Seeds of Peace

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:17-18 NLT)

God's presence within us brings a wisdom that helps us deal with the things of this world, including dealing with people who may be a little hard to deal with at times. It is peace loving at the very core and therefore, it takes relationships with others very seriously and sets them as a priority. We cannot be bitter and represent Christ to the world. We cannot be angry and expect others to desire his presence in their lives. It is this gentle, peace loving, yielded spirit that makes others curious about what is 'different' within us from all the others they see.

God's presence within will manifest in many ways, but perhaps the most profound thing about how it is manifesting is in how we treat others who may not be behaving in a very nice manner. Others may demand to be heard, seen, and listened to, but God's presence within us is content to be gentle, sincere, and peaceful. It isn't that we need to shout Jesus from the mountaintops - it is that we need to live pure and holy lives. This is the most effective means of sharing Jesus with others - behaving in such a way that it is a direct contrast to the way most of the world lives.

While one who has made Christ the center of their lives will not seek the 'limelight', it will become evident to those who deal with a Christ-follower that their choices are 'different', almost as though the 'purity' of our lives comes through louder than any words could ever describe. Favoritism has no place because we know God loves every sinner - desiring that ALL would come to repentance and invite him to be the Lord of their lives. Choices we make yield a different type of fruit - there are positive outcomes even when others don't always see those outcomes from our choices.

While this world goes about multiplying its sin, a Christ-follower goes about multiplying his goodness and grace. The planting of seeds of peace may seem like it will be hard, but it yields a crop way beyond anything we sow. Choosing not to pick a fight isn't always the easiest thing, but it may just be what yields the biggest of harvests! At least it will yield the 'better' harvest in the end. Just sayin!