Devotional for Tuesday, September 6, 2016
“Being a Sower of His Peace”
by Dona Hake
James 3:18 (AMP)
Today let us look at the word harvest . This is my favorite time of the year! Seeing the corn maturing and everyone’s gardens are overflowing with so much abundance that they have to give it away. Let us look a bit closer at this word. Two definitions I thought were good:
a supply of anything gathered at maturity and stored:
as in a harvest of wheat.
and
the result or consequence of any act, process, or event
Now let us read this scripture from James 3:18Amplified Bible:
“And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].”
This scripture is showing us that the result or consequence of meditating upon God’s peace, holding fast to that peace and sowing that peace where it is needed will bring us a harvest of righteousness. This is the conformity to God’s will in our thoughts and in our deeds. In order to experience this harvest of righteousness we must be diligent to sow peace. If our heart is in anxiety and our minds are full of care we are most definitely not carrying the seeds of His peace and sowing them.
Paul spoke of Christ’s peace being like an umpire or referee in our hearts. His peace will settle all unrest and arguments that go on in your mind. Our hearts and minds are the center of all conflict because this is where our feelings and desires clash, our hopes and fears meet , jealousy battles with love, etc… Ask Him to help you listen to the umpire of your heart. He will instruct you in a way that peace will rule and reign no matter what. It is God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. Jesus indeed gives us peace that the world cannot give. It is as we allow this peace to rule that we will indeed be sowing to those around us.
Colossians 3:15- Amplified version
“And let the peace soul harmony which comes from Christ
rule act as umpire continually in your hearts deciding
and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds,
in that peaceful state to which as members of Christ’s
one body you were also called to live…”