How exactly are you to keep peace with people and treat them as precious? Whether it’s in the church or in your marriage and family, Paul gave us some really great specific ways in which to keep peace in our community. In today’s devotion, let’s look at 4 vital ways he gave us to keep peace in our relationships.
“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT
1. Live a life worthy of your calling.
The best way to live worthy of your calling is to live to please God and not men. You can’t please all the people all the time. You must choose who to please and you will live at peace with yourself.
2.Treat others with humility and gentleness
Humble people are teachable. Humble people don’t look down on others. Humility values each person and his or her calling and purpose in that church. As members of a congregation, we first of all endeavor to remain teachable to God and ready to change our thoughts and actions when God reveals things through His Spirit or Word. But secondly, being teachable means to receive the message the pastor ministers. And thirdly, being teachable can be to listen and learn from others in the church body.
3. Be patient and make allowances for faults
Patience goes a long way in dealing with the church family. Church members have opportunities to practice patience toward the pastor for his faults. Pastors also practice patience toward church members who may be at fault at times.
4.Keep united in the Spirit and bound together with peace
When we remember we are called together to do something valuable for God through our church in our community, then it is vital to stay connected. When we are united in spirit, we choose to agree on the big picture and vision so much that it overlooks the minor differences we have between each other. Peace binds us together and is the atmosphere in which the Holy Spirit loves to work. A great way to guard peace is to not repeat offenses or gossip about others within a church. In every marriage there are many differences of opinion, but for the sake of the family we choose to stay married. Let’s try the same perspective in the church. Instead of departing every time we have different opinions about things like music and the building, let’s stay for the greater good and help build our church community!
