“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:14-21 (NIV)
God calls us to be actively involved in ensuring peace in our homes, in our communities and in our nation. As far as God is concerned, His people are family and though families have differences, there is always a bond of LOVE which keeps family members together – a love given by God through the Holy Spirit. God has poured His love in us – Romans 5:5b. Love spawns because love wants to ensure the well-being of the object of love.
Peace must always be understood in the context of true reconciliation because peace springs from reconciliation. Reconciling is making peace. The Hebrew word which translates peace – SHALLOM refers to the “complete well-being God offers to the individual, a city or a country including its material prosperity and physical safety.”
God is very concerned about the physical safety of the people He has created and even more so for those He has redeemed as His own because it is His will in Christ Jesus that such people become His agents of reconciliation and peace – 2 Cor. 5:18-19.
We cannot talk about peace without talking about reconciliation. For in order to have peace we must do way with enmity – hatred to one another. Reconciliation means bringing back together again, restoring relations between people, making peace between disputing people. This is the work the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. Through His sacrifice on the cross He has atoned for our sins and brought us back to God. He gives us the mandate to be His representatives on earth to help with God’s agenda of reconciliation.
We are to be dependable, truthful and upright, just as God is. This is particularly important for rulers who are essentially God’s representatives on earth. When rulers fail to manifest God’s character their failure becomes evident in bad governance and bad leadership. Africa seems to hold the championship for that.
We cannot allow the relative peace we have been enjoying to fall apart. The question is: What am I doing to ensure that I live at peace with others? What will you do? What will we do directly and indirectly? As individuals, Jesus enjoins us to be peace makers – “blessed are the peace makers for they will be called the sons of God” – Matt. 5:9 (NIV)
We need to pray for the spirit of wisdom ad mediation;
We need to actively play a part in letting people understand the ruling from the Supreme Court; We need to report those who refuse to obey the law – no one is above the law;
The Church has a major role to play! God has given us a platform, and for that I commend all Church leaders and leaders of other faiths.
The Task for the Body of Christ
The Body of Christ is mandated to live out and proclaim the mission and message of Jesusour Messiah to the whole world. He has entrusted us with a ministry of reconciliation – 2
Cor. 5:18-21 and thus, we Christians must ultimately be concerned about matters of justice and peace. These virtues must first of all be apparent within the Christian community, which should be characterised by love, fellowship, affection, mercy, like-mindedness, agreement, selfishness and humility – Phil. 2:14-16a
But Christians must always remember that God’s truth, peace and justice as revealed by the cross of Christ are intended not only for the church and believers, but also for the entire world. We are called not merely to believe in peace and justice but to work to achieve them for everyone without any distinction or discrimination. Peace-making is thus, an important
Christian virtue.
Like Jesus, Christians must do works of love and mercy and seek justice for everyone,
whatever the cost – Isaiah 11:1-5; 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19. Christians must be compassionate in order to see and hear he cry of the oppressed and the downtrodden and must identify
with just and righteous causes. The greed and selfishness of individuals and groups need to be exposed and condemned in light of both biblical teachings and the values, mores and
norms of our nation.
In the final analysis, it is God who makes kings. As John the Baptist said, we cannot have
what we have not been given from above – John 3:27
Political power is ultimately about SELFLESS Service. The position of Head of State is even more crucial! It is God who wants a representative for Ghana. As human beings, all we can do is to continue to trust the Lord. We will not always understand His ways but we know one thing, He knows what He is doing and even when we cannot trace His hand, …..
Stay blessed!
Please note that the preaching program on Sunny 88.7 FM – Tuesdays at 5:30 am has been temporarily put on hold. However, please continue to join us on Asempa 94.7 FM – Sundays at 5:30 am and YFM 107.9 – Sundays at 6:30 am for our Radio Bible Study, as well as on Sunny 88.7 FM every Sunday at 3:30 pm for Hymns and Their Stories.
