Have you ever noticed the power of walking? It's so simple,
one foot in front of the other and repeat. And yet, it can be so powerful.
Martin Luther King marched towards Civil Rights. Ghandi walked for peace. But
what do you do when your feet get sore?
We wear shoes, right? Combat boots, sandals, tennis shoes,
you name it. Shoes protect us from the hazards of the road. Did you know God
has something to protect us on road too?
When I was in Sunday school learning about the Armor of God,
there was one piece I always felt was kind of funny. My teacher called them the
Sandals of Peace. I couldn't fathom how sandals or peace could be protective or
any part of armor. It took me a bit too realize that the Sandals weren't
like God's Air Jordan's. They were a metaphor... (yeah, at eight years old I
didn't know what a metaphor was...)
So what does peace have to do with armor? I mean isn't peace
the opposite of war?
Peace is Preparedness
Ephesians 6:15 speaks of facing the world with, "your
feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."
The Gospel of Peace is God's word found in the Bible. From
His gospel we gain the instruction and advice to prepare us for the world.
Think about it. The bible had answers for everything, for fear, for death, for
marriage, for money... it's the greatest guide for life. If we are fitted with
it, we are prepared to face the world and it's dangers.
Additionally, the Bible actually gives us peace! What
greater peace is there than to know eternity is waiting? What greater peace is
there than to know God walks with us in this life? That we are in His hands?
There is none.
But I think God gives us this readiness from the Gospel
of Peace for more than just our own peace of mind. I think He gives it to us to
pursue peace for others, for everyone, not just fellow Christians. After all,
Jesus came to bring peace on earth... the whole earth. That means
peace for people of all races, citizenships, ethnicities and orientation,
peace for men, women, children...for EVERYONE.
Peace is Not a Commodity!!!
We've seen people who claim to be Christians commit
atrocities. The Crusades killed thousands of people, different sects of
Christianity have prosecuted people of different religions and orientations,
and the truth of Christianity has been damaged and forgotten by these
acts. Yes, the Bible says that non-believers are sinners without
grace, but we seem to think that their sins are greater than ours. Somehow
there seems to be an idea going around that since we are Christians we ought
persecute sinners and cleanse the world of them. But that's wrong.
Remember that Jesus was prosecuted and attacked, but he
NEVER did the same. He loved and forgave everyone.
We aren't God's judge and jury. We aren't His
task force. He doesn't need us for that. HE is the judge, jury, and task force
all at once. No, we are His disciples. We are told to love our neighbors, to
forgive the sinner. We are to be His ambassadors of love, and more importantly,
of Peace.
How do you expect non-believers to see God as forgiving and
kind if we are not? How are we to preach to the masses if we support racism,
cruelty, and perpetuate hate?
How can Christians truly show God's holiness if we choose
the sin of hubris, believing we are better than our brothers and sisters
because we know the Lord? We are supposed to desire to show them God's love,
which knows no limits and is for all people.
How can we know God's peace when we seek to set limits on
its capacity and power? God is greater than human hate and fear, and He desires
us to be the champions of His peace.
It is so easy to hate and fear those who are different. It
is so easy to think that because we are saved by God, we are better than
others. We are not better than our fellow humans. We are still humans. But we
are saved by grace.
Remember that we are made in God's image, but sin mars
us. We know God's holiness. As Christians, we ought seek to emulate and
seek to act with holiness. Being holy doesn't mean wearing white robes and
speaking in Latin. It means acting as the Lord desires--loving our neighbors,
turning away hate, and acting with peace in our hearts.
Remember Hebrews 12:14,
"Pursue peace with all men, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."
Today pray for peace. Pray for your own peace, for the
world's peace. If you live in America, pray for peace among our people. We are
divided right now, and as believers, we should ask God for peace, not for war
or for vengeance against those we disagree with.
"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to
console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen."
-St. Francis of Assisi
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