The Wisdom of Peace
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December 08, 2013 |
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 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
For us to be able to accomplish our works well in every area; whether it is our family, school, place of work, or business field; we need wisdom to have peace with everybody. If we have such wisdom, we can affect and inspire many people and garner their hearts. Then, how can we receive the wisdom of peace with all men?
1. The spiritual meaning of peace
One dictionary defines peace as 'freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations'. But the spiritual meaning of peace is 'to have a broad and generous heart that is capable of loving everyone'. God wants His children to have peace at all times.
It is easy for us to have peace with the type of people we like, while it is hard with people we don't like. But if we love God we have to have peace with everyone with a broad heart. But as long as we do not have goodness in our hearts, it is difficult to maintain peace no matter how much we try. It is because if we encounter a situation that we do not like, our hearts will become agitated.
Therefore, we must have peace with ourselves in order to have peace with others. To do this, we have to realize and cast off all forms of evil such as hatred, jealousy, arrogance, pride, and uncomfortable feelings. We can have peace with ourselves only after we finish our struggle against sins and cultivate a sanctified heart. Then we can have peace with our spouses, children, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Furthermore, we can then have peace with God, too.
To have peace with God means there is no wall of sin standing between God and us. And, to have peace with God we first have to cast away all forms of evil so we can have peace with ourselves. Those who have peace with themselves can have peace with others too.
Jesus maintained peace with everybody. He did not have peace only with those who were good, well-educated, gentle, and obedient. He served and had peace with those who lacked knowledge and education, and He even served and had peace with sinners and tax-collectors. To make peace between God and men, He died for the mankind who were all living in sins and evil.
2. The key to success is the wisdom of peace
Now, why does God say it is wisdom to have peace with everybody?
First, it is because peace is the key to resolution of everything in the will of God. It is also the passageway of blessings to bring down God's power and grace.
Some people have great knowledge and elevated social positions yet they are humble and are on favorable terms with people of various backgrounds. Others in similar positions look down on others from their arrogance. Even though they may have exceptional intelligence and abilities, they can suffer misfortune if they despise others and break peace with people.
There was a person called Cho Kwang Jo in the Chosun Dynasty. He wanted to proceed with extensive reformation for the king and the people. He wanted to get rid of evil practices in the old ways of politics and make the country rich and strong. The king also supported him in the beginning. But because he was too progressive, he caused other ministers to oppose him. Eventually he was falsely accused and was put to death. If he had been a little bit more gracious in his resourcefulness, he might have seen his dream come true.
A person may do many great things in his job, but does not have a good reputation with others. Others may say that he insists on his own ways and wisdom to an extent that it hurts the feelings of others. This kind of person ignores the opinions and situations of others, and he just does things his way. His ways are on a collision course with his subordinates and superiors alike. Though a person may have ability and also produce good results, if that result is gained by breaking peace, in the end it is without wisdom.
There is another reason why peace is said to be wisdom. It is because once peace is broken, it is difficult to experience any works of God.
Peace is important in accomplishing God's works. One may be very intelligent and may have good skills and talents, but it would be difficult for him to be used if he breaks peace. It is the workers who plan the things and do the work, but it is God who gives them the fruit of their labors. But if we break peace while working, it means we are giving Satan a chance to bring accusation against us. Then, God cannot work for us anymore.
Even though men work hard with the best of their wisdom, they cannot bear good spiritual fruit. Suppose there is a person who has talents and also passion for the work of God. But, when the leader assigns work to the person, there seems to be always some kind of trouble that arises. He may even cause difficulties for others. Then, the leaders cannot assign work to him.
Therefore, it is great wisdom to maintain peace while accomplishing works of God. Even though we may not have sufficient capability, when we are united in peace, God will give us greater ability and guarantee a good overall result.
3. To have peace, cultivate goodness in your heart
To have peace with all men, we have to cultivate goodness in our hearts. Those who break peace might not think they are evil. Peace is broken because on the outside they think they are seeking goodness, but in fact they are seeking their own advantage or benefit. But those who really seek goodness do not break peace.
Married couples also have problems because they seek their own. They want their spouses to conform to their desires. If we do not seek our own, but humble ourselves and serve one another, peace will not be broken with anybody.
You are seeking your own if you insist on your opinion because you argue for what seems to be right in your sight, benefits you, is more convenient for you, and what reveals you more. Even if you have learned the truth, you will show words and deeds that are not of goodness, as long as you have not cultivated goodness in your heart. If you insist upon what is more beneficial for you, you might hurt others' feelings or act unbecomingly towards them.
Those who have good hearts will ease the minds of others. They will seek what is better for the kingdom of God, and at the same time what is more beneficial for others. Unless others are trying to practice unrighteousness, they try to accommodate others' opinions to the best of their ability. When others' opinions differ, even if their opinions are correct they do not insist upon them. We can accept any kind of person and change even evil persons if we really serve others, sacrifice and humble ourselves with a true heart.
We have to be careful not to compromise with the untruth while trying to have peace. If we compromise with the untruth just to avoid conflicts or to earn recognition from others, it is not in accordance with pursuit of peace. If a believer plans to skip a Sunday service to please his family members, this is not pursuing peace, but it is compromise. In such cases, it is not only those who try to stop a believer from going to church on Sundays, but the believer himself who might also depart from God and go the way of death.
Some bow down before idols just to avoid confrontation with the family members. Others may consume alcohol with their co-workers at the insistence of their boss. There might seem to be peace for the moment, but in a spiritual sense they created a wall of sin between them and God.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, 1 Peter 3:11 says, "He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it." Let us maintain peace not just with God but also with all men. In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord you will be able to experience the fullness of God's works.
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