Hey we arrived at the final chapter! This chapter was entitled "Overcome Evil With Good". God has been working on me lately in the areas of sinful worry and control. It is so easy for me to let my mind imagine every worst possible outcome of trials and conflicts. Then I find myself trying to anticipate and counteract circumstances that may never even occur. With God's help I've been attempting to more actively trust in God, and wait on Him. A few lines from page 253 of this chapter were extremely helpful in this fight against my sinful worry and attempts to control the future.
"It is easier to accept your limits if you have a biblical view of success. The world defines success in terms of what a person possesses, controls, or accomplishes. God defines success as faithful obedience to His will. The world asks, "What results have you achieved?" God asks, "Were you faithful to My ways?"*
One of God's ways that keeps striking me is the example He gave through the cross. Denying self and sacrificially giving out of love for others. I'm asking God to help me put on cross like love for others, and put off worry and control.
Thanks for following our blog. Not sure how regularly I'll be posting in the future, but I appreciate all who participated.
*Reprinted or adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande (Baker Books, 3d ed., 2003). Peacemaker® Ministries. www.Peacemaker.net.
Thursday, May 06. 2010
The Peacemaker Chapter 12
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In this chapter Sande says "Paul realized that a true peacemaker is guided, motivated, and empowered by his or her identity in Christ." (p 248) In Luke 9:23 Christ says "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." These words hit home to me on several levels. First is to deny self and take up cross. A person who took up a cross truly gave up any personal rights, or control over their life you only had one possible destination. To die in this case to self. Second, this action marks one who is a follower of Christ. It is the very definition of being a Christian. Last of all it is a daily action. We can never hope to live the Christ life unless we begin each day with renewed determination that today I can be a follower of the Christ life. As Sande spoke those words "empowered by...identity in Christ" I almost wept because our identity in Christ is only through His taking up a cross and being brutally tortured and dying for my ransom. In return he asks me to daily deny self and take up a cross to have my total identity wrapped up in Him not self or my rights. If we daily do as Christ asked we would be the greatest peacemakers possible because we would see ourselves no where in the picture of any issue. To me this chapter not only spoke to being a peacemaker but to literally living by Christ's definition as a follower of Him. That because He so first loved me I now must show my love for Him by crucifying self right out of any issue or situation.
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Jerry Brown
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2010-05-08 09:22
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