Day 163: Psalms 33, 34, 35 and 36

Look for peace and work for it. (NCV, Psalm 34:14)

Jesus said: Blessed are the peace-makers (Matthew 5:9). Both of these passages teach us that, as God's children (those who would carry on the family business, so to speak), we have a responsibility to actively pursue peace. Peace never comes by following the path of least resistance.

What if I refused to stoke a conflict, applying water rather than gasoline to smoldering fires? What if I actively advocated for peace, a smoothing hand to ruffled feathers and a soothing voice to frenzied spirits? And what if I had the kind and volume of peace in my heart that overflowed to those around me?

The antithesis of this peacemaker ethic is hiding behind my right to not get involved. That's what the priest and the Levite did when they happened upon a crime victim in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35). The Samaritan, on the other hand, simply got involved and did what he could to heal the ravages of violence. He didn't end a war or free a nation; he just reached out to another human being.

Where would God have you get involved in the pursuit of peace?