Peace and the peacemakers

James 3:18 (NLT)

18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

And then, lastly, true wisdom will go on to sow the fruits of righteousness in peace, and thus, if it may be, to make peace in the world. And that which is sown in peace will produce a harvest of joys. Let others reap the fruits of contentions, and all the advantages they can propose to themselves by them; but let us go on peaceably to sow the seeds of righteousness, and we may depend upon it our labour will not be lost. For light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart; and the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

CNN.com told the story of Harmon Parker, a master mason who has found a unique calling in building bridges—literal bridges in Kenya.

One of the men who helps him is David Kakuko, whose parents drowned in a flash flood years ago because there wasn't a safe way to cross the river. "Before the bridge, there [were] so many people, so many who lost their lives," remembers Kakuko. "I know, because I have no parents. I have no parents, because this river took them."

Motivated by his desire to love and obey Christ, Harmon Parker came to Kenya and proceeded to build 45 foot bridges. They are simply designed, with an average length of 120 feet and an average cost of $6,000. He uses basic, local materials and always engages the people from the community to work and to help contribute.

According to the CNN article, he said, "I have built many bridges in very remote areas for the 'few and the needy' that a larger organization may not consider. Knowing this bridge will probably save at least one life is what makes me tick …. I build bridges because I want to save lives, lives that I will never know about."

Parker funded an organization called Bridging the Gap to help fund his work. He has paid a high price himself in experiencing long periods away from his family, being robbed at gunpoint, and contracting serious illnesses. Yet he says, "I feel I'm blessed … privileged to do what I'm doing. A bridge is a beautiful metaphor for many things. There are bridges of hope, bridges of peace, bridges of life. To me, bridges are beautiful." [Danielle Berger, "Transforming Kenya one bridge at a time," CNN.com (8-21-10)]

Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” There are many ways to bring peace into our lives. One way might be the building of a bridge so people will know the peace of safely crossing a river. Another is building bridges in relationships so that people begin to understand one another and feel the peace of a good relationship. Those who have wisdom, those who understand peace, know it takes effort to maintain peace that lasts.

Loving like God

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Some Bible translations describe love here as charity, but it is much more than charity we are familiar with. It is also much more than common love. It is love that is agape love. It is affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love. It is true love towards God and man that develops out of sincere and fervent devotion to God.

In On This Day by Carl D. Windsor, the page for Valentine's Day includes this anecdote: "Even the most devoted couple will experience a 'stormy' bout once in a while. A grandmother, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary, once told the secret of her long and happy marriage. 'On my wedding day, I decided to make a list of ten of my husband's faults which, for the sake of our marriage, I would overlook,' she said.

"A guest asked the woman what some of the faults she had chosen to overlook were. The grandmother replied, 'To tell you the truth, my dear, I never did get around to listing them. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, Lucky for him that's one of the ten!' "

God never gives up on us. His love for us endures even when we have turned away from Him. God’s love is patient and kind, not willing for any to be lost. God keeps no record of wrong, for when we are forgiven the transgression is far from Him. God does not rejoice when we fail, but instead is ready to help us. Let us all learn to love as God loves, loving all and never keeping an account of how we were wronged.

Loving others

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NLT)

13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Here the apostle describes love in its fullest and most extensive meaning – true love to God and man. Note that while men may claim many gifts that without love there is nothing gained.

Tim Sanders, leadership coach and former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! who urges managers and supervisors to let their subordinates know how much they appreciate them. Sanders advocates leading through loving in his book Love Is the Killer App, and from the platform of multiple leadership conferences. He often tells the story of a young manager named Steve, who was challenged by one of Sanders's radio interviews.

Steve resolved to visit each of his employees, all six of whom he had not seen face to face in over six months even though they worked in the same building and on the same floor. Steve wanted to tell each of them how much he appreciated them, and name one thing they did excellently.

After the visit from Steve, one of his software engineers, Lenny, presented him with an Xbox gaming console. Steve was taken aback, as he knew Lenny had taken pay cuts over the last year. But he was more surprised to learn that the money had come from the sale of a nine-millimeter pistol—a pistol Lenny had bought months earlier with the intention of killing himself. Lenny told him of his mother's death the previous year, and of his ensuing loneliness and depression:

I started a routine every night after work: eating a bowl of Ramen, listening to Nirvana, and getting the gun out. It took almost a month to get the courage to put the bullets in the gun. It took another couple of months to get used to the feeling of the barrel of the gun on the top of my teeth. For the last few weeks, I was putting ever so slight pressure on the trigger, and I was getting so close, Steve—so close.

Last week, you freaked me out. You came into my cubicle, put your arm around me, and told me you appreciated me because I turn in all my projects early, and that helps you sleep at night. You also said that I have a great sense of humor over e-mail and that you are glad I came into your life.

That night I went home, ate Ramen, and listened to Nirvana—and when I got the gun out, it scared me silly for the first time. All I could think about was what you said—that you were glad I came into your life.

The next day I went back to the pawnshop and sold the gun. I remembered that you had said you wanted the Xbox more than anything, but with a new baby at home could not afford it. So, for my life, you get this game. Thanks, boss.

"Sometimes people just need people," Sanders writes. "They need encouragement. You have no idea how lonely and sad some people might be. Love them everywhere—not just at home, but at work, or wherever you find them."

Grow your love for one another

2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NLT)

3 Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing.

We are bound, and it is our duty, to be thankful to God for all the good that is found in us or others: and it not only is an act of kindness to our fellow Christians, but our duty, to thank God on their behalf. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

Stephen Mansfield tells a true story about a church that had an incredible ministry to men. For years the driving force behind the men's ministry was a man named Taylor. His ministry rocked on for years, changing lives and impacting the community. But in the midst of a major transition within the church, Taylor got hurt deeply by his own community and he left the church. He wouldn't talk to anybody. People figured he'd come back eventually, but he didn't.

Finally, some of the men in the church took it upon themselves to reach out to Brother Taylor. After some discussion with the other guys at church they came up with a bold plan: they would set up camp in Taylor's yard—150 men! So they set up rotating shifts and said they wouldn't leave until Taylor came out. They had electric lines running from neighboring houses to power televisions. About twenty smokers and grills worked up some great barbeque food. They were in for the long haul! They even had big signs all over the place: "Taylor, come out." "We love you." "Taylor, we know you're in there."

Taylor didn't appreciate it. He even called the police on his former friends. As a matter of fact, the police showed up twice a day for almost a week. And every time they came, Taylor would came to the door to explain the situation. And every time the men camping in his year would explode with cheers until Taylor finished his chat with the police and went back inside.

But on the sixth day, when Taylor opened the door for the police and the men exploded with cheers, Taylor finally broke down and started crying his eyes out. He sputtered how sorry he was, and then he came out from his porch and greeted the guys who had camped in his yard and refused to go away. Such is the power of committed, persistent friendship. [Adapted from Stephen Mansfield, Mansfields's Book of Manly Men (Nelson Books, 2013), pp. 241-244]

Let our love for one another continue to grow. When others feel distraught or persecuted, let us show our love towards them just as God has shown His love towards us. May we all life up one another in love to help one another endure the hardships of life.

The pursuit of righteousness

Proverbs 21:21 (NLT)

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

What it is to make religion our business; it is to follow after righteousness and mercy, not to content ourselves with easy performances, but to do our duty with the utmost care and pains, as those that are pressing forward and in fear of coming short. We must both do justly and love mercy, and must proceed and persevere therein; and, though we cannot attain to perfection, yet it will be a comfort to us if we aim at it and follow after it. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

If you want to be recognized in life, be recognized for the important things. Let others speak of you favorably. Let them acknowledge your love for others. Let them tell how you helped those in need. Yes, above all pursue righteousness and unfailing love that you might find a life of righteousness and honor.

As King Solomon tells us in The Bible, what is life but a pursuit of futility? In Ecclesiastes he said, “I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”

Make your life meaningful, not by pursuing the treasures of this world, but by storing your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

The hope of God in you

James 1:2-4 (NLT)

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

We must not sink into a sad and disconsolate frame of mind, which would make us faint under our trials; but must endeavour to keep our spirits dilated and enlarged, the better to take in a true sense of our case, and with greater advantage to set ourselves to make the best of it. Philosophy may instruct men to be calm under their troubles; but Christianity teaches them to be joyful, because such exercises proceed from love and not fury in God. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

In his book Hope Is Contagious, (Zondervan, 2010), Ken Hutcherson shares a moment from his personal life that illustrates well the ability to foster joy in the midst of trying circumstances, even as he was battling cancer:

You can face anything in life—anything—and have that same inner peace and joy. And when you do, it's contagious. It lifts up everyone else around you. Isn't that the type of person you want to be? Instead of joining over and over again in the whining about how bad things are, just your presence shows others that, hey, life is still a wonderful gift we should all be enjoying.

[One day] I was relaxing in my recliner after having spent five hours in the emergency room the night before. I'll admit I was exhausted, and the pain medication wasn't working as well as I would have liked. I looked around and saw my family going about their lives as usual. Video games. Chores. Music. Laughter. My wife, Pat, was fixing breakfast. Even our new little puppy was settling into a comfortable routine and enjoying everyone's efforts to spoil him. A visitor stopped by to chat. Some friends from church surprised me with a birthday cake—I had almost forgotten it was my birthday. So there I sat, surrounded by so much goodness even as I'm feeling lousy. My favorite cake is staring at me, but I have no appetite. My eleven-year-old runs past me, and I don't have enough energy to grab him and wrestle him to the ground like I used to. I'm trying to have a conversation with my guests, but between the short night and the powerful pain pills, I can barely stay alert. And you know what I'm thinking? Can you imagine how close I am to being overwhelmed with what is happening to me?

The words practically shouted from inside of me: "Isn't God great? What a privilege to be his child!"

Often our bodies and minds want to tell us there is no joy to be found. The Apostle Paul experienced this as he sat in prison. There were times he was hungry, cold and alone. Yet Acts 16:25 tells us, “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” Even though Paul was still in prison he found the strength to sing hymns to God, which encouraged the other prisoners around him. In your struggles stay joyful that others may see the hope of God in you.

Praising God even in distress

Psalm 59:16 (NLT)

16 But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.

God's power by which he is able to help us, and his mercy by which he is inclined to help us, will justly be the everlasting praise of all the saints. [Matthew Henry]

On June 22, 2007, a hit-and-run incident left Daniel McConchie paralyzed from the waist down. Daniel says that since that traumatic day, "God has not healed my affliction, but he has taught me the power of lamenting to him about it." He adds:

To our detriment, one of the most overlooked portions of Scripture in modern-day America are the psalms of lament. However, David repeatedly demonstrated that laments make obvious our intense faith in God, that he can and will intervene in our time of need. They demonstrate just how deep our relationship with the Father really is. After all, we don't communicate our grief and mourning to strangers. We save that for those we truly know and love. [Daniel McConchie, Vernon Hills, Illinois]

In Psalm 59 King Saul had sent soldiers after David to kill him, but God’s hand of protection was upon David. While David wrestled with the distress he was under, David was still about to praise God for His unfailing love. God is a refuge and a place of safety when we are under distress. Let us always turn to God with a heart of joy and thanksgiving.