FLLOW PEACE- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Ezek 43 -45
FOLLOW PEACE Thursday, October 14, 2010
MEMORIZE: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you,  live peaceably with all men” (Roms. 12:18) READ: Romans 12:17-21 As a child of God, you are not supposed to engage in fleshly fights, strife and struggles with fellow human beings. Each time you take somebody up on a fight, you indirectly ask God to fold His hands and see how strong you are in fighting your cause. When confronted by foes who are ready to fight you with any available means, it is advisable to hand over that battle to the One who never loses any battle - the Lord of Hosts. He can even turn around a battle you had already lost. Are you cringing in defeat and counting your losses in sorrow? Do not despair. The Lord will come in and reverse that situation to deliver victory and joy to you this season. Just invite Him into that situation now. “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” (Ecc. 8:4). The fact that I recognize my status as a child of the Prince of Peace, is one reason I refuse to hit back at those who use the media to launch attacks at me. I am constrained to live out the mould of peace that the Prince of Peace has already carved out for me. According to the above scripture, our mouth is capable of causing much harm because of the tremendous power it carries. And if you must live in peace, you must tame your big mouth. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). You are called a peace maker so that you can make peace between God and men (Matt. 5:9). It is not easy to walk in peace with neighbors who are looking for every opportunity to hit you. Sometimes, they may want to ill - treat your children or wards in order to get at you. This is rife in houses which accommodate several families. How do you cope? To follow peace therefore means to avoid every avenue of trouble. It means majoring on your similarities and minoring on your differences: It also means never using any wrong done by your neighbor against the fellow. You would be very careful in your words, thoughts, actions and conduct so as to keep open a line of communication with them through which you can preach the Gospel. Following peace means accepting blame even when you are right. It means patience, long suffering, and loving the unlovable. It is praying for those who hate you - not to fall down and die but to live, get well, be blessed and succeed. It is to be ready to forgive offenders. Ask God for grace to follow peace. ACTION POINT: Examine your relationships with neighbors, co-workers and church members. List out the problem-ridden ones and prayerfully initiate reconciliatory moves.  N.B QUESTION? What should be our reaction to people who just want to disturb our peace? Should we just fold our hands, what practical step can we take? (Support www.10millionexercisebooks.com project. Lend a helping hand to this non-profit initiative to eradicate illiteracy). Ayo.