Peace and thankfulness

Colossians 3:15 (NLT)

15 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.

Here the apostle calls Christians to live in peace because the peace of Christ rules in their hearts. We are to live in peace with God, with ourselves, with our family and with all others.  We are to always be thankful for the work of thanksgiving to God is such a sweet and pleasant work that it will help make us sweet and pleasant towards all men.

According to new research from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity one out of five non-Christians in North America does not "personally know" a single follower of Christ. That's 13,447,000 people who don't have a Christian friend or even acquaintance. The percentages get higher for certain religious groups. For instance, 65 percent of Buddhists, 75 percent of Chinese people, 78 percent of Hindus, and 43 percent of Muslims in America do not personally know a follower of Christ.

Worldwide, the numbers are much worse: more than 8 in 10 non-Christians do not personally know a follower of Christ.

Todd M. Johnson, one of the researchers for the study, said that relatively small gestures—like inviting families into your home for Thanksgiving dinner—can have a bigger impact than huge mission campaigns. Johnson said, "You should really have lifelong friendships with Hindus, Buddhists, and so on. It's so simple, and yet it becomes a great deal." [Abby Stocker, "The Craziest Statistic You'll Read About North American Missions," Christianity Today (8-19-13)]

We need to make peace with all people and win them over as friends. We need to let them see the peace and love we have with Christ Jesus. We need to demonstrate the love of Christ to them in order that they might know Christ in a greater way. We can also pray those who are our enemies learn peace through our peaceful actions. Remember to always be thankful so you can find peace.