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Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:18) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. (Matt. 5:10) Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. Titus 3:10

Dear Lord Jesus, my history with backyard gardening has never been very successful; however, I praise you that there’s at least one kind of gardening for which there’s no possibility of failed crops. When we sow in peace—when we choose to live as gospel gardeners—there’s great assurance of luscious, delectable, righteous fruit.

Lord Jesus, you are the ultimate Peacemaker. Our only hope for a good crop of reconciliation and restoration is entirely bound up with you. I’ve borne the worthless fruit of both my pig-headed peace-breaking and my conflict-avoidant peace-faking in the past.

Jesus, keep me alive to the peacemaking you have already accomplished between yourself and me. While I was your enemy, you died for me—destroying the hostility, deconstructing the enmity, and displacing my insanity, through the gospel of peace. You have reconciled me to yourself through the price of your blood. Hallelujah, many times over!

And you have secured the ultimate healing and restoration of my whole being. The coming harvest of glorification is not the least bit in doubt. You will bring to completion the good work you have begun in each of us, and in your whole universe. There’s no chance of crop failure, none! There’s no chance all things won’t be made new, one Day. Don’t let me forget this hope for one nanosecond.

Therefore, give me your patience when peacemaking takes much longer, and gets much messier, than I want it to. Give me courage when you send me to people and situations I want to avoid like canned asparagus. Give me love, your love; for you have called me to love people, not to treat anybody like a project. So very Amen I pray, in your triumphant and compassionate name.

 

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