Saturday, August 22, 2015

Pursue Peace

Hebrews 12: 14-29

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
18 For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.


The bible is plain and simple, but ask yourself are you?  Do you want things, the way you want?  Do you consider yourself a perfectionist?  Is it your way or the highway?  Just like we set standards and decide what we will and won’t do, the God who runs our universe does as well.  His breath has been blown into us so we are doing what He does we’re just doing it against His will, which is why we are not receiving the promises and blessings we desire.  We’re striving for all things that we believe will bring peace to our lives.  But, God said in Matthew 10: 34-39 do not think I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  He says our enemies will be those of our household.  The sword is our bible and it is to cut and define us into holy vessels.  And if we place anyone above His word we are not worthy to become His disciples.  We are to lose our earthly lives and train in holy ones.  We will not remain on earth forever; we are to live in a new heaven that calls us to be holy to get in.  God says pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see Him.  That is how we’re to train ourselves in this fight with the enemy who has our brothers and sisters consumed with this world.  The bible outlines many traits we are to take on to turn ourselves into holy beings.  And as we do this you will learn more and more how the enemy has blinded us to God’s truth.  There is an inheritance that God wants to give us here on earth and life everlasting in eternity.  But if His standard and protocol for living on earth is not learned and shared we should not think we will receive anything.  The living God is here and watches our every thought and interaction with man, so it is up to us to take on His word and commands, then execute them.  Verses 28-29 says “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  For our God is a consuming fire.”  Pursue Peace.

Bless us Lord as we pursue Your peace not our own,

Vincent Young, Christian Analyst.



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