First my confession...you may have noticed I missed my usual entry last Saturday and I have not written for the blog this AM either. I do plan to get back on schedule but for today I am sharing a piece written a while ago. I hope it blesses you!
Peace is not the absence of conflict—what a revelation to me! That simple statement opened my eyes to see the ugly idol I had served my entire life: the idol of “NO CONFLICT.” From the little girl begging her daddy not to argue with mom anymore to the co-worker who soothed all the ruffled feathers to the mother who cajoled, threatened and begged for peace, the idol was the same. The deceitful promise of ‘fake peace’ brought only frustration and a need for peace that remained unfulfilled. Understanding peace was the open door to receiving the blessing of the peace only Jesus Christ can give.
The absence of conflict without peace is a costly endeavor. It is an unloving, selfish pursuit which places little value on individuals and no value on relationships. It is a pursuit which masquerades under several aliases and catch phrases…”Live and let live!” “Be yourself.” “Be tolerant”. Yet it is all lies from the Father of Lies. Everyone loses when the Destroyer deceives. Individuals are not treasured or loved…they are disposable and replaceable. Relationships are shallow and meaningless. Fake peace is the antithesis of Christ’s ministry of reconciliation. It robs both the children of God of their inheritance in Christ, and it robs the very glory of God from our world because the sacrifices fake peace requires are the essence of God…truth, integrity and love.
God’s love for us and the extent of His willingness to suffer that we might return to relationship with Him must be our heart’s sole focus. The devil prowls about counterfeiting the Father’s treasures, yet Satan’s phonies offer only heartache and suffering. We must give our needs to the Lord and trust Him to give us the desires of our heart. We can never substitute the desires of our heart for worship and trust in Him or else even our good desires become idols. True peace, true unity of hearts can not be achieved with anything less than loving sacrifice…otherwise Jesus Christ would not have needed to make that tremendous sacrifice of Himself for you and me. God promised in Genesis to crush the head of the serpent. If you, like me, have had an idol exposed, allow God to crush it. Only then will we be free to sacrifice to the one true God and experience the fullness of the blessed inheritance we have in Jesus Christ.
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