Sowing the Seeds of Peace

      I Peter 3:10-12 said we must seek peace and pursue it.  We must chase peace down and grab hold of it.  But that is not always easy.

      Satan continually attacks, trying to knock us off balance and keep us from capturing peace whether with God, others or within ourselves.  As with the other fruit of the Spirit, however, we do not need to fret, we need simply to sow seeds that will bear God-glorifying peace.

      In Romans 8:5-8; 15:13, Paul explained that peace comes from having faith and being spiritually minded.  Certainly, you can already see where this is going.  Romans 10:17 said, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”  If we want to have faith and become spiritually minded, producing peace, we have to sow Bible study.

      I am sure by now, “Bible study” sounds like a repeated phrase on a scratched record.  With every fruit we have learned to study our Bibles.  However, it is amazing how much fruit such a simple seed will bear.  Why else would Satan work so hard to keep us from sowing this seed?

      We must take this further.  Paul said that those who are spiritually minded walk according to the Spirit.  When we read our Bibles, we must make sure to find something to apply to our lives that very day.  Then we must do it, no matter how we feel.

      In John 16:33, Jesus said we would have tribulation in the world, but peace in Him.  How can we have both at the same time?  By remembering that He has already overcome the world.  Each day, along with reading our Bibles, we should meditate on the victory in Jesus (cf. I John 5:4-5).

      Pursuing peace is not something we do alone.  Rather, II Timothy 2:22 said we should pursue peace along with those who call on the Lord.  If we want to have peace, we must sow time with one another.  What better way to have peace than by spending time with each other, loving each other and encouraging each other?  That is certainly more peaceful than spending time with people who will mock our faith and influence us to do wrong.

      If we want to have peace with others, then we need to sow the seed mentioned in Romans 14:19.  We must edify others.  Our time with others should be spent trying to build them up – even with those who have tried to tear us down.  We should not treat others as they have treated us, but rather in the way we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).  Every day we ought to consciously say or do something to build someone up.  We should even pick out someone who is not that easy to get along with and specifically work to build them up.

      We must have peace with God, with others and within ourselves.  How many of the seeds of God-glorifying peace can we plant this week?

Edwin L. Crozier