"Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:14 (NRSV)
Prodigal Thoughts: I nearly missed it, folks. I had to really read this verse a few times before I began to understand what God wanted to say today. When you deconstruct this verse, here is the basic information. Pursue everyone with the peace and holiness in God. Can you have peace without holiness? Possibly. Can you have holiness without peace? Yes. In Jesus’ time, there were plenty of folks that were stuck on their religion, but didn’t create peace around them. I’m speaking of the Pharisees. There are folks that follow the same concept of religion. Earlier in this chapter, the writer has been talking about the example of Jesus and how his true followers should be living out the same type of lives. Is there any room for error? I believe there is. That is why God deals in grace and mercy. He knows that we battle between being His or being of the world. The more we study His word and communicate with Him in prayer, the less we will find ourselves leaning toward the way of the world. So, what can we take away from this verse? Know that the world is searching for something to fill the God-shaped void in their lives and in their hearts. When you are provided an opportunity to be an agent of peace for someone else, take it. Step out in faith. God will lead you.
Prayer for today: Today, I pray that we would be agents of grace and peace to each other as well as those around us. That at the direction of our heavenly Father, we would take action to reach out and offer others the same peace that we receive through a growing relationship with God. Finally, I pray that we would view others not in a condescending way, but that we would have compassion in our hearts and hold out hope that they will come to know Jesus.
If you need prayer, please reply and I will pray for you. If you would like to talk about this verse or have questions, I’m always open for your feedback.
God’s grace on you…
Prodigal Thinker 