This is post #17 of a series entitled Peacemakers for the Cause of Christ – Facilitators of God’s Peace in a World Looking for Peace. We hope you’ll enjoy these 31 podcasts and blogs that focus on our great need in today’s society for peacemakers; men, women, and children who are willing to step away from all the contempt, division, and hatred, and step in toward the blessed call of being Christ-centered peacemakers for the greater glory of God. Here you’ll find very practical and biblically-sound advice on building bridges instead of walls, offering hope instead of despair. Here’s the homepage for the entire series.
Click on the link below to listen to the podcast version of this blog!
Truth #6: Peacemakers Read/Pray/Converse & Learn.
Today’s Lectio Divina: God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.” Genesis 2: 18 (MsgB)
From the very beginning of time, God knew that it was not good for a man to be alone. And while this verse in today’s Lectio Divina is specifically written to address how and why our Creator made both male and female, I believe this truth about man’s aloneness also speaks volumes to how important it is that we human beings find peaceable ways to bring ourselves together before our divisions do us in. Simply said, alone we’re sunk, but together we can.
Isn’t it interesting, for example, that in the first two chapters of Genesis, there are eight created objects that God calls “good”?
- Light (Gen 1: 3-5)
- Land & Sea (Gen 1: 6-10)
- Vegetation & Water (Gen 1: 11-13 & Gen 2: 5-6)
- Sun, Moon & Stars (Gen 1: 14-19)
- Ocean-Dwelling & Air-Dwelling Creatures (Gen 1: 20-23)
- Earth-Dwelling Creatures (Gen 1: 24-25)
- Trees Bearing Fruit (Gen 2: 8-9)
- Minerals from the Earth (Gen 2: 10-14)
Now, notice the one specific creation that God calls “very good.”…
Man (Gen 1: 26-31)
But, as we keep reading, there’s only one thing that God labels “not good”…
When man is found by himself, isolated in our aloneness! (Gen 2: 18)
Hmm.
You see friends, you and I are not at our best (very good) when we keep to ourselves, separated from God’s creation, at odds with our fellow human beings, and isolated from intimate relationships. As I see it, this is where God’s in-breaking Kingdom work of rescue & reconciliation truly comes into play.
So, as we begin this portion of this blog/podcast series, let’s review where we’ve been:
Truth #1: Peacemakers Understand the Times in Which We Live.
Truth #2: Peacemakers Find Themselves in Christ.
Truth #3: Peacemakers Take an Honest Inventory of Themselves.
Truth #4: Peacemakers Embrace the Biblical Power of Peace.
Truth #5: Peacemakers Practice the Presence of God’s Peace.
Now, it’s time to get practical with you. So, let’s start here. In order to become the most effective peacemakers for the cause of Christ, we must break the isolation that keeps us as an island unto ourselves. That brings us to:
Truth #6: Peacemakers Read/Pray/Converse & Learn.
So, this week, we’re going to explore three practical steps in breaking that isolation:
Reading the Writings of Others.
Praying with Others.
Conversing & Learning from Others.
It’s said…
A good book can open a closed mind.
The Book of Proverbs says it this way:
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Proverbs 4: 7 (NIV)
*This is the eighth in a variety of practical suggestions/resources we will make throughout this blog/podcast series. We call these exercises:
PUTTING ON YOUR PEACEMAKER TOOLBELT.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4: 9 (NIV)
Tool #8: A Short Reading List on Peacemaking.
So, at this point, allow me to offer you a few good book/wisdom options…
- My friend and good comrade, the late Rick Love, was a peacemaker extraordinaire. Rick authored a wonderful book on the subject: Peace Catalysts: Resolving Conflict in Our Families, Organizations, and Communities. Click here for Rick’s top ten reads on the subject of peacemaking.
- Another author I’ve come to fully respect is Arthur Brooks, author of Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt.
- Click here for yet another well-respected list of books on peacemaking from Good Reads:
- Finally, click here for an informative list of possible reads on the subject of peacemaking for children.
In closing, allow me to share the wisdom of Groucho Marx on the importance of reading:
I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
Happy reading, my friends, happy reading!
My Prayer: In truth, Father, while I am uniquely “one-of-a-kind” when it comes to my human existence, You also wired me to be fully interactive with every aspect of Your creation. Indeed, it’s not good for me to be alone. Thank You for the gift of written communication, where words on pages can open up my mind, allowing my wisdom and understanding to grow and expand. Lead me, Holy Spirit, to those writings around me that will both encourage me and challenge me to all You have me to be. For Your Name’s sake. Amen.
A Few Questions to Ponder: So, what voices am I listening to outside of myself? Am I finding comrades who are speaking the same message I have in my heart? Am I open to the writings of others who look at life differently than I do? Am I confident that God can use both in helping me learn and grow?
*This is the ninth in a variety of practical suggestions/resources we will make throughout this blog/podcast series. We call these exercises:
PUTTING ON YOUR PEACEMAKER TOOLBELT.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4: 9 (NIV)
Tool #9: An Exercise in Addressing Our Loneliness.
In this blog/podcast, we look at the theme of aloneness as addressed in Genesis 1 & 2. Click here for a short exercise that you might use in addressing this important theme with both yourself and others.
So, how are you experiencing God’s presence as you are becoming a peacemaker for the cause of Christ?
Peacemakers for the Cause of Christ – Facilitators of God’s Peace in a World Looking for Peace.
We hope you’ll enjoy these 31 podcasts and blogs that focus on our great need in today’s society for peacemakers; men, women, and children who are willing to step away from all the contempt, division, and hatred, and step in toward the blessed call of being Christ-centered peacemakers for the greater glory of God. Here’s the homepage for the entire series.
If you like what you’re reading, might we suggest you share this page with others!
Click here to go on to the next blog/podcast in this series…
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