Peace For TodayНамуна

Sowing Seeds of Peace

Some of God’s most faithful servants had shown up prepared to do the work of His kingdom. The field for their labors was a courtroom in Charleston, South Carolina. They came bearing seeds of peace that they would sow and then water with tears.

The young man being arraigned had admitted to taking the lives of the people they loved most in the world, an act he had hoped would begin a racial war.

But God had sent these servants to the courtroom armed with only one weapon—the only one they needed: the love of Christ.

The judge turned to the victims’ family members and asked if they had anything to say before he made a decision about bond. One by one, each person addressed the young man who had taken so much from them: “I forgive you,” and “May God have mercy on your soul.” The moment was truly awe-inspiring.*

The wisdom of God doesn’t look anything like the wisdom of the world, which advocates self-promotion and vengeance. When the world sows these seeds, a crop of division and hate results.

Scripture tells us that God’s wisdom, however, “is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17–18).

I think the important thing to remember both from this verse and from the example of our brothers and sisters in Charleston is that joining God in the work of peace can be difficult and costly. Fulfilling our God-ordained roles as peacemakers requires action and often sacrifice on our part, but we can be confident that our labor is never in vain. God will honor it.

Psalm 126:5–6 says, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”

When we join God as peacemakers, doing the difficult work of scattering seeds of peace in our sin-broken world, we have the beautiful hope that we will one day be singing with joy as we witness the harvest God produced in part because of our faithful service.

Followers of Jesus who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

* Scott Pelley, “Family Members to Alleged Gunman: ‘I Forgive You.’” CBS Evening News, June 19, 2015, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/families-show-forgiveness-for-alleged-church-shooter/.