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Language of Peace

On a warm summer day, a young girl,
the older sister, teased her younger brothers until they retaliated.  When their Mom tried to make peace between
her children, the peace was short-lived. 
This Mom then explained to the children what was happening.  Speaking to her daughter, she said, when you
provoke your brothers, they will, of course, want to hit you.  You are causing their retaliation. 

Then This Mom added, “It hurts me so
much, that my three children I love very much, fight. The daughter heard her
mother, and her words pierced her heart. 
She caused her Mom heartache by her behavior.

Words can hurt, words can provoke
anger, words can be weapons that kill the spirit of an individual – no matter
how young or old.  Words can promote
unrest or peace.  It matters what words
we use.

As I observe the world and its
plethora of words zinging across the ether world, I see hurt, chaos and death
following in a cloud of darkness. 
Between nations, between people, between family members and in God’s
house the hurting words proliferate.  The
right to get even begins early and grows exponentially through the years unless
checked.
While reading God’s Word today, I
came across these healing words.

In
this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or
uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that
matters, and he lives in all of us. 
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe
yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and
patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who
offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
 Colossians 3:11-13

Jesus Christ is all that matters –
it is not our fragile ego that matters. 
He lives in us.  He chose us; He
loves us.  No matter where on earth we
live, our culture, slave or free, Jew or Gentile – He loves us.  Why does he matter?  Because He created us – and He loves us so
much, He came to this earth to save us from our sins, which are many. 

How difficult it is to understand
there is more than this earth.  Living in
this world is not all there is.  We are
chosen to be his holy people.  We are to
make allowances for each other’s faults and forgive anyone – ANYONE – who
offends us.  Even as the Lord forgives
us, so we must forgive others.  Are
forgiving others too hard?   And we
stutter with an unforgiving heart – “But, but, but, you don’t know….!” 

Now the list of words that make us
God’s Holy Children, the Children of Light….when we understand and follow Him.
Tender-heartedness, Mercy, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, and Patience.  These are nouns that turn into Holy attitudes
and behaviors.  This way of thinking
leads us to the Fruit of the Spirit. 
These behaviors can only be lived through the Holy Spirit we receive
when we accept Jesus as Lord and Master. 
These behaviors bring Peace, Forgiveness, and the Joy of Jesus… 

There are places of peace of sounds
and sights all around us.  We hear the
sweet song of the brook as it wends its way. 
The birds sing their praise to God perched in a tree. The wind sighs and
pleads with us to know its Maker.  The
falling raindrops create a song as they dance on the leaves of the trees.  The lazy cloud that drifts through God’s
skies gives us peace, as does the laughter of innocent children.  
God gives us sight to see and know
his peace as we watch a young deer lope across a field or rabbits hopping
through the tall grass.
  Fish swimming
lazily in a river delight us as does a vineyard laden with ripened fruit.
 

As time goes on, the tastes of
comfort and peace God ready us for the Peace in Life Eternal.  These are the words of Jesus – “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind
and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be
troubled or afraid.  Remember what I told
you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved
me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am.
  John 14:27-28

How am I doing in the Language of
Peace so closely related to Love?  I find
these questions in Gary Chapman’s book – God Speaks Your Language of Love:
1.  How do I most often express love to other people?
2.  What do I complain about most often?
3.  What do I request most often?
When we listen to the language we
use – and others hear – is this what we desire? 
Are our words filled with Love and Peace and Joy?  Do they wound or heal? Are we concerned more
with our rights and desires?  Is our
Language directed at others wounding our God who loves us all? 

 Now
may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and
soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 1
Thessalonians 5:23
 – May God give you more and more grace and peace
as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.  By his divine power, God has given us
everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by
coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory
and excellence.  2 Peter 1:2-3      

 – Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God
the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with
us who live in truth and love. 2 John 1:3

Comments? eacombs@att.net