What If?
As I was driving to church Sunday morning, the Lord brought the Peace Prayer of St. Francis to mind. It's not a prayer I think about often...really at all if I'm being honest. But on my drive to church the first line of that prayer came to mind,
"Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace."
Make me an instrument of Your peace...
I googled the rest of the prayer when I got to church and had it up on my phone throughout the service, even looked at it from time to time that morning.
Make me an instrument of Your peace...
What does that mean to be an instrument of His peace?
Being an instrument of His peace must be really valuable, because His Word tells me,
"Blessed are the peacemakers." Matthew 5:9
I googled the rest of the prayer when I got to church and had it up on my phone throughout the service, even looked at it from time to time that morning.
Make me an instrument of Your peace...
What does that mean to be an instrument of His peace?
Being an instrument of His peace must be really valuable, because His Word tells me,
"Blessed are the peacemakers." Matthew 5:9
As His follower, I am called to be a peacemaker, and I am called to be an instrument of His peace. It's a peace that doesn't come from this world, but only from Jesus.
"For He Himself is our peace." Ephesians 2:14
"For He Himself is our peace." Ephesians 2:14
Make me an instrument of Your peace...
What if?
What if I always chose to love my neighbor as myself?
What if I chose to love the difficult one's by leaning into Jesus more?
What if I chose to do the brave things and shut down gossip and slander, hypocrisy and judgement with kind words and loving actions?
What if chose to move in the Spirit moment by moment?
What if every time I want to move in my flesh I actually choose the harder way, the way that calls me to die to myself, my wants, my desires.
What if I chose to live unoffended?
What if I chose to live unashamed and free of guilt, which is what He died for?
What if I chose to live with my heart on my sleeve and my hurts and vulnerabilities exposed? So when asked how I still have joy and peace, I will have all the more reason to give an account of who Jesus is and what He has done for me?
What if I lived as an instrument of His peace?
What if I always chose to love my neighbor as myself?
What if I chose to love the difficult one's by leaning into Jesus more?
What if I chose to do the brave things and shut down gossip and slander, hypocrisy and judgement with kind words and loving actions?
What if chose to move in the Spirit moment by moment?
What if every time I want to move in my flesh I actually choose the harder way, the way that calls me to die to myself, my wants, my desires.
What if I chose to live unoffended?
What if I chose to live unashamed and free of guilt, which is what He died for?
What if I chose to live with my heart on my sleeve and my hurts and vulnerabilities exposed? So when asked how I still have joy and peace, I will have all the more reason to give an account of who Jesus is and what He has done for me?
What if I lived as an instrument of His peace?
What if I chose to speak life and not death!
What if I chose to just......speak......less......sometimes......
SHHHHHH.................................
What if I sowed love where there was hatred?
What if I pardoned injury?
What if I replaced doubt with faith?
What if I chose hope over despair?
What if I always remembered I am His light to a lost and hurting world?
What if everyone around me were to see me, even in my darkest hour, and see that I still have joy! Because my joy doesn't come from this world.
What if instead of needing to be consoled, I consoled?
What if I stopped demanding to be understood and in turn I tried to understand where my brother or sister is coming from?
What if I just chose to love without keeping tabs on who is loving me?
Jesus loves me, and that is more than enough.
What if I gave never expecting anything in return?
What if I always chose to forgive?
What if I chose to wake up every day and say not my will, Father, but Your's be done?
What if I decided to care more about what my Father thinks of me than what anyone else thinks about me?
What if instead of telling my brother or sister they aren't seeing clearly, I realize I may not be seeing clearly either?
What if instead of telling my brother or sister they aren't hearing clearly, I realize I may not be hearing clearly either?
What if I truly lived for an audience of One?
What if I didn't take anyone's side but Jesus'?
What if I counted my suffering joy?
What if I considered everything "a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." Phllippians 3:8
What if every morning, the first thing I did was drop to my knees and said, "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace."
The enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy. He comes after our relationships. They are easy targets for him when we walk around with weapons of destruction on us. We are easy targets when we walk around with an arsenal on us ready to attack. How easily we forget our Savior went to the Cross without ever once pulling out weapons to attack! He didn't even open His mouth. He went to the Cross on our behalf, and it was for the joy set before Him! (Hebrews 12:2)
We carry weapons around in our back pockets. We hold weapons in our hands. We carry around the biggest weapon of all, at all times...our tongues. We are so quick to fight!
I can be so quick to fight.
What if I chose to just......speak......less......sometimes......
SHHHHHH.................................
What if I sowed love where there was hatred?
What if I pardoned injury?
What if I replaced doubt with faith?
What if I chose hope over despair?
What if I always remembered I am His light to a lost and hurting world?
What if everyone around me were to see me, even in my darkest hour, and see that I still have joy! Because my joy doesn't come from this world.
What if instead of needing to be consoled, I consoled?
What if I stopped demanding to be understood and in turn I tried to understand where my brother or sister is coming from?
What if I just chose to love without keeping tabs on who is loving me?
Jesus loves me, and that is more than enough.
What if I gave never expecting anything in return?
What if I always chose to forgive?
What if I chose to wake up every day and say not my will, Father, but Your's be done?
What if I decided to care more about what my Father thinks of me than what anyone else thinks about me?
What if instead of telling my brother or sister they aren't seeing clearly, I realize I may not be seeing clearly either?
What if instead of telling my brother or sister they aren't hearing clearly, I realize I may not be hearing clearly either?
What if I truly lived for an audience of One?
What if I didn't take anyone's side but Jesus'?
What if I counted my suffering joy?
What if I considered everything "a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." Phllippians 3:8
What if every morning, the first thing I did was drop to my knees and said, "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace."
The enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy. He comes after our relationships. They are easy targets for him when we walk around with weapons of destruction on us. We are easy targets when we walk around with an arsenal on us ready to attack. How easily we forget our Savior went to the Cross without ever once pulling out weapons to attack! He didn't even open His mouth. He went to the Cross on our behalf, and it was for the joy set before Him! (Hebrews 12:2)
We carry weapons around in our back pockets. We hold weapons in our hands. We carry around the biggest weapon of all, at all times...our tongues. We are so quick to fight!
I can be so quick to fight.
We are so quick to fight with words that come out of our mouths. We praise God, then curse our brother and sister. Out of our mouths come praise and cursing. This shouldn't be! (James 3:10)
Father, forgive me for I have sinned.
What if we put down our earthly weapons, and instead picked up instruments of peace?
What if?
What if WE BECAME instruments of peace?
What if we put down our earthly weapons, and picked up our Kingdom weapons, and in doing so we started to dismantle the feeble attempts of our adversary to kill, steal and destroy?
What if it's as easy as loving like Jesus?
What if it started with me?
Father, forgive me for I have sinned.
What if we put down our earthly weapons, and instead picked up instruments of peace?
What if?
What if WE BECAME instruments of peace?
What if we put down our earthly weapons, and picked up our Kingdom weapons, and in doing so we started to dismantle the feeble attempts of our adversary to kill, steal and destroy?
What if it's as easy as loving like Jesus?
What if it started with me?
Comments
Post a Comment