Dressed For Peace
LAMPLIGHT DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”
Psalm 119:105 (NIV).
“Living From the Eternal Perspective”
A Devotional From
PATHH Ministries
DATE:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
HEADING
Dressed For Peace
By Teddy A Jones
TEXT (Col. 3: 13 - 15)
13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. [MSG]
COMMENTARY
“The Personnel Journal reported this incredible statistic: since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than eight percent of the time! In its study, the periodical discovered that of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace. Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treaties were made--and broken.” That was up to 1988. Certainly if we add the various forms of war at the personal and inter-personal level, and the ‘peace treaties’ between warring communities the figures rise astronomically!
Among the garments that the disciple who operates from the heavenly, Christ-dicated perspective is encouraged to wear are pieces that make for peaceful living. Peaceful living even in the midst of such statistics. One could indeed say, given those statistics it behoves us to be dressed for peace as described in this text.
The spirit of gentleness, making allowances for the faults of others, ready and willing to forgive strike at the very heart of the spirits feeding violence. Youths are told to ‘kill or be killed,’ ‘don’t take any disrespect from anyone,’ ‘the best way to forgive your enemy is to give him a bed 6 feet under.’ The police inform us that a big percentage of the murders committed are reprisal killings. There is a general lack of a forgiven spirit in the nation. The disciples who are dead to the world are called to lead by example in this difficult matter. It is the reality though that the spirit of revenge is just as rife among the disciples as it is among the war torn lines of political tribalism. It takes deliberate planning and execution to be dressed for peace.
Something to Meditate on:
Am I as ready to forgive others as Christ forgave me?
A decision I need to make
I will begin to explore and write down the issues/factors that make it difficult for me to be gentle, forbearing and forgiving
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”
Psalm 119:105 (NIV).
“Living From the Eternal Perspective”
A Devotional From
PATHH Ministries
DATE:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
HEADING
Dressed For Peace
By Teddy A Jones
TEXT (Col. 3: 13 - 15)
13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. [MSG]
COMMENTARY
“The Personnel Journal reported this incredible statistic: since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than eight percent of the time! In its study, the periodical discovered that of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace. Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treaties were made--and broken.” That was up to 1988. Certainly if we add the various forms of war at the personal and inter-personal level, and the ‘peace treaties’ between warring communities the figures rise astronomically!
Among the garments that the disciple who operates from the heavenly, Christ-dicated perspective is encouraged to wear are pieces that make for peaceful living. Peaceful living even in the midst of such statistics. One could indeed say, given those statistics it behoves us to be dressed for peace as described in this text.
The spirit of gentleness, making allowances for the faults of others, ready and willing to forgive strike at the very heart of the spirits feeding violence. Youths are told to ‘kill or be killed,’ ‘don’t take any disrespect from anyone,’ ‘the best way to forgive your enemy is to give him a bed 6 feet under.’ The police inform us that a big percentage of the murders committed are reprisal killings. There is a general lack of a forgiven spirit in the nation. The disciples who are dead to the world are called to lead by example in this difficult matter. It is the reality though that the spirit of revenge is just as rife among the disciples as it is among the war torn lines of political tribalism. It takes deliberate planning and execution to be dressed for peace.
Something to Meditate on:
Am I as ready to forgive others as Christ forgave me?
A decision I need to make
I will begin to explore and write down the issues/factors that make it difficult for me to be gentle, forbearing and forgiving
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