The Father's Menu

The Father's Menu

Apostle Dr. Richard Udoh

Monday, June 11, 2018

SEEK PEACE

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet, in The Song of Hiawatha wrote, “Buried was the bloody hatchet; buried was the dreadful war-club; buried were all war like weapons, and the war cry was forgotten, then was peace among the nations”.

The centrality of peace in human and national development cannot be over-stressed. For peace to reign there must be reconciliation and forgiveness; ‘enemies’ must be prepared to bury their hatchet and move on. This is the import of our text today. The Psalmist emphasized the imperative of seeking peace and pursuing it. And while the Psalmist may be speaking of outward peace among people, I believe it applies to inner peace as well. We must pursue inner peace; we must work to find that calm inside that leads us into places of quiet waters.

The work of pursuing peace is much like pursuing beauty. You find something beautiful—a piece of art you adore, or a breathtaking beautiful house view—and what do you do with it? You enjoy it. Just being with it or in it and allowing it to soak into your eyes and spirit makes you feel happy or restful or energized. This is being with beauty.

The same is true of God’s peace. You open your heart to Him and just be. Be with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

.Today, the world does not know peace because of unwillingness to forgive one another. The disadvantages and danger of unforgiving spirit are numerous: it creates tension in the heart of those involved; it can hinder prayers from being answered (Mark 11:25, 26); it may deny one of getting into the kingdom of God. The family of God needs peace and it is our collective responsibility to get it. We must preach peace and advocate peaceful coexistence. We must stop killings and shedding of innocent blood, attacking fellow citizens with explosive and other devices should stop.

It is better to bury the hatchet and give peace a chance.

Prayer: Christ-centered peace is what I desire in my life

Further reading: Matthew 18: 15 – 22

Read through the Bible: II Chronicles 28 & Mark 3