A Harvest of Righteousness

James 3:18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

We need peace so much in the world right now! The world is full of turmoil and thanks to electronic media we receive constant updates of every hateful, hurtful act around the globe. We might find ourselves spreading anger and hatred too, as we vent over the injustices we see.

When people repeat the angry words that one side slings at the other, it spreads hostility and discord. When people gossip to their friends about “those people” on the other side of an issue or sling a little mud at them, things get worse. That’s not what Jesus told us to do. Jesus said, love your enemies and bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those that despitefully use you and persecute you.

Many other peacemakers, influenced by Jesus, gave similar advice. Gandhi is quoted as saying, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Martin Luther King, Jr. said “We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.” Nelson Mandela advocated mercy over retribution to achieve positive results. Many other lesser known human peacemakers turn the other cheek and teach others by example, to do likewise.

We Christians must not stand with the crowd making people blind with hatred and spite. We must let our light of LOVE shine as a beacon, showing the way to peace, LOVE, and our Lord Jesus!

Let’s emulate our Lord Jesus and the great peacemakers. Let’s forgive our enemies, loving them as Christ does. This won’t always be easy, but by spreading love and sowing peace, we will be in the right corner, standing with Jesus and making a difference in the evil of this world.

Friends, we must band together as peacemakers, as the body of Christ – sowing peace by our thoughts, words, and deeds. In this way, we will raise a great harvest of righteousness and LOVE!

Let’s pray…Dear Lord God, help us to sow peace, to forgive our enemies, to love our neighbors, even the ones we don’t like very much. Help us to generously share the words of Jesus and to live those words every day. Make us strong in your LOVE and inspire us to spread that LOVE to those who need it most. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God e