. Who He is, is the only thing that matters with any assignment. “I am, “ God said. When I say, “I am,” I have to finish the sentence: “I am Rick.” Or “I am writing this eDevotion,” etc. But with God, “I am” is enough. It’s a shortened version of, “I am always present in the fullness of my power,” and “I am everything you need.”

Our big problem is that we spend entirely too much time on “Who am I.” Thinking about ourselves and how inadequate we are only exacerbates the problem. We constantly ask, “I am I really able to do this?”

Well, ask no more. The answer is “No!” But wait, there’s more. The answer is also “Yes!” The truth here is that we are not able, but God is able. Stop wasting time thinking about yourself and spend more time thinking about who God is and what He can do. Add to that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3.11

The Source of Greatest Joy

It’s hard to imagine the ominous assignment that Jesus gave to seventy of His followers. Even His verbiage would cause a measure of foreboding. “I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves,” He told them. I don’t know about you, but that is not a particularly encouraging picture to me!

But they returned “with great joy saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name’” [Luke 10.17]. Their rejoicing was a result of their successful mission and because they exercised power over the demonic realm.

Rather than joining in their celebration, Jesus used the occasion to teach His disciple a great truth. He told them there was a source of joy greater than having power over demons. What was it? That the ultimate source of joy shouldn’t be derived from our successes, rather, that our names are recorded in heaven [10.20]. The foundation of Christian joy is the assurance of our salvation, knowing that our names are recorded in the Book of Life.

Knowing that we are forgiven, that our sins have been remitted and taken away, creates a joy like nothing else. It’s like the stanza from an old hymn:

I have found the pleasure I once craved,

It is joy and peace within;

What a wondrous blessing, I am saved 

From the awful gulf of sin.

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory

And the half has never yet been told!

The guilt of sin deprives us of peace with God. Salvation restores our brokenness. The guilt of sin leads to sorrow. Salvation leads to unspeakable joy — joy that lasts forever. 

Successes in ministry come and go. Moments of delight fade away as quickly as they arrive. The joy that comes from knowing you have been cleansed “from all unrighteousness” [1 John 1.9] is the only joy that will survive all the ups and downs of life!

But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are recorded in heaven. Luke 10.20

A Matter of Perspective

In Romans 12.3, Paul says Christ followers must keep things in a proper perspective. That’s part of the transformed mind he urged each of us to have. There are really two major issues to bear in mind if we want to keep things in the right perspective: Remember who God is, and remember who we are.

That mindset can only lead to humility. The realization of who God is should keep us from thinking too highly of ourselves. Paul often used a word to describe this; sober-minded. A sober-minded Christ follower will neither think too highly of himself nor too lowly of himself. That is a problem for many. One day we are harsh and critical of ourselves, and the next day, lax and overly forgiving. Paul urges accurate judgment.

In his next breath, Paul explains one of the means to keep the right perspective, that is, God gives “spirituals” [gifts] to the body of Christ [12.4-8]. We need these gifts because we are not complete in ourselves. This is, again, where sober-mindedness comes to play. As we evaluate how God has gifted us to serve His body, we understand that we are vessels; it’s not us, it’s God working through us. There’s that humility thing again!

Realizing who we are and how God has gifted us to serve is the way we make the best contribution to the church, the body of Christ. So, be sober-minded in evaluating your gift. Likewise, be prayerful in evaluating the gifts of other Christ followers so they can best serve Christ also. 

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.  Romans 12.3

Decisions in Times of Trouble

Saul was desperate, why wouldn’t he be? His son had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, enraging them. And now, a Philistine army was marching on Israel. Saul and his men were at Gilgal. They had been instructed by Samuel to wait for a period of time, about seven days. He would join them to offer sacrifices and give them advice as to what to do. During that time, the fearful soldiers in Saul’s army were deserting in droves.

They waited the specified time, but Samuel had not yet arrived. Rather than waiting for Samuel, Saul took matters into his own hand. He gathered the required elements to make the appropriate offerings, knowing full well that he was going against the clear instructions of Israel’s prophet. Even more significant, and worse, more tragic, Saul took action without the divine guidance Samuel promised to bring. 

Was he merely impetuous? Or worse, prideful? Regardless, instead of eagerness for divine counsel as the threat grew, he trusted in his own ability to ascertain what he should do in that time of crisis. 

To say it was a bad decision is an understatement. As a result of his decision, his dynasty came to an end. No son from his body will succeed him on the throne. Moving forward, God will have a King, “a man after [God’s] own heart” [1 Samuel 13.14].

Samuel left, leaving Saul without divine counsel. At one point Saul couldn’t wait for God’s word to come, and now, he would have to go on without it. All that remained for him was to number his troops and hope for the best. 

There is no excuse for disobedience, even in times of trouble. Our actions must always be compelled by God’s word — especially in times of trouble! 

Do you know someone facing a fiery trial right now? Are you facing troubling times? If so, let’s pray for each other, asking God to help us to prove ourselves faithful.

“You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13.13-14