Being Right or Having Peace

BEING RIGHT OR HAVING PEACE

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  (Romans 12:18)

            VICTORY is that moment in time when WAR ends and PEACE begins.

Victorious Christian living should not be a constant warfare. The great apostle says that we should choose peace over being declared right. Many a relationship is destroyed by the insistence on being right.

            You can be right and know you are right without anyone else recognizing it. We need not insist on having our way as much as just telling the truth.

            When our children are very small we can “make” them do what we want. As they older grow we lack the power to control so that is not our task. BUT it is always our task to warn (speak the truth).

            We had a bad accident on the railroad involving 127 cars but no injuries. At the trial, the engineer was asked about running the red-light. He admitted to knowingly disobeying. The fireman, who was in the engine, was asked but before he could answer the engineer said, “He warned me but I told him to go to He...!”

            Now the Conductor was 127 cars away. They asked him if he had heard the conversation on the train radio. He said he had.

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            They asked, “Did you warn him?”

            “NO”

            “Why not?”

            “You heard what he told his fireman. He wouldn’t listen to me,” was the conductor’s reply.

            “It was not for you to control the engineer but to warn him!”

            The Engineer and the Conductor were given 30 days suspension.

            I thought, pastors, teachers, parents and partners are not responsible to control but they are to warn. 

We must speak the truth, not enforce it.

I know the truth but if I speak it they’ll not change their ways,

So let me keep silent all of my days.

“Not so,” said our Master.” the truth must be heard.”

We must speak, in love, all of God’s word.

Not to cause conflict, debate, war or strife

But that they might know how to live a Godly life.

They must not be able to say they were not told.

May God give us courage to speak and be bold,

Not as an enforcer, that’s the Holy Spirit’s work,

Just be the informer and do not ever shirk.

Rev. George H. VanSandt was my pastor growing up and has been a great influencer on my life. He is a contributor to the Keswick Devotional, Real Victory for Real Life

Team YOU: Numbers 7-8; Proverbs 24; Mark 4:21-41

Motivations: Heroes are not the ones that never fail, but the ones who never give up.

Ed Cole

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Ephesians 3:8; Level 2: Ephesians 3:1-7

Powered Up:  Before you pray for a change of circumstances, you should pray for a change in character. John Allan Lavender