Fast Track to Victory

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
“For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
“And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Matthew 10:34-36

We all want peace. Even if we choose conflict right now, it’s usually a means to an end. It’s usually done with the expectation that when victory comes, at last there will be peace.

But God’s ways are not our ways. And one time that becomes apparent is when we talk about peace. We’re likely to think about bringing the soldier’s home. God thinks about having peace in our hearts, no matter how much turmoil we’re walking through.

So as we learn God’s ways and begin walking in them, we may have conflict. In fact, we can expect conflict as our behavior begins to clash with the world’s. They might not understand why we spend so much time with our heads in the Bible. They may not understand why we value purity, or even pay our taxes. They may expect us to live as though there were no God, at least not a God who really cares what we are doing.

When they see us behave differently, we may become the target of criticism. When we try to help them and encourage them in doing good, they may believe we’re trying to control them or manipulate them. We may be ostracized. We may wonder how God could ever use us to build his kingdom.

Yet God has a plan. Unity comes more easily when we have the same agenda. So praying we will all want what God wants, and try to walk in it, can help bring about that unity. When we have the same agenda, encouragement in the faith is more apt to be valued and welcome, instead of being misunderstood.